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Kenta Maeda’s work in the winter is paying off for the Dodgers this summer.

Thanks to his newfound changeup Josey Jewell Jersey , Maeda pitched effectively into the sixth inning and Matt Kemp, Logan Forsythe and Chris Taylor each delivered an RBI single as Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 on Wednesday night.

The surging Dodgers pulled within a half-game of NL West-leading Arizona with their 34th victory in 50 games.

Maeda (6-5) won for the first time since June 25 as the right-hander allowed a run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He had nine strikeouts and a walk to help the Dodgers defeat the Padres for the eighth time in 12 meetings this season.

”It’s been a game-changer for Kenta and it just keeps the hitters more honest with the change,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. ”He can throw that pitch and present it as a strike and the bottom falls out. It’s been a huge weapon for him.”

It was Maeda’s second start since coming off the paternity list and once again he was in control as the Padres had but one hit over his final three-plus innings of work. In his last nine starts, Maeda has a 1.97 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.

”I’ve been able to use (the changeup) effectively and I’ve been able to get a lot of punch-outs with it,” Maeda said through a translator. ”Last year I wasn’t able to use it at all. But because of the changeup this year, it’s making my other pitches look better today, and maybe my repertoire look even better.”

Taylor’s single scored Chase Utley, who was aboard on a pinch-hit double, for a 4-2 advantage in the eighth. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth and overcame a leadoff walk to Wil Myers for his 25th save.

San Diego cut its deficit to one in the seventh when rookie Christian Villanueva hit his 18th homer off reliever Daniel Hudson.

Austin Hedges had two of the Padres’ five hits, but San Diego lost for the seventh time in 10 games.

Rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi (4-5) didn’t last past the fourth inning after throwing 91 pitches. He allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits while losing his second straight start.

”I’m not satisfied with myself,” Lucchesi said. ”I know I could be way better.”

Los Angeles jumped ahead in the third as it parlayed four hits and an error into a three-run inning.

Kemp’s sharp RBI single brought in Enrique Hernandez after his double. Forsythe, who has struggled all year, produced an RBI infield single KeiVarae Russell Jersey , and when shortstop Freddy Galvis short-hopped first baseman Eric Hosmer for a throwing error on Cody Bellinger’s grounder, Max Muncy came around.

”I guess I got out of my zone and let the game get away from me,” Lucchesi said.

Added manager Andy Green: ”As time goes by, he’ll be much more pitch-efficient and be able to work deeper into games.”

San Diego struck in the first when Carlos Asuaje’s double scored Travis Jankowski after he opened with a single. But the Padres seldom threatened after that.

”As the game moved on I felt better and better,” Maeda said.

K-9 KENTA

For the fourth consecutive start, Maeda had nine strikeouts. ”It seems like nine is the number I keep stopping at,” he said. ”I was hoping for another one today. I have to work harder.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: LHP Julio Urias (left shoulder) threw to hitters at the team’s Arizona facility, reaching 88-92 mph, according to Roberts.

Padres: RHP Jordan Lyles (right elbow) threw a bullpen Sunday and was slated for another one this week.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: RHP Ross Stripling (7-2, 2.22 ERA), added to the NL roster Wednesday for his first All-Star Game, is 2-3 in his career against the Padres. He beat them on May 25 when he allowed just an unearned run over 6 2/3 innings.

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (5-7, 4.41 ERA) remains a potential trade target with the July 31 deadline approaching. Ross has 10 quality starts this year.

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Denver Broncos fans have pretty much given up on Paxton Lynch.

No longer do they fill the airwaves and social media posts with debates about how Denver's 2016 first-round draft pick should be learning on the job even though he hasn't earned the Broncos' starting quarterback job.

They're wearing Case Keenum No. 4 jerseys now Jamon Brown Jersey , ready to move on from the crisp No. 12s that have gotten about as much wear and tear as Lynch's own game-day jersey.

Two men who aren't quite ready to label Lynch a blunder are general manager John Elway and coach Vance Joseph.

While that might seem predictable, both men are adamant that the ex-Memphis QB is just a late bloomer, not a bust.

Even after signing Keenum in free agency to a two-year deal and declaring the sixth-year veteran the team's starter, Elway has stuck by Lynch.

To the surprise of many, he bypassed a bevy of quarterback prospects in the NFL draft. After using all 10 of his picks on other positions, he declared that Lynch is still young and hasn't run out of chances in Denver.

"We are not kicking him to the curb," Elway said. "He can still develop. When we drafted him two years ago, we knew it was going to take some time."

Elway added this caveat, however: Lynch will compete with Chad Kelly , "Mr. Irrelevant" as the final selection of the 2017 NFL draft out of Ole Miss, for the backup job this summer.

The buzz around Broncos headquarters is that Lynch is a more dedicated pro this year. His performances on the field, at least those open to the media, have looked a lot like his first two years: flashes of jaw-dropping brilliance but still some head-scratching poor plays and bad decisions.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave saluted Lynch's red zone play Wednesday and said Charles Haley Jersey , "We want those decisions, those habits, to become part of his fabric so they can become natural, reactive."

Joseph praised Lynch in an interview with The Associated Press, saying, "I think Paxton is really motivated to show everyone that he can be a No. 1 quarterback in this league and watching him work this entire offseason he is different because I've seen him a lot more up in the halls here.

"And that takes time to find your comfort zone with coaches, with your organization."

Joseph noted that Lynch has had three offensive coordinators in Denver so far, something that reminds him of another QB he worked with early in his career.

"I was with Alex Smith his first three or four years and it kind of looked like Paxton because Alex had four coordinators in his first four years in the league,'" Joseph said. "How can a guy comfortably get better as a quarterback in a system that is brand new every year, right?

"These guys need time to develop as quarterbacks. We want them to walk in and play. Now some guys do. Russell Wilson walked in and did it. But most guys don't do it."

What Lynch needs, Joseph said, is "time to be in a system for a two-year period and you will see real growth."

Joseph said he saw improvement last year even though Lynch was hurt most of the season and only started twice.

Like Elway, Joseph was impressed with Lynch's performance in the season finale LeSean McCoy Jersey , when he went 21 for 31 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-24 loss to Kansas City.

"He played that position very, very naturally in that game," Joseph said. "Now, from that point to now, he's a different guy. He's 10 percent better. Now, when it comes time for him to play for us this year and win a football game, he's going to be 20 percent better because he's been with Billy for a year and a-half now in the same system. That makes a difference."

First things first, Joseph insisted that Lynch still has to beat out Kelly in training camp to win the backup spot.

Yet, Joseph's effusive praise of Lynch reveals the degree to which the Broncos' brain trust still believes it didn't whiff by moving up to select him with the 26th overall pick two years ago.

Joseph said Lynch deserves such patience "because he does have rare talent."

"Who wants to throw out rare talent before you give him a chance to develop?" Joseph asked. "I don't want to. John doesn't want to."

Notes: DeMarcus Ware, who retired last year, has been brought back to Denver as a part-time pass-rushing consultant. He'll visit the team a few times every month and work a selection of home games, Joseph said.

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