September 18^th 2006, the Dodgers were set to take on the San Diego Padres for a matinee game in Los Angeles.  The Dodgers came in with a record of 78-71 and were fighting for the NL West title.  Their main competitors for the NL West in 2006 were the San Diego Padres, coming in with a record of 78-70.  The starter for the Dodgers was Brad Penny and going opposite him for the Padres was Jake Peavy.

The first inning seemed to set the tempo for the game.  It would be an offensive showdown in Dodger Town.  San Diego scored four runs in the first inning thanks to an RBI double by former Dodger great Mike Piazza.  The Dodgers would comeback in the next three innings, scoring four runs.  The big blow came off the bat of Rafael Furcal, who hit a home run to centerfield.  The game was tied 4-4 after three innings.  There would be no more scoring until the 8^th inning when the Padres scored two runs.  Then they would score three in the ninth.  LA was down 9-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning.

For the season, Kemp is currently hitting .267/.326/.469 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. While Kemp is no batting champ, he’s great talent to have on the field. After Wednesday’s performance, the Dodgers can hope for a better performance out of Kemp in July.

With the sweep, the Dodgers are now in second-place. The San Diego Padres still lead the division by three games, but the Dodgers are quickly closing the gap. The Padres are first-place largely due to their stellar pitching, which ranks first in the entire league. The Padres own a team ERA of 3.10 (1st). However, the Padres lack a compelling offense, as they rank 26th in average (.246), 24th in home runs (58) and 21st in runs batted in (316).

In comparison, the Dodgers are the exact opposite of the Padres. The Dodgers have a very good offense, but just so-so pitching. The Dodgers rank 15th in team ERA (4.06), but their offensive numbers rank near the top of the league. On the year, the Dodgers have scored 367 runs (Padres have scored 329), and have a supporting cast that take a lot of the pressure off the rotation and bullpen. The Dodgers should be able to get past the Padres, especially if Kemp starts producing on offense like he did earlier this season.