LOS ANGELES (AP) - The San Diego Padres' young hitters got a valuable, if ugly, lesson courtesy of Clayton Kershaw.

They managed just one run off the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace in a 4-1 defeat Monday night, their fifth loss in a row.

``It's a great test for some of our players with less service time,' Padres manager Bud Black said. ``It's good experience for them.'

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Kershaw retired 13 of his last 14 batters and the Dodgers' defense turned three double plays to stifle the Padres, who are last in the NL West.

Their lone run was Nick Hundley's RBI double in the fourth.

Mat Latos (6-13) continued his struggles. He gave up five hits and four runs in six innings, struck out five and walked four in losing to the Dodgers for the third time this season. He's 1-5 in his last 11 starts.

``I didn't have command of anything except for my changeup,' he said. ``Everything else was everywhere. They have a good-hitting ballclub, so you can't afford to make mistakes, especially four of them.'

Latos' streak of allowing three runs or less was snapped at 11 games. He has just one win this month despite a 3.00 ERA.

``He just couldn't get his breaking ball over consistently. That was something that I thought worked against him a little bit,' Black said. ``They ran him into deep counts most of the night and got his pitch count up. But his overall stuff was good, which was good to see as we're moving into September.'

Kershaw (17-5) won for the ninth time in his last 10 starts, allowing one run and six hits. The All-Star left-hander struck out five and walked two, becoming the first Dodger to win 17 games since Chan Ho Park in 2000.

``The man is good,' former Dodger and current Padre Orlando Hudson said. ``I saw that when I played here, that he was going to be a stud. Hands-down, he's one of the best left-handers in the game. He's dominant.'

Andre Ethier had three hits and an RBI after sitting out a game with a sore knee and James Loney hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers.

Ethier was held out of Sunday's game because of a sore right knee that will require surgery, but apparently not until after the season. The All-Star right fielder implied in comments published in the Los Angeles Times Sunday that he didn't want to finish out the season.

He declined to discuss the situation with reporters Monday, when manager Don Mattingly said Ethier has not told him that he wants to end the season early.

Ethier's RBI single in the first gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Loney hit his ninth homer in the third, a two-run shot into the right field pavilion on a 1-0 count from Latos that extended the lead to 3-0.

Notes: The Padres are 1-5 on their current eight-game trip, and they are 4-9 against LA this season. ... Loney has driven in a run in six straight games. ... Drew Drysdale, 18-year-old daughter of the late Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale, sang the national anthem and returned to do ``God Bless America' wearing her father's No. 53 jersey.