Matt Kemp's home run dooms LA Dodgers to fifth straight loss

There’s always a gravitational pull, however slight, toward Matt Kemp and Yasmani Grandal whenever the San Diego Padres play the Dodgers. The game seems to find them.

Kemp and Grandal were the two pillars of a December 2014 trade that set both franchises on their current course: The Dodgers into a platoon-heavy lineup with fewer superstars; the Padres to a more star-heavy outfit with few platoons.

Kemp scored the first run of the game Friday after he doubled in the fourth iing. Grandal answered with a solo home run in the sixth. In between, Kemp threw out Grandal trying to stretch a line drive off the wall from a single into a double.

Kemp got the last laugh. His three-run home run off Chris Hatcher in the eighth iing in a tie game lifted the Padres to a 5-1 win before an aounced crowd of 49,686 at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have lost five straight games for the first time since August of last year, all at home. They’ve scored nine runs in five games during the homestand — first against the Marlins, now against the Padres, two teams that haven’t contended for the playoffs since the National League awarded two wild card berths.

The one positive: Alex Wood delivered his best start of the season. The left-hander allowed only the double by Kemp, followed by an RBI single by Melvin Upton Jr., to taint his pitching ledger. Wood pitched seven iings and allowed only five hits, walked one batter, and struck out nine.

Continuing a patte begun last season, Wood has allowed two runs in two home games and 16 runs (13 eaed) in three road games in 2016.

Continuing a patte begun five days earlier, Wood also reached base twice on a single and a walk.

In fact, Wood and No. 8 hitter Joc Pederson twice found themselves on base with two outs. Both times, Padres starter Cesar Vargas struck out leadoff hitter Chase Utley to end the iing.

Vargas, in fact, was masterful all around. Despite having all of one major league start before Friday (and all of three starts above Single-A in his life), the 24-year-old right-hander mostly cruised through 5 1/3 iings. The Dodgers didn’t score at all until reliever Brad Hand took over in the sixth iing; Grandal homered to left field on Hand’s fifth pitch.

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For Grandal, a switch-hitter, it was his first home run right-handed this season and the seventh right-handed home run of his career.

Vargas allowed four hits, walked three and struck out six batters.

Hatcher (2-3) has allowed runs in three of his last four appearances. His eaed-run average is 8.44.