Dodgers Wilt to Padres’ Williams

Editor’s note: Because of press problems, some editions Thursday did not contain the Dodger box score and complete game story.

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The punching bag took another lick Wednesday night, when the Dodgers added Woody Williams of the San Diego Padres to the list of pitchers they have made look like Roger Clemens or Greg Maddux.

Williams, who began the night with a 2-5 record, retired 10 Dodgers in a row and gave up only three hits until the ninth inning of a 6-2 win before 31,152 at Dodger Stadium.

He got enough runs in the fifth inning to win, enough insurance in the eighth to allow him to breeze and enough help in Trevor Hoffman’s 17th save to finish off the Dodgers.

“I was hoping to give the bullpen a rest,” said Williams, smiling. “Those guys are good hitters, though. They’ll get on you in a heartbeat.”

There is no heartbeat in the Dodger bats, which were silent from a two-run fourth inning until a two-hit ninth that required Hoffman’s attention.

Williams gave San Diego its fifth win in a row by keeping the Dodgers in a rut. They have lost 11 of 15 and have scored more than three runs in only six of them. They finished the night only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Padres, who are ahead of nobody in the National League West.

For all of the teammates’ cobwebbed bats, though, don’t let the Dodger pitchers escape blame. They were their own worst enemy Wednesday.

Starter Ismael Valdes surrendered four of the runs on successive homers, one of which followed two walks.

Reliever Jamie Arnold gave up two more runs in the eighth.