SAN DIEGO — Kyle Blanks hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to a snap a 1-1 tie and lift the San Diego Padres to their season-high sixth straight victory, 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Kyle Blanks hit 3-run homer in bottom of 8th, Padres beat Diamondbacks 4-1 for 6th win in row
June 17, 2013 at 10:32AM
Blanks' eighth home run of the season came off reliever David Hernandez (2-4) and made a winner out of Clayton Richard (2-5), giving the Padres a three-game sweep.
Huston Street came on in the ninth to pick up his 13th save in 14 opportunities for the Padres (35-34), who moved above 500., for the first time since closing the 2010 season with a 90-72 record.
The Padres have gone 30-19 since May 1, are 21-7 in their last 28 home games and have pulled within two games of first-place Arizona in the NL West.
Everth Cabrera opened the eighth with his third single of the game and Chase Headley walked with two outs before Blanks hit a 1-2 pitch 379 feet into the left-field bleachers.
Up until that point the game had been an outstanding pitcher's duel between Richard and Arizona's Ian Kennedy.
Richard pitched a season-high eight innings, allowing one run on seven hits with one strikeout. He was at his best in the sixth when he got Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a 4-6-3, inning-ending double play with runners on first and third.
Kennedy, who is appealing a 10-game suspension for his part in a the team's recent brawl with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk.
Kennedy also had a pair of singles and drove in the Diamondbacks' first run in the top of the third with a single to center that scored Cliff Pennington, who had doubled and stole third.
In the bottom of the third, the Padres' Will Venable hit his ninth home run of the season, a 429-foot blast to right-center off Kennedy.
NOTES: Padres OF Carlos Quentin remained out of the starting lineup with an ailing left shoulder. Manager Bud Black said that team orthopedic surgeon Heinz Hoenecke would evaluate Quentin during a game. ... Padres INF Jedd Gyorko, currently on the DL with a groin strain, will travel with the team to San Francisco on Monday and according to Black will do some hitting on the field and take ground balls. Black is hopeful he'll resume normal baseball activities by the end of the week. ... Arizona INF Aaron Hill (broken left hand) went 1-for-4 with an RBI Saturday in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Reno. ... Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said INF Eric Chavez (strained oblique) is a few weeks away from returning. ... RHP Brandon McCarthy will resume light throwing activities Monday. McCarthy has been on the disabled list since June 1 with right shoulder inflammation. Gibson said McCarthy's shoulder "feels good." ... The Padres will send RHP Edinson Volquez (5-5, 5.87 ERA) to the mound Monday against Giants LHP Barry Zito (4-5, 4.79). ... Arizona heads home to face Miami with LHP Patrick Corbin (9-0, 2.28) facing RHP Jacob Turner (1-0, 1.80).
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The Twins don’t have a glaring positional roster hole besides first base. Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien are the leading internal candidates at first.
