LOS ANGELES -- Since being traded to the San Diego Padres in December 2014, Matt Kemp finds that hitting in his former home ballpark provides a special tonic.

Kemp hit a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to lead the Padres to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night in front of 49,686 at Dodger Stadium.

Kemp added a double and scored a run to finish 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and threw out a runner trying to extend a single into a double, as the Padres broke a five-game losing streak.

"There's something in the energy," Kemp said about playing at Dodger Stadium, where he plied his trade for the first nine seasons of his career. "The fans are loud. People feed off of that."

Kemp added that he feeds off excelling against his former teammates.

"I think anybody would against their old team, some place where you've been for so long," Kemp said. "But honestly, I just feel like we needed that win as a team. That's the most important thing."

Wil Myers' 12-game hitting streak, matching a career best, ended.

Left-hander Ryan Buchter received the victory in relief, and right-hander Carlos Villanueva registered his first save. Buchter struck out one batter in his two-thirds of an inning and Villanueva permitted one hit while striking out one in his only inning.

Right-hander Cesar Vargas, who made his major league debut for the Padres on Saturday night, pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings in his second start. Vargas allowed four hits, three walks and a hit batter, collected six strikeouts and induced six groundouts while throwing 90 pitches.

"I learned a little bit from my last start," Vargas said in Spanish. "I tried to remain focused and think about pitching the same way as before. I tried to be more patient and not get ahead of myself, and I'm very happy with the result."

Yasmani Grandal hit his first home run of the season and registered two of the Dodgers' five hits.

Left-hander Alex Wood amassed a season-high nine strikeouts in his seven innings while conceding just one walk, one run and five hits. But the hosts suffered their fifth successive loss and sixth in eight games.

In each of their five losses, the Dodgers have scored no more than three runs in any single game.

"It's obviously a funk," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "There are a lot of empty at-bats, empty swings. I think most of it's mental. You can tell them to relax, not chase balls and have good at-bats. But when they step in that box, they're trying to do too much.

"It's not from a lack of preparation or work. They've just got to ease off the gas."

The Padres broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth against right-handed reliever Chris Hatcher (2-3). Pinch-hitter Brett Wallace began the inning with a walk, then pinch-runner Travis Jankowski replaced him.

"You can't walk the lead-off batter to start the inning," Roberts said, "when you know Jankowski is in the wings to run for him."

Jon Jay followed with a ground ball that ricocheted off Hatcher's glove past third baseman Justin Turner and into short left field. Jankowski took third base on Jay's single.

Kemp then propelled Hatcher's 88 mph splitter on an 0-2 count into the Dodgers' bullpen down the left-field line for his seventh home run of the season.

San Diego extended its lead in the ninth against Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen. Adam Rosales hit a leadoff double to left, took third base on Jemile Weeks' sacrifice and scored on Jankowski's bunt single.

The Dodgers had a chance to move ahead in the bottom of the third after Corey Seager lined a leadoff double into right-center field. But Vargas struck out Turner and Adrian Gonzalez, then induced a pop out from Yasiel Puig to defuse the threat.

The Padres responded by taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Kemp doubled off the center-field wall with one out, then scored when Melvin Upton Jr. lined a single just past second baseman Chase Utley's out-stretched glove and into center field.

Kemp began the bottom of the fourth by using his defense to frustrate his former teammates. Grandal began the inning by lining a single off the right-field scoreboard. But Kemp retrieved the ball and threw out Grandal, who tried to stretch his hit into a double.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers put the potential tying run in scoring position in that inning with two out, when Joc Pederson hit a slow roller down the third-base line for a single and Wood walked. But Vargas struck out Utley to end the inning.

Grandal succeeded in scoring the tying run when he hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth. On a 3-1 pitch from reliever Brad Hand, Grandal pounded a 92 mph fastball into the bleachers down the left-field line.

Grandal was the first batter Hand faced after relieving Vargas.

NOTES: Los Angeles won nine consecutive games against San Diego going into Friday night's game. ... Dodgers 3B Justin Turner re-entered the line-up after getting a day off to rest his left knee, which underwent offseason microfracture surgery. ... The Padres' starting pitchers have compiled a 3.12 earned-run average in the past 15 games and amassed 76 strikeouts compared to 37 walks going into Friday night.