Joc Pederson homer is the difference in Dodgers’ 2-1 win over Padres

Runs, the Dodgers scored precious runs. Two of them even. And if the first was unearned, to snap their scoreless streak at 35 innings, there was absolutely no doubt about the second one.

Joc Pederson crushed a Joaquin Benoit 95-mph fastball in the eighth inning, sending it halfway up the bleachers in right-center to leave the Dodgers 2-1 winners over the Padres on Friday before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 48,514.

It was Pederson’s 11th home run of the season, tops on the Dodgers.

Through four innings it was like old times. Not a run on the board. To that point, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record for most consecutive scoreless innings, set by the 1962 Dodgers, had been tied at 35.

So there was some serious history at stake when Justin Turner came up to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Turner dumped a basehit into left-center that Will Venable dropped for an error that allowed Turner to take second.

That brought up Andre Ethier, who had a potential double taken away by ex-teammate Matt Kemp with a running catch in right-center in the second inning. This time, Ethier hit it where Kemp could not catch it, lining a double into the right-field corner to score Turner.

That ended the scoreless streak, and if it tied the L.A. Dodgers’ mark, it still fell short of the all-time franchise mark of 41 set by the 1908 Brooklyn Superbas. The run was unearned, but it was a run.

Trouble was, the Padres got the run back in the seventh. Derek Norris hit a line-drive, ground-rule double into the seats in left before Venable blooped a soft single into center. Pederson scooped up the ball and accurately fired home.

Norris slid ahead of the tag by A.J. Ellis and was ruled safe. Replays, however, indicated Norris slid with his lead leg elevated and above the plate. The Dodgers challenged the call and lost; his trailing leg still may have touched the plate prior to the Ellis swipe.

Venable took second on the throw and there was still one out, but Zack Greinke induced two groundouts to avoid further trouble in the inning.

Greinke and Andrew Cashner were matched in a tight pitching duel all night. Cashner, who entered the game with a 1-7 record, went six strong innings for the Padres. He gave up only the one unearned run, allowing five hits, walking one and striking out three.

Greinke left after giving up a two-out single to Cory Spangenberg and walking Kemp in the eighth. Chris Hatcher came on, threw one pitch and Justin Upton immediately flied out to Ethier in right.

In his 7 2/3 innings, Greinke allowed one run on six hits and a walk, striking out five. He lowered his ERA to 1.48.

Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his second save. Jansen, who missed the first six weeks of the season following foot surgery, had not pitched since Sunday.

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