In an attempt to alleviate the burden on their bullpen -- a load that got even heavier when rookie right-hander James McDonald failed to get out of the second inning Thursday night -- the Dodgers purchased the contract of veteran right-hander Jeff Weaver from Class AAA Albuquerque. For the moment, that gives the team a 13-man pitching staff.
The move was made at the expense of a position player -- infielder Blake DeWitt was optioned to Albuquerque -- leaving the bench a man short. Eric Stults, an unusually good-hitting pitcher, was used as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. McDonald became the fifth Dodgers starter in the team's past seven games to fail to pitch beyond the fifth inning and the second in a row to fail to get out of the third.
The Dodgers bullpen combined to pitch 26 1/3 innings (of 76 total) on the team's just-completed nine-game homestand.
The Weaver move paid immediate dividends. After McDonald pitched his way out of the game with four second-inning walks, Weaver came on and delivered four shutout innings, allowing just four hits and one walk. It was his first major league appearance since Sept. 28, 2007.
DODGERS 8, PADRES 5: Manny Ramirez had a double and a home run, his fifth of the season, and lifted his batting average to .372. Orlando Hudson also had two hits, including a two-run homer to tie the game in the third inning.
The Dodgers came from behind twice, erasing deficits of 3-1 and 5-4. Ronald Belisario, Cory Wade and Jonathan Broxton combined to shut out the Padres on one hit over the final three innings.
