Padres Deliver the Goods Against Dodgers : Baseball: Pitching and defense help San Diego earn 5-2 victory, end L.A. winning streak.

They call themselves the New Padres.

They planted palm trees behind the outfield fence. They constructed luxury seats that are closer to home plate than the pitcher’s mound. They even got themselves a couple of $4 million players.

“We Want You Back,” scream the advertisements plastered all over the city.

Yet, as any loyal Padre fan knows, you can have all of the pleasant aesthetics and all of the promotions you want, but nothing provides more goodwill than a good old-fashioned victory over the Dodgers.

The Padres, realizing just that, held a one-hour, players-only meeting Monday afternoon, then ended the Dodgers’ four-game winning streak, 5-2, in front of a paid 9,215 at Jack Murphy Stadium.

Sure, one victory isn’t going to dramatically change this town’s sentiments toward the Padres, but the magnitude of this victory could be greater for the team than anyone imagines.

“It was time for us to turn this around,” Padre first baseman Eddie Williams said, “and we did. We got out of this rut. I believe the tough times we’re facing are pretty much done.”

The Padres (5-8), who were counting on their pitching and defense to carry them to the National League West title, only to watch their pitching and defense lead them into a seven-game losing streak, won with, yes, pitching and defense.

“That’s a dangerous team over there,” said Dodger first baseman Eric Karros, who raised his league-leading batting average to .481 with two hits. “That pitching staff is amongst the best in the game. I never thought it was possible that they would lose seven games in a row with that staff, and I don’t think you’ll see it again. When September rolls around, they’ll be there.”

The Padres, making defensive plays you’ll find on ESPN highlight reels, and living up to their hype as the division’s finest pitching staff, turned to their offense to break open a 2-2 tie by scoring three runs in the seventh inning.

Dodger reliever Antonio Osuna, sporting an 11.17 earned-run average, opened the seventh by yielding a single to No. 8 hitter Brad Ausmus. Ausmus went to second on Ray Holbert’s sacrifice bunt, and on to third on Bip Roberts’ single to left.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda summoned left-hander Omar Daal to bail them out of trouble, only to watch Daal’s first pitch bounce off catcher Mike Piazza’s left knee, allowing Ausmus to score. Daal compounded matters by walking Steve Finley. Tony Gwynn grounded to second on a hit-and-run, moving the two runners into scoring position with two outs.

The Dodgers called upon Greg Hansell, but Williams hit the first pitch into right field, scoring Roberts and Finley for a 5-2 lead. Just like that, the Dodgers’ streak was over, and the Padres were feeling good about themselves again.

“We never panicked during this streak,” Padre General Manager Randy Smith said, “and last year, I couldn’t have said the same. When we lost 13 in a row last year, I couldn’t even sleep. It was like we were just hoping to win.

“But this is a good team. We’ve got a chance to do something.”

The Dodgers (7-5) had a funny feeling it might be one of those nights at the outset, and their sentiments hadn’t changed by the time the game ended.

In the first inning, Jose Offerman hit a one-out line drive that appeared headed toward the left-center gap. Left fielder Melvin Nieves, considered a defensive liability, sprinted to his left, dove and snared the ball. One batter later, Raul Mondesi hit a line shot to the right field fence. Mondesi, figuring he’d have a homer, or at least a double, watched in horror as Gwynn caught the ball while crashing into the fence.

Padre starter Joey Hamilton set the stage by yielding two runs the first six innings, equaling the longest outing by a Padre this season. The Dodgers tied the game at 2 in the seventh on Henry Rodriguez’s run-scoring single, and had a chance to break it open with no outs and runners on first and second.

This was the time Padre Manager Bruce Bochy chose to call upon reliever Dustin Hermanson, 22, to make his major league debut.

“I’ve always said that I didn’t mind going straight into the fire,” said Hermanson, “but they threw me into some flames tonight.”

Hermanson, the first player from the 1994 draft to make the major leagues, promptly struck out Chris Gwynn on three pitches for the first out, induced a fly ball by Dave Hansen for the second out, and induced another fly ball by pinch-hitter Jeff Treadway for the final out.

Hermanson was the winner, and perhaps the Padres really are back.