Padres show why theyre leading NL West in shutout win over Dodgers

SAN DIEGO –– The Padres own the worst batting average in the majors.Their starting rotation is being held together by Elmer’s glue and duct tape.

And they have the run differential of, at best, a .500 ball club.After a 1-0 win over the Dodgers on Monday night, they are also in first place in the National League West.If you’ve been watching from afar, and wondering exactly how the Padres (29-18) are winning so much with their best two players batting a combined .207 and most of their best pitchers on the injured list, then Monday’s series-opener provided a telling answer.They’ve found ways to limit runs, riding a scoreless seven-inning start from Michael King on Monday (including a season-high nine strikeouts for him).They’ve gotten unexpected contributions from others in their lineup, including a first-inning homer from Miguel Andujar off Yoshinobu Yamamoto (the only blemish in Yamamoto’s seven-inning start).And once they’ve taken leads, they simply do not relinquish them, with superstar closer (and potential Cy Young candidate) Mason Miller picking up his 15th save in a scoreless ninth inning.Miller did not make life easy for himself in his save situation.He missed with eight of his first nine pitches, issuing two walks in a game for only the second time this year.But on a night of missed chances for the Dodgers (29-19) –– who had a runner in scoring position in each of their last four trips to the plate –– they let another one go by the wayside.

Will Smith flied out.Max Muncy took a called third strike.

And Andy Pages hit a grounder to third that ended the game, handing the Padres the kind of win they’ve been getting all year. Standings might not matter much at this point in the year.But if the first seven weeks of this season have been any indication, the Padres figure to be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side once again.The last two years, the Padres have taken the division race down to the final games of the season.Last year, they he...