Los Angeles Dodgers

Grandal’s slam, Kemp’s 3-run HR send Dodgers past Pads 10-3

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:56 a.m. ET

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SAN DIEGO (AP) Yasmani Grandal and Matt Kemp were traded for each other in December 2014, when the San Diego Padres tried for a quick fix with high-priced veterans.

Now that they're teammates with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they punished their old team on Monday night.

Grandal hit a grand slam, Kemp had a three-run homer and Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out nine in six strong innings for the Dodgers in a 10-3 victory over the Padres.

''Definitely weird but definitely good to be on the same team,'' Kemp said. ''We're doing what we're doing. Long season, got a long way to go, hopefully just keep the hits coming.''

Grandal hit his third career slam with two outs in the ninth off Kazuhisa Makita.

Kemp, booed by Padres fans as he came to the plate in the third, elicited cheers from Dodgers fans at Petco Park when he drove the first pitch he saw from lefty Robbie Erlin (0-2) an estimated 399 feet to left-center to highlight the inning, which was a mess for the Padres.

''For sure you come to a place where you played, you want to do good,'' Kemp said. ''I had some fans screaming at me tonight so I shut them up for a little while.''

Third baseman Christian Villanueva and right fielder Hunter Renfroe committed errors that allowed Chris Taylor and Corey Seager to reach safely at the start of the inning. Enrique Hernandez hit an RBI single, Cody Bellinger had a base hit and Kemp launched his second home run for a 6-2 lead.

Kemp was the centerpiece of San Diego general manager A.J. Preller's wild shopping spree in the winter of 2014, acquired in a five-player trade with the Dodgers that sent Grandal to Los Angeles. That win-now approach with high-price veterans failed. Kemp was traded to Atlanta on July 30, 2016. The Braves dealt him to Los Angeles last December.

Grandal hit an RBI double in the second, one batter after Kemp was thrown out by center fielder Franchy Cordero while trying to stretch a single.

''He is as good as we have as far as looking over a baseball and understanding strike from ball, and when he gets impatient and out of the strike zone, it goes the other way,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''When he is stubborn in the strike zone, he is as good as anybody.

''I think right now he is seeing it really well. He's taking walks and hitting the ball hard and he is getting rewarded. This is as locked in as I've seen him.''

Ryu (2-0) won his second straight start. His nine strikeouts were a season high and he walked none while allowing two runs and three hits. His only big mistake was a two-run homer by Villanueva in the second that came with Renfroe aboard on a leadoff double.

Villanueva has homered in three straight games and has six overall.

Erlin started in place of Luis Perdomo, suspended five games for his role in a brawl at Colorado on Wednesday. Erlin made his first start since April 17, 2016, against Arizona. He made three starts that season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He missed all of last season and began this year in San Diego's bullpen.

Erlin lasted three innings, giving up six runs, four earned, and six hits while striking out four and walking one.

''I felt inconsistent,'' Erlin said. ''I felt like there wasn't very good command of the fastball. That's kind of what you pitch off of. That inconsistency led to the hitters' counts. Just wasn't able to make pitches.''

He said he left too many pitches over the plate ''and second time through the order they didn't miss them.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: OF Wil Myers, on the disabled list with nerve irritation in his right arm, is scheduled to start a rehab assignment at Class A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. He could rejoin the Padres on Friday for the start of a series at Arizona.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 5.09 ERA) is scheduled to start the second game of the three-game series Tuesday night.

Padres: RHP Bryan Mitchell (0-2, 5.27) is still looking for his first win with the Padres. He and INF Chase Headley were obtained from the New York Yankees in the offseason for OF Jabari Blash.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

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