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LOS ANGELES -- The first-place Dodgers have staged plenty of comebacks this season. Just not after seven innings. They snapped an 0-for-46 skid with two runs in the eighth and Clayton Kershaw outdueled Tyson Ross for a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. "We need wins no matter what," said Kershaw, whose team is 3 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco. "The Giants are playing better right now." Kershaw (15-3) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings, striking out 10 and walking two. He tied Johnny Cueto, Wily Peralta and Adam Wainwright for the major league lead in victories. The left-hander was originally scheduled to start Friday, but he was moved up to give Zack Greinke extra rest for his sore elbow. "I dont think Ive ever seen anybody like this guy," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Tomorrow will be on to the next one and hell be on a mission for that. A huge competitor." Pitching on regular rest after Mondays day off, Kershaw bounced back from losing his previous start against Milwaukee after winning his 11 previous decisions. The two-time Cy Young Award winner retired 12 in a row before giving up his first hit -- a single by Ross -- with two outs in the sixth. "My command was lacking the first couple of innings, but I was able to keep the pitch count down," Kershaw said. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth to earn his 36th save. Ross (11-12) held his own against Kershaw, retiring 12 straight after giving up his second hit in the third. The right-hander allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings, struck out eight and walked two. "You want to be out there battling the other guy and putting up zeroes and pitching deep into games," Ross said. "Kershaws having an MVP-type year, and he was just a little better." Carl Crawford reached on an infield single to the mound leading off the eighth and Turner followed with his fourth homer into the left-field pavilion, putting the Dodgers ahead 2-1. "That was one of the most exciting moments of my career," Turner said. "We just try to pull together. Carl puts together a good at-bat. I caught a mistake off Ross." Ross said, "It was just a hung slider and he put a good swing on it. Unfortunately, there was a guy on first base and it was enough to take the lead rather than just be tied up." Turner was 2 for 3 and is batting .362 with eight RBIs and eight runs scored in 17 games this month. The Padres led 1-0 on Rene Riveras RBI single in the seventh. Los Angeles took two out of three against San Diego, and has won its last eight series against NL West opponents. Kershaw beat the Padres for the fourth consecutive time and improved to 11-6 against them in his career. DOMINANT DODGERS They are 20-12 against the Padres since the start of last season, with an 8-1-1 series record. TOUGH LUCK Ross fell to 0-4 against the Dodgers in his last five starts while receiving a combined three runs of support. He has a 2.67 ERA against them. "Hes been pitching lights-out," Kershaw said. "He doesnt give much. His slider-fastball combination is pretty unbelievable." TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Closer Joaquin Benoit had been bothered by shoulder problems, but he will avoid a DL stint. Manager Bud Black said Benoit could return Friday if hes feeling as good as he was on Thursday; if not, he will be ready on Saturday. Dodgers: Mattingly said he believes Greinkes elbow isnt going to be a long-term problem. Infielder Juan Uribe, on the DL with a right hamstring strain, has resumed baseball activities. Pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, on the DL with a right oblique strain, is doing well. ON DECK Padres: Odrisamer Despaigne (11-11, 2.70 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Arizona. He made seven minor league starts after signing with the team on May 2. Despaigne is the second Cuban-born pitcher to appear in a game for the Padres and the first to make a start. Dodgers: Struggling Dan Haren (10-10, 4.59) takes the mound in the series opener against the Mets. Last weekend, he allowed six runs on five hits in three innings in a 7-2 loss to Milwaukee. Carlos Hyde Jersey . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. Antonio Callaway Jersey . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Jarvis-Landry-Jersey/ . The last team in the NBA that will have any sympathy for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are showing signs of putting everything together after two years of devastating injuries. Darren Fells Jersey . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. Austin Corbett Jersey . -- In the stadium program sold at the Miami Dolphins game on Halloween, Richie Incognito was asked whos the easiest teammate to scare.Andy Carroll had a quiet transfer deadline day. He trained, prepared himself for his first home start of the season and got rid of some overdue baggage, finally shaving off his overgrown beard. It was three years to the day since he was the most expensive British signing in history. January 31st, 2011 changed the Gateshead lad forever. Playing and scoring goals for his boyhood club, Newcastle United, Carroll was enjoying the dream life - on the pitch. Off it was a constant battle. That Andy Carroll came with some serious baggage. Multiple assault charges finally saw him granted bail on the condition of him moving to a permanent residence, rather than a hotel. Newcastle teammate Kevin Nolan took him in and put a curfew on Carroll to help him stay out of trouble. "I said he could stay, I cleared it with the Mrs, of course, first, Nolan later reflected. She was down in Liverpool a lot of the time so we were like roommates. He was a pretty good cook. Pasta with tomatoes, chicken; things like that." On the field, Nolan wanted nothing changed and loved making runs from midfield to get on the end of a knockdown by the big striker. Back at the family home, issues around Carroll continued when his car was set on fire in the driveway and graffiti was written all over the garage door. The Nolan family stuck by him as the midfielder revealed to the Guardian, back in 2010: "Andy has got to be indoors for 10.30pm and he has got to be in bed by 11pm. Wed already got the kids on curfews, so its no trouble to enforce.What I have learnt about Andy, though, is that hes always asleep at the wrong time, like when I get him up early to do the school run with me. He gets up at 10 to eight and we leave at five past. We then have our breakfast at the training ground. I dont know if he likes it but thats the way it is." Carroll would later see the assault charges dropped and as he moved out of the Nolan household, he did with much less baggage. Nolan told the Daily Mirror in 2012: "When you look back on it now, it was bizarre him staying with us, but it worked. In our family, thats what we do for our friends. Ive been brought up like that by my mum and dad. "I know Andy was very grateful for what we did for him, thats why were so close. He has his family there for him but sometimes you need other people as well." Carrolls 35 million pound move to Liverpool in 2011 was called a dream move by Nolan, who was obviously delighted for his mate, but the dream soon turned out to be a nightmare for Carroll. It was not a move that came too soon for him. It was simply a move that should never have come at all. Liverpool captured the Englishman on the day they let Fernando Torres leave. The 35 million pound figure they paid was never what Carroll was worth. It was simply a number Newcastle, on the final day of the transfer window, would allow their goal scorer to leave for. Incredibly, Liverpool took the bait and Carrolls life changed forever. Sure, there were some good moments, such as scoring the winner at Wembley over Everton in the FA Cup semifinal, but there were some tough moments too and when Kenny Dalglish was replaced by Brendan Rodgers as manager, it was only a matter of time that Carroll would be moved on. Nineteen months after signing at Anfield, Carroll was reunited with Nolan, this time down south at West Ham, agreeing to a season-long loan. "He has learned so much. There is a different lad standing in that dressing room now. There is a man who can look after himself and do the right things on a daily basis," Nolan said. Carroll did enough last season to convince the Hammers to pay Liverpool 15 million pounds and hand the striker a new six year contract. Except, once again, Carroll came with baggage, this time in the case of a heel injury that he picked up on the final day of last season against Reading. The injury proved to be far worse than original thought and with Carroll out for months; West Ham struggled badly, causing mmany to panic, including the clubs co-owner David Sullivan.dddddddddddd. "Had we known he would be out for this long, we would not have signed him," Sullivan told the BBCs Football Focus in December. "We are not a rich enough club to deal with that. You know any player can get injured, but we cant buy a player knowing he is going to be out for half the season. When we signed him we were assured by the medical staff that the very, very latest he would be back was September 1st. That would have meant he would only miss two league games." Sullivan has every right to look after his investments but it seemed a bizarre thing to say publicly. Even if he privately believed it, it is not as if the money spent on Carroll could have gone on another player who would have instantly changed the clubs fortunes. You only have to look at the long list of strikers bought for a lot of money, in the Premier League, to know many do not work out. Injury or no injury, that label is yet to be attached to the now 25-year-old Carroll. The jury still remains out on what he can actually become. On Saturday he started his second game of the season, at home to Swansea, and in the first half showed exactly why West Ham wanted to spend that amount of money on him. Carroll was magnificent, finding pockets of space to hold up the ball and supply wide men, choosing his battles in between Chico Flores and Dwight Tiendalli, to regularly win aerial duels, and then winning two significant headers that set up the games two goals, in a 2-0 West Ham win. The beneficiary? Nolan of course. Like Carroll, the 2013-14 season had been a season to forget so far for the Hammers captain but he had no injury to blame for his torrid campaign. Nolan scored 10 goals from midfield last season and had been expected to score regularly again this season but, heading into Saturday, the 31-year-old had as many league red cards as goals this season (2). After the second red card, against Fulham in December, manager Sam Allardyce had seen enough, fining him two weeks wages (100 thousand pounds), saying: "Our captain was irresponsible. Not just today but for the future because he is suspended. Hes let everyone down and himself. I just dont quite understand where hes lost his cool and why its happened." Nolan sat out seven games through suspension but on Saturday he was reunited with his mate, playing just behind Carroll, giving West Ham fans what they hope to be a glimpse at the partnership that can keep their team in the Premier League this season. Except, once again more baggage comes with Carroll. In the second half on Saturday he was sent off for extending a wild arm to Chico Floress head. Allardyce called it an injustice and plans to appeal against it but if that is unsuccessful Carroll will again sit out for three more games. Once Carroll returns he will have gone nine months without playing a full 90 minutes. He will have three months to not only play a pivotal role in saving West Hams season but also attempt to get on Roy Hodgsons England plane to Brazil. At the moment he appears to be completely off Hodgsons radar but in just 45 minutes on Saturday he showed why he should be more than just considered if he can play regularly. Carroll offers something completely different to the England manager, who has enough quick forwards looking to get in behind a defensive line. Carroll showed against Sweden in Euro 2012 that he can be a real handful for international defenders if the quality of the deliveries into the box is high. West Ham became the final Premier League team to score a headed goal this season on Saturday and if they can improve their crosses and get Carroll heavily involved down the stretch then do not rule out the forward making an unlikely late, successful attempt at the 23rd and final player seat on the plane to Brazil. Time is certainly running out but if Carroll can remove the personal baggage, he may well be packing his own baggage to the World Cup. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '