Cruz Lifts Dodgers in 7-3 Win

If Bruce Bochy continues to make moves like the ones he did in the fourth inning Sunday, the Dodgers might slip right back into the race.

The San Diego Padre manager changed pitchers to turn around switch-hitter Jose Cruz Jr. with two outs and a runner on base. Cruz promptly turned on a pitch from left-hander Chris Hammond, driving it over the left-field fence at Dodger Stadium to break a tie.

Bochy left Hammond in to face another switch-hitter, Dioner Navarro, and that didn’t work out well either. Navarro homered, and the Dodgers went on to win, 7-3, to move into second place in the National League West.

The Padres (71-71) aren’t sweating it yet because they lead by six games. The Dodgers (65-77) play at San Diego the last three games of the season, and to make that series meaningful must pick up three games over the next 17.

Cruz, who is batting .533 right-handed as a Dodger, was euphoric over hitting the homer but realistic in assessing the race.

“It’s definitely going to be tough,” he said. “The Padres are going to have to play really bad and we’re going to have to play really good.”

Brad Penny knows what it means to go from really bad to really good. The Dodger starter had trouble with his breaking ball in the first inning, giving up hits to four of the first five batters and needing 35 pitches to get out of the inning with the score 3-0.

“I was thinking, ‘Hit the ball to somebody, please,’ ” he said.

Penny quickly settled down, giving up one more hit through the sixth when he departed with a 7-3 lead, having thrown 117 pitches.

Although victories have been tough to come by for Penny (7-9), he has answered any questions about his durability that stemmed from last season’s biceps nerve injury. He has gone from being a question mark in spring training to a reliable workhorse who has thrown fewer than five innings in only two of 27 starts.

He also has emerged as a stable force in the clubhouse. The three-year contract extension he signed in June bolstered his status.

“I know I’m going to be here and I want to see the team win,” he said.

He watched as the Dodgers put up one run in each of the first three innings to tie the score, then broke it open in the fourth. The inning didn’t appear to be going anywhere when Bochy called a pitchout on a hit-and-run play with Oscar Robles at the plate and Choi running from first. Choi was thrown out and two pitches later Robles grounded out.

But Jeff Kent walked and Bochy summoned Hammond to face Cruz, who shrugged off the move.

“I’ve seen it a lot,” he said. “It’s tough to switch in the middle of a game. I’m sure that was his rationale.

“But the way I look at it, just let me know if it’s a right-hander or a left-hander so I can get a couple of warmup swings. It didn’t bother me at all.”

Cruz has reached base in 21 of his last 39 plate appearances and is batting .310 with four homers since joining the Dodgers in early August. He will be a free agent after the season and said he would like to re-sign with the Dodgers.

“I like the people here,” he said. “Being a Dodger is way more fun than I thought it would be.”

The Dodgers will be in the market for an outfielder, and with J.D. Drew probably moving to center field, Cruz could fill the vacancy in right. He is making $4 million this season.

When Cruz was acquired, the Dodgers privately indicated he probably would not be part of their long-range plans.

But his continued production coupled with a thin free-agent market could change that.

“I’m grateful for the chance they are giving me,” he said. “I haven’t had my best year yet. I could help this team.”