Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

The Padres finished the first half with three straight wins at Dodger Stadium to go into the All-Star break with a 45-45 record – marking the first time since 2010 that they have been as much as even at the break.

The weekend marked the first time since 2016 that the Padres won a series at Dodger Stadium . . . as well as the first time since 2004 that they won a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. It also Marked the first time this season that the Dodgers lost three straight games.

Padres starting pitchers had a 2.74 earned run average with a 0.870 WHIP during the four-game series. And during the three straight wins, the starters’ ERA was 2.00 and the WHIP was 0.833.

Second-year, left-hander Eric Lauer continued his domination of the Dodgers at the start of the three straight wins, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings when matched against Clayton Kershaw.

Lauer is 3-0 in five career starts against the Dodgers with a 1.47 ERA, a 1.011 WHIP and .198 opponents’ batting average with 29 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings.

The Padres are 9-8 in the 17 games started by Lauer, who has made four straight starts without allowing a homer. Over his last three starts – or since his last outing at Coors Field in Colorado – Lauer has given up five runs (three earned) on 15 hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts in 17 innings for a 1.59 ERA and a 1.059 WHIP.

Rookie right-hander Chris Paddack was even better on Saturday, allowing three hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Paddack is 5-4 on the season in the win-loss category, but the Padres are 9-6 in games started by Paddack, who lowered his earned run average to 2.84 Saturday. In three starts since returning from his innings-saving detour to the minor leagues, Paddack is 1-0 and has given up three runs on 10 hits and five walks with 15 strikeouts over 15 2/3 innings – for a 1.72 ERA and a 0.957 WHIP.     

NOTEBOOK

-- OF Hunter Renfroe now leads the Major Leagues with one homer every 9.85 at-bats (27 in 266 at-bats). His homer of the season Saturday night was also his 12th go-ahead homer this season, which is the second-highest total in the Major Leagues. Renfroe now has 83 homers in just over 2 1/2 seasons, which is one homer shy of cracking the Padres’ all-time top 10. His 27 homers is also the second-highest total ever by a Padre before the All-Star break. Greg Vaughn, who finished with a franchise-record 50 homers, had 30 before the 1998 All-Star break.

-- RHP Kirby Yates, got 11 outs on 53 pitches to pick up back-to-back-back saves Friday through Sunday against the Dodgers. He allowed a hit and hit a batter with four strikeouts over the three straight appearances. Yates now has 30 saves in 31 chances and has extended his Padres’ record for most saves before the All-Star break to 30 (old mark, 26, Heath Bell, 2011). He is one of 18 pitchers in Major League history with 30 saves at the All-Star break.

-- CF Manuel Margot has three home runs in his last 10 games after going without a homer since April 14 . . . or a span of 54 games with a home run.