BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roberto Hernandez just can’t find his footing at Dodger Stadium.
The right-hander gave up five runs, two earned, and five hits in three innings — his shortest outing of the season — and the Dodgers lost 6-3 to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles had its four-game winning streak end, and its NL West lead was cut to 2½ games over San Francisco.
Hernandez fell to 0-4 at home with an 8.27 ERA in four career starts. By comparison, he is 6-3 in 12 road starts and one relief appearance with a 4.33 ERA.
“I’m not really sure what’s going on,” he said through a translator. “I tried to stay ahead of the hitters. It’s a very difficult situation, and I’m just trying to survive.”
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly brushed off a question on Hernandez’s future in the rotation, and the pitcher said, “I don’t have any control over that.”
Hernandez (8-11) struck out three and walked one. In his previous start, he gave up a career-worst four homers against Washington.
Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez committed two errors in the third, including one that led to a run.
“It just happened to be a costly one tonight so it looks bad,” Mattingly said.
Andrew Cashner won for the first time since mid-April and Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer to help the Padres snap a six-game skid.
San Diego totaled 12 runs during its losing streak, but the Padres built a 5-0 lead for Cashner by the third inning, allowing him to beat the Dodgers for the first time.
Cashner (3-7) allowed two runs and nine hits, struck out two and walked one after being winless in 11 outings. His last victory was against Colorado on April 16. The right-hander improved to 1-2 against the Dodgers.
Gyorko’s homer on the first pitch he faced from Hernandez in the third extended San Diego’s lead to 5-0.
The Padres went ahead 3-0 with two outs in the second.
Cashner helped himself with a two-run double, and Cory Spangenberg followed with an RBI single.
Ramirez committed the first of his two errors in the inning on Cashner’s double to deep center with runners on the corners.
The throw to the infield bounced past two cutoff men, including a sprawling Ramirez, allowing the runner on first to score and Cashner to advance to third.
Ramirez made an effort to get Cashner at third after recovering the ball on the lip of the infield grass, but his awkward, backhanded throw hit the Padres pitcher as he slid into third.
That play came a night after the Dodgers committed three throwing errors on the same play, allowing San Diego to score two runs in Los Angeles’ 9-4 victory.
The Dodgers trailed 5-2 in the sixth on Adrian Gonzalez’s two-run homer. Matt Kemp followed with a double, but he was hit by the ball off Carl Crawford’s bat and was out at third.
The Padres added a run in the eighth on Rene Rivera’s sacrifice fly.
Pinch-hitter Justin Turner’s RBI single in the ninth drew the Dodgers to 6-3 before Kevin Quackenbush struck out Dee Gordon, and Ramirez flied out to end the game.
DODGERS BULLPEN
The relievers allowed one run and three hits in six innings. Yimi Garcia and Kevin Correia tossed two scoreless innings each, Brandon League retired both batters he faced, and Chris Perez threw a scoreless ninth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Joaquin Benoit and RHP Blaine Boyer, both experiencing shoulder problems, are progressing and should return soon.
UP NEXT
Padres: Ian Kennedy (10-12, 3.75) has worked six or more innings in 20 of his 29 starts, including 20 of his last 28 since April 6.
Dodgers: Dan Haren (12-10, 4.17) has pitched well in his last six starts, going 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA and limiting batters to a .203 average.
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