Padres Get an Even Dozen and Leave Dodgers Glazed

Who can beat the San Diego Padres if Kevin Brown can’t?

That question undoubtedly will be asked throughout the major leagues after the scorching-hot Padres overwhelmed Brown and the disappointing Dodgers, 11-2, en route to setting a franchise record with their 12th consecutive victory Wednesday night.

The Padres scored four runs in the seventh inning while chasing Brown (9-5), the big blow being a three-run home run by Reggie Sanders, who also blasted a two-run, second-deck homer to left field against reliever Jamie Arnold in the eighth. San Diego sent nine batters to the plate during the seventh in taking a 9-2 lead and putting the game out of reach before a typically enthusiastic crowd of 44,965 at Qualcomm Stadium.

San Diego (37-38) has won the first two games of the three-game series and improved to 7-1 against their Southland rivals, winning six in a row.

The Padres easily handled Brown, who is despised in San Diego because he signed with the Dodgers in the off-season after leading the Padres to the World Series.

Brown, who left the clubhouse before reporters entered, failed to record an out in the seventh. Beginning play Wednesday, the right-hander was leading the league in earned-run average at 2.89. He gave up 11 hits and nine earned runs and his ERA increased to 3.43.

The crowd erupted in delight when Brown departed. The applause were almost as loud after the game when it was announced that Brown had suffered the loss.

“I thought he was throwing the ball pretty good, but he obviously made a couple of bad pitches,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “I checked with him after the fifth and he said he was OK, so I thought I could get seven out of him and we’d get the chance to win. It obviously didn’t work out that way.”

The Dodgers (34-41) are a season-high seven games under .500. They solidified their hold on last place in the West by finishing June with an 8-17 mark.

The rebuilding Padres? They have the longest winning streak in the majors this season despite a roster devoid of the Dodgers’ high-priced talent.

Padre General Manager Kevin Towers couldn’t be happier about his team’s domination of the Dodgers because of his animosity toward Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone. For Malone, this season has been a worst-case scenario that’s getting worse by each day.

The Padre organization played money-themed songs over the public-address system when Brown and the Dodgers last came to town April 16. That game also ended badly for the former Padre hero and his new teammates. Brown took the loss as Andy Ashby pitched a five-hitter in the 3-0 victory.

Brown was booed Wednesday when his name was announced in the opening lineup. The booing was loudest when Brown batted, as was the cheering when he struck out twice.

The Dodgers should have foreseen trouble Wednesday because they scored first. A run-scoring double by Eric Karros--who also hit his 13th homer in the fifth--gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and that hasn’t been a good sign lately.

They lost the series opener, 4-3, in 12 innings Tuesday after Todd Hundley hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Then the Dodgers scored only once more in 11 innings.

Outfielder Trenidad Hubbard says something has to change.

“I have faith in Davey Johnson,” Hubbard said. “He’s a great manager. And I have faith that he’ll find solutions to our problem. What we’re doing now isn’t working.

“They’re putting us out there and we just aren’t getting it done. You look at every game [during June] and something else happens. Something happens every time and we wind up losing. We’ve got to do something.”