GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Padres' offense gave Dodgers spot starter Jeremy Kehrt a rude greeting on Sunday, with nine hits in an inning and a third. After Kehrt was called upon to fill in for an injuredMike Bolsinger, San Diego cruised to an easy 12-5 victory over the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch.
Ten of the 13 hitters to face Kehrt reached base -- including Derek Norris and Melvin Upton Jr., whose RBI doubles in the second inning plated the first three of six runs charged to the right-hander.
Padres lefty Robbie Erlin, who is in the mix for one of the two available rotation spots, fared much better, tossing four shutout frames, allowing just two hits and a walk.
"He was a guy from last year I remember very well because he had [5 2/3] no-hit innings against Arizona," said Padres skipper Andy Green, who spent last season as the D-backs' third-base coach. "Those kinds of things stick in your head when you see a guy pitch like that. ... He's got a nice mix [of pitches]. He's very much in our mix."
The Padres got a major boost from the top of their order, with Jon Jay and Cory Spangenberg combining to go 7-for-8. Jay, who had four hits in four at-bats, has now reached base safely in eight consecutive plate appearances.
Jay, however, was cut down by the cannon of Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the first inning. On a Spangenberg single, Jay attempted to go from first to third but was nailed by Puig's perfect one-hop throw to the bag -- the only Dodgers highlight until their four-run sixth.
Second baseman Howie Kendrick had two hits for Los Angeles, boosting his spring batting average to .316, and left fielder Corey Brown knocked in a pair.
Up next for Padres:James Shields gets the ball on Monday night against the Reds, making only his third start of the spring after his previous turn in the rotation was skipped. The club decided instead to throw Shields in a Minor League game during its off-day, keeping him in line to start the second game of the season against Los Angeles. Shields allowed three homers in 2 2/3 innings his last time out, vs. the White Sox.
Up next for Dodgers: In a matchup highly anticipated throughout Japan, new Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda will oppose Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma on Monday. A slight disappointment for Maeda, who was looking forward to batting against his countryman, is that the Dodgers decided to use the designated hitter in the game.