Padres 8, Dodgers 2

Brian Lawrence pitched five innings of one run ball and the San Diego Padres scored six runs in the fifth, four coming off the bat of Phil Nevin who hit a grand slam as the Friars beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 in the season opener. Nevin made history with his home run.

The Padres loaded the bases in the fifth on a base hit by Brian Lawrence, Sean Burroughs was hit by a pitch, and a walk. Phil Nevin came up with two outs and on a 1-0 count just missed a hanging curve, getting under it slightly. The next pitch was a flat fastball that Nevin rocked into the left field bleachers for a grand slam. With the homer it tied him for fourth in franchise homers with 122.

After a walk to Ryan Klesko, Jay Payton took the first pitch he saw and jacked it out into the left field corner for a round tripper and a 7-0 lead.

Sean Green got the Dodgers on the board with two outs in the fifth. With no one on base Green hit a solo home run to make the score 7-1.

Lawrence, 1-0, the first pitcher to serve as the club’s Opening Day starter in back-to-back seasons since Andy Benes got three straight nods from 1993-95, went five innings allowing one run on eight hits and two walks. He struck out three and threw 92 pitches on the day.

Ismael Valdez relieved Lawrence to start the sixth, allowing a run on a single by Cesar Izturis to make the score 7-2. Eddie Oropesa came on in relief with two men on base and Milton Bradley up. Oropesa battled back from a 3-0 count but walked Bradley, bringing Green back to the plate with the bases juiced. Oropesa got Green to pop out to end the threat.

The Padres manufactured another run in the eighth. After a leadoff single by Khalil Greene, Scott Linebrink sacrificed him over and Burroughs knocked Greene in with a single to make the score 8-2.

The Padres got on the board first in the third with a Mark Loretta single that scored Lawrence. Lawrence, coincidentally, went 2-for-2 on the day.

Notes: The two Padres that were hurt throughout spring training, provided the Padres with most of their offense. Nevin’s homer was the first time in Padres history that a player had hit a grand slam.

The Padres are now 16-20 on Opening Day, 7-12 when opening on the road.