Kuroda, Gwynn trigger Dodgers’ sweep of the Padres

On his way out of the Dodgers’ clubhouse on Saturday night, closer Jonathan Broxton looked toward the locker of starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

“The game he threw, it was very exciting to watch,” Broxton said.

So exciting, Broxton said, that when he was asked to save his second game of the day, he didn’t feel any lingering effects from his earlier appearance.

“It felt better than the first time,” Broxton said. “I was amped up.”

Dodgers-Padres box score

Broxton walked Chris Denorfia to load the bases, but forced Cameron Maybin to hit a slow roller to third base that resulted in a base-path collision between third baseman Casey Blake and Chase Headley. The interference call sealed the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres, which followed a 4-2 win from earlier in the day, when the teams completed a game suspended from the Friday night.

Broxton became the first Dodgers pitcher to save two games in a day since Jeff Shaw, who did it Aug. 25, 2000, at Wrigley Field.

“It was weird,” Broxton said.

Broxton’s first save of the day completed an 11-inning game that was suspended the previous night because of four weather-related delays that totaled 3 hours and 36 minutes.

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When the game was stopped at 1:13 a.m. on Saturday, Matt Kemp was on first base with no outs. Heath Bell was on the mound. The cleaning crew was picking up trash in the upper deck.

The game was officially suspended at 1:38 a.m.

Umpire crew chief Ed Rapuano said he considered allowing the game to continue.

“The No. 1 priority is to get the game in,” Rapuano said. “The fans who bought tickets deserve every chance to get the game in. There is no curfew. But the forecasts said it was going to continue to rain on and off.”

Shortstop Rafael Furcal sits out game

The contest resumed at 5:35 p.m. Saturday

The Dodgers had trouble scoring on Friday night and one day didn’t change that. Kemp didn’t score. Neither did James Loney and Xavier Paul, who also had hits in the ninth inning.

The stalemate was broken in the 11th inning by Tony Gwynn Jr., who played for the Padres the two previous seasons. Gwynn grew up a Padre, having spent a significant part of his childhood in the San Diego clubhouse with his Hall of Fame father.

With two on and two outs, Gwynn lined a single to right field, driving in Juan Uribe and advancing Aaron Miles to third base. Miles scored when pitcher Pat Neshek threw a wild pitch to Jamey Carroll.

Asked if he used to dream of doing something like this in his hometown ballpark, Gwynn laughed.

“I’ve envisioned it but it definitely wasn’t under the circumstances that we’re in now,” Gwynn said.

Gwynn presented Kuroda an early lead in the next game, as he started the game with a double to right and scored on a single by Andre Ethier.

Ethier added to the advantage in the fifth inning, clearing the right-field wall for his first home run of the season. The Dodgers increased their lead to 3-0 later that inning when Padres left fielder Denorfia dropped a high fly ball by Uribe at the warning track, which allowed Kemp to score.

Gwynn scored again in the eighth inning. He singled to right, stole second base for the second time in the game, reached third on a wild pitch and ran home on a single by Blake.

The Dodgers were up, 4-0.

Kuroda did the rest, holding the Padres to six hits over 8 2/3 scoreless innings.

Blanking the Padres through eighth innings, Kuroda told the coaches that he wanted to go out for the final inning.

“The bullpen did a lot yesterday,” Kuroda said. “I wanted to finish the game if I could to give them the day off.”

But Kuroda gave up a pair of two-out singles to Brad Hawpe and Headley, prompting Mattingly to summon Broxton for the second time that day.

“I made Broxton pitch twice in one day,” Kuroda said. “I’m sorry about that.”

By his own admission, Broxton made the game more interesting than it should have been by walking Denorfia.

Then Headley ran into Blake.

Blake admitted that had Headley not run into him, he didn’t think he would have been able to throw out Maybin.

“I would’ve had to barehand it,” Blake said. “That guy can run a little bit.”

The save was Broxton’s fifth of the season.

After the game, Mattingly announced that John Ely would be called up from triple-A Albuquerque to start on Sunday. He said a corresponding roster move would be made Sunday.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com