Padres Snap Dodger Tie in 17th Inning with 5-3 Win

June has been a long month for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres made it even longer Tuesday night.

Chris James’ run-scoring single snapped a tie in the 17th inning as the Padres beat the Dodgers 5-3. It was the second marathon game of the month for the Dodgers. On June 3, they lost to Houston in 22 innings.

Tony Gwynn started the 17th with a one-out bad-hop single over the head of second baseman Willie Randolph and stole second. Tim Belcher, 4-8, intentionally walked Jack Clark before James followed with a single to right field. Clark went to third on the hit and scored on Garry Templeton’s sacrifice fly to left.

“I don’t care how it looked. It was a good win for us. We’re trying to get our act together,” Gwynn said. “When you play 17 innings and you come up with a ‘W’ you feel like all the effort was worth it.

“The hardest thing to do, especially for the hitters, is to keep your concentration after the 12th inning because the bat speed is not going to be the same, the legs are not the same and you really have to bear down.”

Pat Clements, 1-0, pitched 4 2/3 innings for the victory.

The Padres struck out 18 times, including 15 by the Dodgers’ bullpen. The game took five hours and 21 minutes.

John Tudor, making his first appearance after undergoing off-season reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow, lasted only 4 1/3 innings while allowing two runs and five hits for the Dodgers.

“He was throwing the ball great. He was awesome against me,”. Gwynn said of Tudor.