Yasiel Puig homers twice, Dodgers overpower Padres 10-2

Yasiel Puig is trying to improve his punctuality, and a noon start Thursday made for an unusually early morning.

This year, though, Puig is having little trouble getting going early.

Puig hit two home runs, drove in four runs and stole a base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers rout the San Diego Padres 10-2.

The Cuban outfielder has appeared on his best behavior so far this season, and he's also been producing big time for Los Angeles. He's batting .417 with three homers through four games.

"You have to behave yourself and get here early and prepare," Puig said through an interpreter. "That's how things are going the right way."

Puig was 2 for 3 and had two walks. He hit a two-run homer to left off the first pitch from Jered Weaver (0-1) in the second inning. The 26-year-old homered off Weaver again in his next at-bat in the fourth, belting another two-run shot to left to give the Dodgers a four-run lead.

"The thing with Yasiel is, early on in his career, the league didn't know how to approach him," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He was hitting a lot of balls out over, and the league was learning from him, and the last couple of years, you see the league has adjusted. He's had to make those adjustments as well. Right now, he's being disciplined with his approach and continues to work through mechanics.

"It's more credit now that he's started off this series well in the sense that they're pitching him tough. He's swinging at strikes and taking balls. We look for him to sustain this."

It was the first multihomer game for Puig since June 4, 2013, his second game in the majors. Four years ago, Puig had an electrifying summer to burst into the majors. He's had plenty of issues, though, including speeding tickets, promptness and immaturity. In 2014, he was benched on opening day for being late.

Puig was relegated to the minor leagues last year, but he has been given another chance. He's making good on that early on.

Asked if he feels like a different person, Puig said: "Yes. I think I'm a little more mature. I'm continuing to work. I know I'm a little older. I've been getting older as it goes. I need to keep working and preparing so I can keep helping everyone I'm trying to help."

Brandon McCarthy (1-0), who had Tommy John surgery in 2015 and an ensuing case of the yips last year, faced 17 batters - two over the minimum - through five innings. He allowed two runs and four hits in six innings.

"It's nice to go out and not have things go haywire and not have a mess on your hands," McCarthy said.

Weaver pitched in a different uniform for the first time in his career after spending 11 years with the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed four earned runs, five hits and three walks in five innings.

"The walks, in general, is what killed me," Weaver said. "I pride myself on not walking people. Obviously two bad pitches and there you go, four runs."

The Padres issued 11 walks.

Wil Myers hit a two-run home run off McCarthy in the sixth, but the Padres had just six hits and couldn't get much going offensively.

The Dodgers won their home-opening series, 3-1.

In the seventh inning, two-way player Christian Bethancourt loaded the bases, then walked Andrew Toles to score Puig.

EARLY EXIT

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson was ejected in the seventh inning after he slammed his bat and helmet after being called out on strikes.

"He's emotional and we love that about him and he cares," Roberts said. "But that's a game you just can't get thrown out of."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Catcher Hector Sanchez left the game for precautionary reasons with dizziness (concussion-like symptoms) after taking a foul ball off his mask in the seventh inning.

Dodgers: Reliever Pedro Baez (right hand) threw a bullpen session two days ago and came out of that well, but Roberts wasn't yet sure when he would throw again.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo makes his season debut in the home opener at Petco Park against the Giants. Perdomo had a 2.41 ERA in five spring starts. He led all Padres starting pitchers last year in wins (nine) and innings pitched (146 2/3).

Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu is back following left shoulder surgery and other injuries that had him make just one start over the last two years. He'll make his season debut in Colorado.

Hill starts strong, Puig homers and Dodgers beat Padres 3-1

 Rich Hill endured a rocky spring, struggling with command and not exactly sailing smoothly into the first season of a $48 million, three-year contract.

He said he wasn't worried. Seems he was right.

Hill pitched five innings of two-hit ball, Yasiel Puig hit his first home run of the season and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Hill (1-0) struck out five, walked three and allowed Hunter Renfroe's homer in his first start since returning to the Dodgers on a free agent deal. Hill said throughout the spring that despite his struggles, he was confident he'd be on track by the start of the season.

"I only threw 75 pitches and I made one mistake on the home run, but it's early, and I felt good tonight," Hill said. "I made some mechanical adjustments, and I feel good about it."

Relievers Sergio Romo, Alex Wood and Kenley Jansen shut the Padres down the rest of the way, and Jansen pitched the ninth inning for his first save of the season.

The left-handed Hill was hit by a pitch in his right hand while batting in the second inning. After a short delay, he remained in the game.

"He said he's fine, but we're going to take a few pictures to make sure," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When we got out to check on him, the first thing he said was that his on-base percentage was 1.000."

Trevor Cahill (0-1) allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings in his first start with San Diego. Cahill was a reliever last season with the world champion Chicago Cubs but signed a one-year deal this winter to start for the Padres. He allowed five hits and three walks and struck out seven.

"I gave up two runs in the first, but after that I settled in and felt good, but unfortunately things didn't go exactly as I wanted them to," Cahill said. "They have a tough lineup and Rich Hill doesn't let you put many up on the board."

Puig drilled a two-out, 1-2 pitch deep over the left field wall to put Los Angeles ahead 3-1 in the fourth inning. Puig, batting eighth after struggling in 2016, and Justin Turner each had two hits for the Dodgers.

"I'm trying to make better swings," Puig said through an interpreter. "I'm not used to batting that low in the order, but it keeps me in the lineup so I have to do my job."

In the first inning, Adrian Gonzalez's ground-rule double to left scored Corey Seager. One batter later, Gonzalez scored when first baseman Wil Myers misplayed a throw from third baseman Ryan Schimpf.

Myers had two of the Padres' three hits in the game.

Los Angeles improved to 39-20 against the Padres at Dodger Stadium since the beginning of 2011.

TATIANA-MANIA

Dodgers broadcaster and former pitcher Fernando Valenzuela caught the ceremonial first pitch from his granddaughter, Tatiana.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: RHP Cater Capps, who missed last season following Tommy John surgery, is expected to throw a bullpen session Thursday and a simulated game Saturday at Petco Park before the Giants-Padres game.

Dodgers: Dave Roberts said that outfielder Andre Ethier (on DL with a slight disc herniation in lower back) "felt normal soreness after running yesterday while continuing his rehab. He's aggressively trying to rehab, but he's still a ways from returning."

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP and ex-Angel Jered Weaver makes his Padres debut in Thursday's series finale.

Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy goes for LA, completing the four-game homestand.

Richard goes 8 innings, Padres beat Dodgers 4-0

 Clayton Richard is trying to lead by example on the second-youngest roster in the majors. In their second game of the season, he showed the San Diego Padres how to win.

The 33-year-old Richard pitched eight impressive innings, Yangervis Solarte homered and the Padres turned four double plays to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Tuesday night.

"The biggest thing is getting our first team win," Richard said. "At the beginning of the season, you want to get that out of the way."

Richard is back for his second career stint in San Diego after beginning last season with the Cubs, where he worked 25 games in relief before being let go in August and catching on with the Padres again.

"His fastball command was outstanding. He got groundball after groundball after groundball," San Diego manager Andy Green said. "He got the double plays to get out of four innings. His changeup was as good as I've seen it. He punched some guys out with it and it's not normally a punchout pitch for him."

The Dodgers were limited to five hits after pounding out 14 in a 14-3 rout Monday, when they set a franchise record for opening day by socking four home runs.

"Clayton's goal is to put the ball on the ground and he's a high percentage sinker," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When he's doing that, he's going to be tough."

Corey Seager, last season's NL Rookie of the Year, went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and hit into two double plays for Los Angeles. Kenta Maeda (0-1) gave up three runs in five innings.

"I was a little bit too excited, being the season opener," Maeda said through a translator. "(Richard) really moved the ball well and kept the hitters off balance. He kept the rhythm off balance, which is something I wasn't able to do for my team."

The Padres had 11 hits after being held to five by Clayton Kershaw and Chris Hatcher on Monday.

Richard (1-0) allowed five hits - all singles - on 99 pitches. The left-hander struck out five and walked two.

"It's really difficult to lead in the clubhouse if you're not doing it on the field," said Richard, a former backup quarterback at Michigan. "Guys gravitate toward guys who do well on the field. That's just in anything in life, people gravitate to those who are successful."

Brad Hand pitched the ninth to complete the shutout.

San Diego turned inning-ending double plays in the second, fourth and sixth.

Solarte's homer with two outs in the third extended the lead to 3-0. His RBI single accounted for the Padres' first run, and Ryan Schimpf added a sacrifice fly that made it 2-0 in the first.

Wil Myers had an RBI single with two outs in the eighth.

Erick Aybar went 3 for 3 with a walk for the Padres.

Maeda allowed six hits to open his second season in the majors. The Japanese right-hander struck out four and walked two. He finished third in last season's NL Rookie of the Year voting after going 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in 32 starts.

BUILDING UP URIAS

Julio Urias is set to make his next start at Triple-A Oklahoma City, although the Dodgers optioned him to Class A Rancho Cucamonga, a move manager Dave Roberts attributed to paperwork. Urias threw a side session Tuesday and will start for OKC later this week. The Dodgers have been protective of the 20-year-old's arm in order to save him for September and October. Urias was 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA and 84 strikeouts while pitching 82 2/3 innings in the majors last year.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Trevor Cahill starts the third game of the series Wednesday.

Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill is 1-3 with a 5.75 ERA in four career starts against San Diego and has limited hitters to a .216 average.

Pederson, Dodgers hit team-mark 4 HRs in opener, rout Padres

The Dodgers didn't waste any time showing off their offensive depth on opening day, with every slot in the lineup accounting for a hit and a run.

The biggest drive came from Joc Pederson, who hit a grand slam as part of a franchise-record four home runs to start the season, leading Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles over the San Diego Padres 14-3 Monday.

Pederson drove in five runs, Yasmani Grandal homered twice and Corey Seager added a three-run shot.

"We had Kersh going, got ahead early and didn't take our foot off the pedal," Pederson said. "Everyone raked. Anyone at any time can hurt you. It's awesome to be a part of."

Kershaw (1-0) allowed two runs - one earned - and two hits over 84 pitches and seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none in his seventh consecutive opening day start. He tied the team mark for most opening day starts in matching Don Sutton, who started seven straight openers from 1972-78, and Don Drysdale, whose seven weren't consecutive.

"If we keep scoring in double-digit runs, I think I'll have a good year," Kershaw said, smiling.

Kershaw's fifth opening day victory equaled Drysdale for most in franchise history.

"It's a huge honor to get to do that," he said.

Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) gave up a career-worst nine runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings in his Padres debut.

"I didn't make good pitches when I needed to, especially in the third inning," he said. "I started getting behind. (Pederson) was ready for the fastball in and hit it out. That's where the game got away from us."

The Dodgers' runs fell just short of their 15-0 victory over the Padres on opening day a year ago in San Diego.

"It was the quality of the bats one through nine, Kersh included," second-year manager Dave Roberts said. "There was a purpose every time someone stepped in the batter's box."

Grandal followed Pederson's slam in the third inning with a solo homer into the same lower right-field seats. Both came with two outs and gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead.

Pederson's slam was the team's first on opening day since Eric Karros had one in 2000 at Montreal. The center fielder's five-RBI performance, including a sacrifice fly in the second, was the first to open a Dodgers season since Raul Mondesi in 1999 against Arizona.

Seager, last season's NL Rookie of the Year, homered with two outs in the fifth off catcher-turned-pitcher Christian Bethancourt, whose consecutive wild pitches in the fourth led to two of the three runs in the inning.

Bethancourt, who will be used out of the bullpen and behind the plate this season, got tagged for three runs, three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings.

Kershaw, who had 46 hits last season, singled leading off the fourth and scored on Justin Turner's double.

The Padres' runs came on Yangervis Solarte's RBI single in the first and Ryan Schimpf's homer in the seventh.

UNDEFEATED KERSH

Kershaw is 5-0 in seven opening-day starts with a 0.99 ERA, the second-lowest behind Rick Mahler's 0.92 mark. Kershaw again dominated the Padres, improving to 15-6 with a 2.03 ERA while limiting hitters to a .191 average in 29 career starts.

VIN'S VOICE

Vin Scully wasn't in the Dodgers booth for an opener for the first time since 1950, having retired last season at age 88. Scully's dulcet tones still resonated in the ballpark. He narrated a video about opening day shown before the game and then turned it over to his 29-year-old successor Joe Davis, who introduced Wally Moon and Tom Lasorda for ceremonial first pitches.

BETHANCOURT INJURED

On Bethancourt's first wild pitch in the fourth, he ran to cover the plate and appeared to have been spiked by Andrew Toles' slide. Bethancourt said he got cut inside his leg and on top of his kneecap.

"I just wanted to stay in the ballgame and just wanted to keep pitching and helping my team," he said. "I was actually mad after I got cut. Not mad at the runner. That's part of the game. It happens. I'm a catcher, too. I've been in a lot of those (plays)."

STRUGGLING PADRES

San Diego lost its third straight opener, all to the Dodgers, and fell to 21-28 on opening day. The Padres are 1-6 in their last seven games at Dodger Stadium. The Padres, who have the second-youngest roster in the majors, haven't won an opener since they beat the Dodgers in San Diego in 2014.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: They have six players hurt to start the season, with LHP Robbie Erlin and Colin Rea on the 60-day DL.

Dodgers: RHP Pedro Baez (right wrist bruise), one of six players starting the season on the DL, is expected to return next week after rehabbing at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

LHP Clayton Richard starts for the Padres against RHP Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers on Tuesday. Richard went 3-3 with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts for San Diego last season after the Cubs let him go in August. Maeda is 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in four career starts against the Padres.

Bucs blank SD behind Taillon's 8 scoreless

Pirates rookie Jameson Taillon continued to pitch with poise and polish beyond his years, throwing eight scoreless innings and leading the Bucs to a 4-0 win over the Padres on Thursday at PNC Park.

"His composure's incredible, as young as he is, 10 starts in. He's learning," Pirates third baseman David Freese said. "He's always watching, always talking the game. He wants to be great out there, and it shows."

Making his 10th start in the Majors -- and his first since officially, and happily, shedding his "prospect" status -- Taillon was efficient and in control throughout the afternoon. He didn't pound the zone with strikes like he has over the past month, but he forced the Padres to put the ball in play and let his defense go to work, scooping up 10 groundouts. Taillon allowed three hits and two walks, striking out four, as his ERA dropped to 2.85.

"I think incrementally, he's just working to get a little bit better," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Pitch efficiency continues to be first and foremost for me. That's very, very attractive. … Love the rhythm and pace he works at."

As Taillon gains experience in the Majors, opponents' scouting reports on him continue to grow. Yet he has shown no trouble adjusting to the league. The right-hander added a few more changeups to his usual mix of fastballs and curveballs on Thursday, keeping the Padres off-balance and adding new wrinkles to his game.

"It helps get guys off my fastball," Taillon said. "At the same time, I think my strengths are good enough to carry me in this league for a while."

The Pirates' lineup went to work early against Padres lefty Christian Friedrich, with Freese leading the charge from the cleanup spot. Freese went 2-for-4 with a pair of opposite-field RBI hits in his first two at-bats. Gregory Polanco added an RBI single in the third, and Josh Harrison bounced a run-scoring single up the middle in the fourth off Friedrich. With the win, the Pirates finished a 4-2 homestand and pulled within two games of the second National League Wild Card spot.

The Padres wouldn't threaten much after that, finishing with only four hits -- all singles. Pirates pitchers faced the minimum in five of the nine innings.

"Any game looks flat when you don't get runners on base," Padres manager Andy Green said. "There's just not much you can do. The game plan today was: He's got a long arm stroke, if we get some baserunners on, we love to pressure guys on the basepaths. He kept our guys off base, and you don't get on base, you can't apply pressure."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Mr. Freese: With Jung Ho Kang struggling and a lefty starter on the mound, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle elected to use Sean Rodriguez at first base and keep Freese at third. As Hurdle pointed out before the game, Freese has earned the "lion's share" of playing time at third with his performance and Kang's slump. Freese continued to prove his value -- and validate the Pirates' mid-spring signing -- as he drove in Pittsburgh's first two runs.

"I think it's one of the reasons he's had the success he's had in his career," Hurdle said. "He's been that hitter the whole time."

Make it eight: Taillon benefited from a few well-hit line drives landing in his defenders' gloves, but he was still throwing 94-95 mph and finding the bottom of the strike zone with his curveball in the eighth inning. It was the second time in his Major League career that Taillon completed eight scoreless innings, as he also fell one inning shy of a shutout against the Mets in New York on June 14. Taillon crossed the 100-pitch mark for the second straight start, throwing 101.

In a pickle: The Bucs scored once in the bottom of the fourth inning, but they could've had more if not for a pair of baserunning mishaps. With one out, Friedrich threw to pick off Harrison at first base, and Eric Fryer was nailed at home when he tried to advance during the ensuing rundown. Two batters later, Harrison rounded third base too widely on an infield single, and was tagged out in yet another rundown.

Heavy workload: With 87 1/3 innings pitched this season, Friedrich passed his career high of 84 2/3 set back in 2012. He spent the past two seasons as a reliever and is still building his arm strength back up. As a result, the Padres will likely cut his season a bit short this year -- though they haven't determined a set number of future starts that Friedrich will make.

"We're also looking toward the future, so it's nice to know that they're not just going to wear you out to fill up innings," Friedrich said. "They've told [me] that they like what they see, and keep building off it. It's nice to know that they have your back with minding your innings and making sure they take control of that."

QUOTABLE
"It was a really good three-pitch mix from [Taillon] today. I thought that was some of the better stuff we've seen all year. Kind of shocked with how many changeups he threw. Threw a lot, threw them well. Kind of against what he did his last game out, but give him credit there." --Green

"He's a little bit of a riverboat gambler up there. He takes some shots in some RBI situations. Then there's times he drops anchor with two strikes and battles. He's got some veteran experience that plays very well for him with runners in scoring position." --Hurdle, on Freese

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
This was Taillon's first win at PNC Park, but the Pirates improved to 5-1 in his six starts along the Allegheny River. Pittsburgh has won six of the rookie's last seven starts overall, with the only loss in that span coming in Milwaukee on July 30.

WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: Paul Clemens takes the hill Friday as the Padres open a three-game series against the Mets in New York with first pitch slated for 4:10 p.m. PT. The right-hander was removed early from his last start after not hustling to first base on a bunt attempt. Since joining the Padres, Clemens has been encouraged to throw his high-spin curveball more frequently, and he's had great success with the pitch.

Pirates: Right-hander Ivan Nova will make his second start for the Pirates as they begin a six-game, West Coast road trip at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Nova threw seven innings of three-run ball in his Pittsburgh debut, and he's fared well against the NL throughout his career, going 8-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 17 games.

Rea welcomes Yankees in opener at Petco

Colin Rea will take the ball for the Padres on Friday at 7:40 p.m. PT in the opener of a three-game Interleague set against the Yankees, as he looks to bounce back from his last start against the Reds.

The 25-year-old right-hander has been excellent at times for San Diego this season, but his last start in Cincinnati saw him last just five innings, allow four runs and walk four batters -- which tied a season high. Rea did strike out a career-best seven batters during that game, so he'll look to build on that with just two starts remaining ahead of the All-Star break, when the Padres will begin to start limiting his innings.

"The thought process would be to push him to the back of the rotation coming off the All-Star break so he gets a longer period of time off … just to control his innings," Padres manager Andy Green said.

The most innings Rea has thrown in his professional career came in 2014, when he logged 139 for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore.

Opposing Rea will be Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-5, 5.19 ERA), who has allowed at least five runs in four of his past five starts. He took his third straight loss on Sunday, allowing five runs over six innings to the Twins.

Things to know about this game

• Carlos Beltran -- the Yankees' hottest hitter in June -- has played 23 games in Petco Park throughout his career, where he has hit .253/.341/.342. Beltran, however, is battling right hamstring tightness and is no lock to play on Friday.

• Will Myers has faced the Yankees more than any team except the Blue Jays and Rockies in his career, and has hit .304/.345/.559 in 102 at-bats against them, registering seven home runs.

• Eovaldi has fared well against Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. In 20 career at-bats, Upton has mustered just four hits and one RBI.

Orioles win 7th straight, tie June HR record

 Mark Trumbo made Baltimore's impressive June at the plate historic, launching the club's 55th homer of the month, as the Orioles completed a two-game sweep of the Padres with a 12-6 victory Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park.

Trumbo golfed a Christian Friedrich fastball into the second deck of the left-field seats, capping a four-run fourth inning that put the Orioles on top for good. With the two-run shot, Baltimore tied the 1996 A's for the most home runs by a single team in June.

The O's have hit their 55 home runs in 27 games, while it took the '96 A's 29 contests. The record for most in any month is 58, shared by the Orioles in May '87 and the Mariners in May '99. Baltimore will be in Seattle on Thursday for the first of a four-game series at Safeco Field, where the club will look to add to its already historic June.

"Some guys are aware, some aren't. Obviously, it's a special thing, but it's not something that anyone is going to gloat about or spend too much time thinking about," Trumbo said. "It just goes to show that we are on a nice little run."

Padres third baseman Brett Wallace provided the bulk of the offense for San Diego, launching a three-run shot to center in the sixth. But that was the only damage done against Orioles starter Yovani Gallardo, who tossed six strong frames, allowing just three hits and striking out six, while registering his first quality start of the season.

"I think the ball was coming out pretty good out of my hand," Gallardo said. "Even early in that first inning, I had a good slider going. I was able to locate it and just also my fastball felt pretty good coming out of my hand. Just locating those pitches allowed me to get some weak contact."

Friedrich, meanwhile, threw three perfect innings before coming undone in the fourth. He allowed six runs (four earned) over five innings and has now surrendered 14 earned runs in his past three starts after giving up just eight in his first six outings for the Padres. Trumbo's homer came on a 2-2 fastball that crossed the plate half a foot inside -- but with hardly any movement.

"It was supposed to be a two-seamer that ran at him and came back a little bit," Friedrich said. "The fact that it just kept staying there allowed him to really pull his hands in. It was a good piece of hitting, but if I'm not throwing 92 mph in there -- if it's 88 -- it's easier for him to make the adjustment."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
O's record power: It was only fitting for the first-place Orioles that Trumbo would deliver the record-tying blast, which traveled an estimated 410 feet. The O's slugger has a Major League-leading 23 homers and has been a big part of the team's impressive offense in his first season with the club. More >

"Jon [Schoop] was talking about this yesterday, they've really taken on this pass-the-baton [approach]. It's not selfish. It's that feeling that the weight of expectations is not just on me," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of his team's offense. "... It's a product of everybody feeding off each other."

Green gets the gate: If we've learned anything from Padres manager Andy Green's two ejections this season, it's that there's some fire behind his typically even-keeled persona. Green got tossed Wednesday after a Friedrich throwing error gave the Orioles a 6-0 lead in the fifth. Green argued that Chris Davis had run outside of his lane to first base, where Wil Myers wasn't able to collect Friedrich's throw for the out.

"That's a very impactful play on the game," Green said. "And it's my job to fight on behalf of my players. I recognize it's a difficult call, there's a lot spinning. … I'm just staring at the baserunner, and in my eye in real time, it very much looked like he interfered with Wil's ability to catch the baseball."

Do not touch: With one on and one out in the fourth, Yangervis Solarte sent a fly ball down the left-field line toward the stands, where Orioles left fielder Joey Rickard raced toward the wall and slid. Except the ball never reached Rickard. Instead, a spectator in the first row snagged it out of mid-air, prompting third-base umpire Tony Randazzo to call fan interference. Green argued, but replay confirmed the ruling, making it clear that Rickard had a makeable play on the ball before it was interfered with.

"I was just hoping that they would think that a guy sliding into the wall probably isn't going to catch the baseball," Green said. "But it does, in a letter-of-the-law sense, impact his ability to catch the baseball. It removes his opportunity to catch it. I just don't know what the percentage chance is that that ball's caught."

QUOTABLE
"Some things with Petco are maybe overblown at this point in time. Over the last couple years, it hasn't played as this difficult park to hit in. We've put up six or seven runs in the last couple days ourselves." -- Green, on the high-scoring games at Petco Park

"We're just feeding off each other. When you're going good, it's easier to do. When you're going bad, that's when you're really got to find yourself. Right now, it's easy. It's a little easier to come to the park [to] play, because we're playing well." --Adam Jones, on the O's current hot hitting

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Myers' ninth-inning double was his 21st extra-base hit in June, tying him with Greg Vaughn for the most by a Padres hitter in a single month. He finished June hitting .327/.430/.765 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs -- also a June record.

WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Baltimore will head to Seattle for a four-game series with Chris Tillman starting the opener at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday. The righty allowed six earned runs over five innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay in his last start. Still, Tillman (10-1, 3.52 ERA) has been the O's ace this season.

Padres: After an off-day Thursday, the Padres continue their Interleague slate when they welcome the Yankees to town for a three-game set beginning Friday night at 7:40 p.m. PT.Colin Rea will take the hill for the Friars, in search of some efficiency after laboring through five innings in his most recent start.

Gallardo, Friedrich to wrap up short series

Yovani Gallardo takes the ball for the Orioles on Wednesday in the finale of a two-game set at Petco Park, against the Padres and Christian Friedrich.

It will mark the first time Gallardo has thrown against a National League team this season, and the first time he's stepped in the batter's box since last September when he pitched for the Rangers against the Padres.

"It will be fun," said Gallardo, who hit 12 home runs over eight seasons as a pitcher for the Brewers. "I think having the opportunity to do it for seven years when I was with Milwaukee, I kind of got used to it after a while. And I enjoyed it."

Baltimore has won both of the games Gallardo has started this June, where he has posted a 4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 innings.

Friedrich will look to bounce back from his last two starts, in which he has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings against the Nationals and the Reds. In his first three June starts, when he allowed just five earned runs over 17 2/3 innings.

Things to know about this game

• San Diego native Adam Jones has played in just six games at Petco Park, but in those games he has hit .480 (12-for-25) with three homers and eight runs scored.

• Matt Kemp has seen Gallardo in 28 plate appearances over his career. In those, he has hit .360 (9-for-25) with two home runs, seven RBIs, seven runs and three walks.

• The Padres bullpen has quietly been a lockdown unit over the seven days prior to this series. Throughout that period, San Diego relievers threw a combined 20 innings and posted a 0.45 ERA -- the lowest mark of any bullpen during that time.