Read More: Carlos Quentin (RF – CWS), Cameron Maybin (CF – SDP), Nick Hundley (C – SDP), Dayan Viciedo (RF – CWS), Mat Latos (P – SDP), Anthony Rizzo (1B – SDP), San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox

According to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin is on the San Diego Padres’ “list of possibilities” for an off-season trade. The 29-year old Quentin will have his salary determined under arbitration for the 2012 season, and has been a player mentioned in White Sox trade rumors for several years. The issue with Quentin, other than the poor defensive ratings he has posted over the course of his career and his history of injuries, has been that he is often very hard on himself and is prone to streaks and slumps at the plate. Here is what SB Nation’s White Sox blog, South Side Sox, had to say about Quentin in 2010-11: 

Carlos Quentin- .254/.340/.499, 24 HR, 77 RBI- When he was in the lineup, Quentin provided some power that was missing when he was gone.  He missed the last month of the year though with a strained shoulder.  It is impossible to count on this guy for an entire season.  He did improve in the outfield this year and he did enjoy a trip to his 2nd All Star game.  Final Grade: B-

If White Sox GM Kenny Williams was to deal Quentin, it would be to knock some payroll off the books while also creating room for younger (and cheaper) outfielder Dayan Viciedo. According to Bill Center, the only untouchables in the Padres’ organization at this point are Cameron Maybin, Nick Hundley, Mat Latos and Anthony Rizzo.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago White Sox be sure to visit South Side Sox. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league, and check out MLB Daily Dish for off-season rumors and reports.

November 10, 2011 – Midwest League (MWL) Fort Wayne TinCaps
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps, in conjunction with their major league affiliate San Diego Padres, announced the 2012 Field Staff today.

Former major leaguer Jose Valentin was named manager of the TinCaps, replacing Shawn Wooten in the dugout. Valentin was drafted by the Padres organization in 1986 and traded to the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 1992. Included in the deal was former major league slugger Gary Sheffield. Valentin made his major league debut on September 17, 1992.

Valentin, from Manati, Puerto Rico, played for 16 seasons in the major leagues, finishing his career with a .243 batting average, 816 runs batted in and 249 home runs. In addition to the Brewers, Valentin also spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, before retiring in 2009.

“Jose Valentin will join a long list of successful Fort Wayne managers that includes Gary Jones, Randy Ready, Doug Dascenzo and Shawn Wooten,” said Randy Smith, Vice President of Player Development and International Scouting for the Padres. “I am excited about what Jose will bring to the TinCaps and Padres organization. I have known Jose since he was 16 and was first beginning his playing career.

In 2004, Valentin became owner of the Santurce Crabbers of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and he has spent the last several years as an instructor at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School in Gurabo.

Valentin will be joined in the dugout by pitching coach Willie Blair, who was in the same role with the TinCaps in 2011. Blair spent 12 seasons in the major leagues with eight different teams, finishing with a career mark of 60-86. The hitting coach for the TinCaps is still to be determined.

“Jose played with passion and terrific instincts for 16 years at the major league level and I am confident he will develop our young players in the same mold,” Smith added. “Jose and Willie give us a great tandem and represent the organization well.”

Last year, under Blair’s guidance, the TinCaps pitching staff finished with a 3.99 earned run average during the regular season, 1,117 strikeouts which was fourth-best in the Midwest League and the 11 shutouts hurled by TinCaps pitchers was third-best in the league.

In addition to Blair, the Padres announced that Dan Turner will return to Fort Wayne as the TinCaps trainer. Turner will be in his second full season in Fort Wayne and fourth with San Diego.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Matt Kemp’s pursuit of the Triple Crown took a hit when Aaron Harang threw eight sharp innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Kemp leads the NL with 119 RBIs and is tied for lead with 37 homers. But he went 1 for 4 to drop his batting average to .325, falling six points behind league leader Ryan Braun of Milwaukee at .331. New York’s Jose Reyes is second at .330.

With just four games remaining, Kemp is trying to become the majors’ first player to achieve the Triple Crown since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, and the first in the National League since Ducky Medwick of St. Louis in 1937.

Kemp also is trying to become the fifth player in major league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

Kemp singled in the first inning, then went hitless in his final three at-bats, including bouncing into a game-ending double play.

Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 42nd save in 47 chances, completing a four-hitter for the Padres’ ninth shutout of the season.

Harang (14-7) retired 21 of his final 22 batters and allowed just one runner to reach second base. He struck out five and walked none in possibly his final game with the Padres.

The right-hander, a San Diego native, signed a one-year contract in the offseason and has a mutual option for the 2012 season for $5 million.

Los Angeles rookies Jerry Sands and Dee Gordon extended their career-high hitting streaks to 12 and 11 games, respectively.

Rookie shortstop Andy Parrino made two consecutive stellar defensive plays behind Harang in the seventh inning, robbing the Dodgers of hits.

Chad Billingsley (11-11) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings for Los Angeles. The right-hander struck out four and walked three.

Will Venable put the Padres ahead with a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning. Orlando Hudson followed with another run-scoring single and San Diego also scored on catcher Tim Federowicz’s error on an errant throw.

NOTES: The Dodgers lost for just the ninth time in 30 games. … The Padres raised their record against Los Angeles to 5-12. … Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (20-5, 2.27 ERA) will make his final start of the season Sunday. LHP Corey Luebke (6-9, 3.23) will start for San Diego in the series finale.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By Eric Stephen

– Managing Editor

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Sep 23, 2011 – The Los Angeles Dodgers end their season on a six-game intradivisional road trip, beginning Friday night at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres. Matt Kemp has six games remaining to hit four home runs to join the 40/40 club, and to make a run at the first triple crown in the National League in 74 seasons.

Not only is Kemp going for the triple crown, but it’s rare that he is even as close as he is, per ESPN:

How rare is it for a player to be this close, this late in the season, to the Triple Crown? Since Yastrzemski won it in 1967, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kemp is the only player to date to be within five points of the league leader in batting average (or leading), within one HR of the league leader (or leading), and within one RBI of the league leader (or leading), in the last 15 days of the season, let alone the last week of the season.

Ted Lilly gets the start for the Dodgers in San Diego on Friday, where he has allowed just three total runs in two starts this season, yet is 0-1. Wade LeBlanc starts for San Diego.

Friday night’s 7:05 p.m. game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more news and information on the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.

Read More: Ted Lilly (P – LOS), Matt Kemp (CF – LOS), Wade LeBlanc (P – SDP), San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres, Sep 23, 2011 7:05 PM PDT

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It’s late September and every major-league team has an agenda.

Some are going to the playoffs with aspirations of winning the World Series. Others are trying to finish over .500.

The Rockies?

As unfathomable as it sounds, considering they spent every day from April 6 to May 10 in first place, they need to win some games to stay out of last place in the National League West.

Their latest loss, 2-1 to the cellar-dwelling Padres at Coors Field on Tuesday night, was their sixth in a row and left them only 3 1/2 games ahead of San Diego. A loss in today’s home finale and the Rockies would be just 2 1/2 games ahead as they embark on a seven-game road trip.

Once again, the Rockies’ starting lineup didn’t

include Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez or Todd Helton, though Tulowitzki struck out as a pinch hitter.

In their absence, the Rockies accounted for seven hits, two by leadoff hitter Eric Young Jr.

Jhoulys Chacin (11-13, 3.66 ERA) allowed one earned run in six innings but took the loss.

San Diego’s Mat Latos earned his eighth win in 22 decisions.

Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com

---

Looking ahead

WEDNESDAY: Padres at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., Root

Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.97 ERA) promises that he will pitch again at Coors Field. It’s unlikely it will be in a Rockies uniform after today, but Cook’s preference is to stay in the National League West (look at his numbers in San Diego; it’s easy to see why). Cook survived in Denver because of his sinkerball. While striking out fewer than four batters per nine innings, Cook throughout his career escaped jams with double-play groundballs. He is 36-31 (4.63 ERA) in 676 1/3 innings on Blake Street. Padres right-hander Anthony Bass (1-0, 1.88), an effective reliever the last two months, will make his second start. Troy E. Renck, The Denver

Post

Upcoming pitching matchups

Thursday: Rockies’ Alex White (3-2, 6.75 ERA) at Astros’ Henry Sosa (2-5, 4.74), 6:05 p.m., Root

Friday: Rockies’ Drew Pomeranz (1-0, 1.69) at Astros’ Brett Myers (6-13, 4.39), 6:05 p.m., Root

Saturday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (7-13, 4.85) at Astros’ J.A. Happ (6-15, 5.48), 5:05 p.m., Root

Sunday: Rockies’ Kevin Millwood (3-3, 4.56) at Astros’ Bud Norris (6-11, 3.77), 12:05 p.m., Root

SAN FRANCISCO — Carlos Beltran hit two homers to give him 300 for his career and Tim Lincecum ended a three-start winless stretch as the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday to complete a rare sweep in this rivalry.

Beltran homered in the first inning and again in the sixth with a splash hit into McCovey Cove to put the Giants ahead. It marked the slugger’s 30th career multihomer game, third this year and first since joining San Francisco in a trade from the Mets on July 28.

Lincecum (13-12) outdueled Mat Latos (7-14) for his first win since beating the Padres on Aug. 24.

The defending World Series champion Giants began the day trailing the first-place Diamondbacks by 8 1/2 games in the NL West. Arizona had a night game at Los Angeles.

San Francisco has its first four-game winning streak since July 9-15.

Lincecum allowed four hits and an unearned run while striking out six and walking two in seven innings as the Giants wrapped up their first winning home series in the last eight sets since taking two of three against Milwaukee from July 22-24. September call-up Hector Sanchez caught Lincecum for the first time.

After Dan Runzler walked pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia to start the eighth, Sergio Romo relieved and retired the side in order. He pumped his fist after striking out Cameron Maybin to end the inning. Santiago Casilla finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.

San Diego, which dropped its fourth straight

this season at AT&T Park and sixth in seven games, was swept in a series of three or more games against the Giants for the first time since Aug. 22-24, 2008. This was San Francisco’s first sweep this year since taking three in a row June 24-26 from Cleveland.

It was largely because of

Beltran.

The slugger’s shot into the water beyond the right-field arcade was the fourth by a Giants player this year, 59th by San Francisco overall and No. 83 in the history of the 12-year-old ballpark. Home run king Barry Bonds has 35 of them.

Beltran also homered over the elevated brick wall in right to tie the game in the first. He went 7 for 12 (.583) with a double, three homers and four RBIs in the series and is batting .520 (13 for 25) with four homers in seven games against San Diego this season.

The Padres had taken a

1-0 lead against Lincecum on Jesus Guzman’s two-out RBI double in the top half.

Latos was tagged for seven hits and three runs in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

All-Star third baseman Pablo Sandoval provided a big defensive stop to end the third with Will Venable on third after he stole his 26th base. Sandoval lunged to his left to field Guzman’s sharp grounder, then fired to first just in time while throwing from one knee. He chuckled after doing it again on nearly an identical play on Maybin’s grounder in the sixth.

NOTES: San Diego is 4-17 in its stretch of 30 straight games against division foes. … Longtime Padres broadcaster and former New York Yankees 2B Jerry Coleman celebrated his 87th birthday. A retired Marine Lt. Col. and Bay Area native, Coleman worked the radio booth from the fourth through the sixth innings. … Giants rookie Brandon Belt will play five or six weeks of winter ball in the Dominican Republic to make up for time missed while he was injured this summer. Belt was sidelined after sustaining a hairline fracture in his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch from St. Louis’ Trever Miller in June. The team approached Belt last month about going to winter ball. … All-Star RHP Ryan Vogelsong (10-7) starts Thursday night for the Giants at Colorado while trying to end a five-start losing streak. … After an off day Thursday, RHP Tim Stauffer starts for the Padres on Friday, looking for his first career win against the Diamondbacks in his fifth start and 11th appearance. … Lincecum is 54-4 when the Giants score at least three runs for him. … Romo appeared in all three games in the series.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 14, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — In less than two months, Carlos Beltran has been through a cross-country move to switch teams and a hand and wrist injury that landed him on the disabled list.

That left little time to think about his latest milestone: home run No. 300.

Beltran connected twice to give him 300 for his career and Tim Lincecum ended a three-start winless stretch in the San Francisco Giants’ 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday that completed a rare sweep in this rivalry.

“It means a lot for me, actually. Thank God for that, being able to play this game for a long time,” said Beltran, both knees wrapped in ice bags and his hand sore. “Three hundred, for a guy from Manati, Puerto Rico, a small town, it’s good.”

Beltran became the sixth Puerto Rican-born player to reach 300 home runs.

He homered in the first inning and again in the sixth with a splash hit into McCovey Cove to put the Giants ahead. It marked the slugger’s 30th career multihomer game, third this year and first since joining San Francisco in a trade from the Mets on July 28.

“Beltran is one of the best players in the National League. And he’s got that in him,” Padres manager Bud Black said.

Lincecum (13-12) outdueled Mat Latos (7-14) for his first win since beating the Padres on Aug. 24.

The defending World Series champion Giants began the day trailing the first-place Diamondbacks by 8½ games in the NL West. Arizona had a night game at Los Angeles.

San Francisco has its first four-game winning streak since July 9-15.

Lincecum allowed four hits and an unearned run in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two as the Giants wrapped up their first winning home series in the last eight sets since taking two of three against Milwaukee from July 22-24. September call-up Hector Sanchez caught Lincecum for the first time.

“A lot of credit goes to Sanchez for making adjustments from our first inning on,” Lincecum said.

After Dan Runzler walked pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia to start the eighth, Sergio Romo relieved and retired the side in order. He pumped his fist after striking out Cameron Maybin to end the inning. Santiago Casilla finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.

San Diego, which dropped its fourth straight this season at AT&T Park and sixth in seven games, was swept in a series of three or more games against the Giants for the first time since Aug. 22-24, 2008. This was San Francisco’s first sweep this year since taking three in a row June 24-26 from Cleveland.

It was largely because of Beltran.

The slugger’s shot into the water beyond the right-field arcade was the fourth by a Giants player this year, 59th by San Francisco overall and No. 83 in the history of the 12-year-old ballpark. Home run king Barry Bonds has 35 of them.

“He makes this park look small at times,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I think it puts you in a really elite class — 500 is the benchmark for guys who are going in the Hall of Fame, 300 is quite a feat. Few guys have done that.”

Beltran also homered over the elevated brick wall in right to tie the game in the first. He went 7 for 12 (.583) with a double, three homers and four RBIs in the series and is batting .520 (13 for 25) with four homers in seven games against San Diego this season.

“You really have to hit the ball good in order to hit it out,” Beltran said. “That’s why in the dugout we always talk about what Barry Bonds did here for many years.”

Kayaker Dave Edlund, a McCovey Cove regular, retrieved Beltran’s 300th and also No. 298 after it hit the water on the bounce. Beltran was open to a trade with Edlund but also fine with the fan keeping the souvenir.

Whether Beltran will be hitting home runs here beyond this season is unclear. He said that will be a decision for after the season, though it’s not certain the Giants will want to pay him the contract he seeks, either. Beltran can become a free agent after the World Series and is represented by Scott Boras.

“It’s not my decision, but I’d be happy if he comes back,” All-Star third baseman Pablo Sandoval said.

The Padres took a 1-0 lead against Lincecum on Jesus Guzman’s two-out RBI double in the first.

Latos was tagged for seven hits and three runs in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

Sandoval provided a big defensive stop to end the third with Will Venable on third after he stole his 26th base. Sandoval lunged to his left to field Guzman’s sharp grounder, then fired to first just in time while throwing from one knee. He chuckled after doing it again on nearly an identical play on Maybin’s grounder in the sixth.

“Tough as he usually is,” Maybin said of Lincecum. “That’s why he’s a Cy Young Award winner.”

Notes

San Diego is 4-17 in its stretch of 30 straight games against division foes. … Longtime Padres broadcaster and former New York Yankees 2B Jerry Coleman celebrated his 87th birthday. A retired Marine Lt. Col. and Bay Area native, Coleman worked the radio booth from the fourth through the sixth innings. … Giants rookie Brandon Belt will play five or six weeks of winter ball in the Dominican Republic to make up for time missed while he was injured this summer. Belt was sidelined after sustaining a hairline fracture in his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch from St. Louis’ Trever Miller in June. The team approached Belt last month about going to winter ball. … All-Star RHP Ryan Vogelsong (10-7) starts Thursday night for the Giants at Colorado while trying to end a five-start losing streak. … After an off day Thursday, RHP Tim Stauffer starts for the Padres on Friday, looking for his first career win against the Diamondbacks in his fifth start and 11th appearance. … Lincecum is 54-4 when the Giants score at least three runs for him. … Romo appeared in all three games in the series.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Carlos Beltran hit two homers to give him 300 for his career and Tim Lincecum ended a three-start winless stretch as the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday to complete a rare sweep in this rivalry.

Beltran homered in the first inning and again in the sixth with a splash hit into McCovey Cove to put the Giants ahead. It marked the slugger’s 30th career multihomer game, third this year and first since joining San Francisco in a trade from the Mets on July 28.

Lincecum (13-12) outdueled Mat Latos (7-14) for his first win since beating the Padres on Aug. 24.

The defending World Series champion Giants began the day trailing the first-place Diamondbacks by 8 ½ games in the NL West. Arizona had a night game at Los Angeles.

San Francisco has its first four-game winning streak since July 9-15.

Lincecum allowed four hits and an unearned run while striking out six and walking two in seven innings as the Giants wrapped up their first winning home series in the last eight sets since taking two of three against Milwaukee from July 22-24. September call-up Hector Sanchez caught Lincecum for the first time.

After Dan Runzler walked pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia to start the eighth, Sergio Romo relieved and retired the side in order. He pumped his fist after striking out Cameron Maybin to end the inning. Santiago Casilla finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.

San Diego, which dropped its fourth straight this season at AT&T Park and sixth in seven games, was swept in a series of three or more games against the Giants for the first time since Aug. 22-24, 2008. This was San Francisco’s first sweep this year since taking three in a row June 24-26 from Cleveland.

It was largely because of Beltran.

The slugger’s shot into the water beyond the right-field arcade

was the fourth by a Giants player this year, 59th by San Francisco overall and No. 83 in the history of the 12-year-old ballpark. Home run king Barry Bonds has 35 of them.

Beltran also homered over the elevated brick wall in right to tie the game in the first. He went 7 for 12 (.583) with a double, three homers and four RBIs in the series and is batting .520 (13 for 25) with four homers in seven games against San Diego this season.

The Padres had taken a 1-0 lead against Lincecum on Jesus Guzman’s two-out RBI double in the top half.

Latos was tagged for seven hits and three runs in seven innings.

He struck out eight and walked one.

All-Star third baseman Pablo Sandoval provided a big defensive stop to end the third with Will Venable on third after he stole his 26th base. Sandoval lunged to his left to field Guzman’s sharp grounder, then fired to first just in time while throwing from one knee. He chuckled after doing it again on nearly an identical play on Maybin’s grounder in the sixth.

NOTES: San Diego is 4-17 in its stretch of 30 straight games against division foes. … Longtime Padres broadcaster and former New York Yankees 2B Jerry Coleman celebrated his 87th birthday. A retired Marine Lt. Col. and Bay Area native, Coleman worked the radio booth from the fourth through the sixth innings. … Giants rookie Brandon Belt will play five or six weeks of winter ball in the Dominican Republic to make up for time missed while he was injured this summer. Belt was sidelined after sustaining a hairline fracture in his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch from St. Louis’ Trever Miller in June. The team approached Belt last month about going to winter ball. … All-Star RHP Ryan Vogelsong (10-7) starts Thursday night for the Giants at Colorado while trying to end a five-start losing streak. … After an off day Thursday, RHP Tim Stauffer starts for the Padres on Friday, looking for his first career win against the Diamondbacks in his fifth start and 11th appearance. … Lincecum is 54-4 when the Giants score at least three runs for him. … Romo appeared in all three games in the series.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

37.778143
-122.390872

Ross, Carlos Beltran and Pablo Sandoval homered in a rare show of power at AT&T Park, and the Giants beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 on Monday night.

They still trail NL West-leading Arizona by 8½ games but the outlook is a lot more encouraging than it was a few days ago.

That’s why Ross wants San Francisco thinking big.

“Why not?” said Ross, who also singled, doubled and scored three times. “We’re not going to give in. We’re the defending champs and we’ve got something to prove. We’re going to play through and see what happens.”

Until recently, the Giants were only proving to be a big disappointment — at least offensively.

But one day after scoring eight runs in a win over the Dodgers — the most runs by San Francisco in more than a month — the Giants matched it against the Padres.

It’s the first time the Giants, the majors’ lowest-scoring team since the All-Star break, have done that in back-to-back games since the first two games of the 2010 World Series.

“It’s good to see the guys loosen up and swing the bats like we’re capable of,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re trying to finish up strong. We’re hanging by a thread, but it’s not over.”

The setting was a lot different than a year ago at this time when these teams battled for the division title in a race that went down to the final day of the regular season.

The Giants still harbor slim postseason hopes this year while the Padres are just finishing out the string.

Aaron Harang (13-6), who was 4-0 in six previous starts against the Giants, took the loss after allowing all three home runs. The burly right-hander remains three wins shy of his career high.

“I felt like I couldn’t get comfortable out there the first few innings,” Harang said. “Sometimes when you are hitting your spots in the bullpen it’s not necessarily a good thing when you get (in the game). I just couldn’t get into a good rhythm and it felt like I was off mechanically.”

Eric Surkamp (2-0) pitched 5 2-3 innings for his second major league victory — both coming against San Diego. The left-hander, who beat the Padres on Sept. 6, allowed seven hits and walked one.

That might be enough to keep the 24-year-old in the Giants’ rotation. Barry Zito, who has two years remaining on the $126 million deal he signed before the 2007 season, came off the disabled list Sunday but will most likely work out of the bullpen unless one of the other starters gets hurt.

Most of San Francisco’s offense came from the big three of Beltran, Ross and Sandoval.

Beltran went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs, Ross added a pair of RBIs and Sandoval capped the night with a towering, three-run homer in the seventh.

It’s the first time the Giants have hit three home runs in a game at their waterfront ballpark since Sept. 30, 2010.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Giants outfielder Cody Ross(notes) wants his teammates to
openly talk about making the playoffs, even if the defending World Series
champions still have a lot of ground to make up.

At least now San Francisco has an offense to back up Ross’ confidence.

Ross, Carlos Beltran(notes) and Pablo Sandoval(notes) homered in a rare show of power at
AT&T Park, and the Giants beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 on Monday night.

They still trail NL West-leading Arizona by 8 1/2 games but the outlook is a
lot more encouraging than it was a few days ago.

That’s why Ross wants San Francisco thinking big.

“Why not?” said Ross, who also singled, doubled and scored three times.
“We’re not going to give in. We’re the defending champs and we’ve got something
to prove. We’re going to play through and see what happens.”

Until recently, the Giants were only proving to be a big disappointment—at
least offensively.

But one day after scoring eight runs in a win over the Dodgers—the most
runs by San Francisco in more than a month—the Giants matched it against the
Padres.

It’s the first time the Giants, the majors’ lowest-scoring team since the
All-Star break, have done that in back-to-back games since the first two games
of the 2010 World Series.

“It’s good to see the guys loosen up and swing the bats like we’re capable
of,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re trying to finish up strong. We’re
hanging by a thread, but it’s not over.”

The setting was a lot different than a year ago at this time when these
teams battled for the division title in a race that went down to the final day
of the regular season.

The Giants still harbor slim postseason hopes this year while the Padres are
just finishing out the string.

Aaron Harang(notes) (13-6), who was 4-0 in six previous starts against the Giants,
took the loss after allowing all three home runs. The burly right-hander remains
three wins shy of his career high.

“I felt like I couldn’t get comfortable out there the first few innings,”
Harang said. “Sometimes when you are hitting your spots in the bullpen it’s not
necessarily a good thing when you get (in the game). I just couldn’t get into a
good rhythm and it felt like I was off mechanically.”

Eric Surkamp(notes) (2-0) pitched 5 2-3 innings for his second major league victory
— both coming against San Diego. The left-hander, who beat the Padres on Sept.
6, allowed seven hits and walked one.

That might be enough to keep the 24-year-old in the Giants’ rotation. Barry
Zito(notes), who has two years remaining on the $126 million deal he signed before the
2007 season, came off the disabled list Sunday but will most likely work out of
the bullpen unless one of the other starters gets hurt.

Most of San Francisco’s offense came from the big three of Beltran, Ross and
Sandoval.

Beltran went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs, Ross added a pair of RBIs and
Sandoval capped the night with a towering, three-run homer in the seventh.

It’s the first time the Giants have hit three home runs in a game at their
waterfront ballpark since Sept. 30, 2010.

“It’s nice to get back-to-back games like this from the offense,” Ross
said. “It’s been a lot looser in here the last five or six days. Everyone’s not
so uptight and tense and trying to hard. Maybe that is the key.”

Beltran provided some early offense when he snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a
two-run shot off Harang in the first. The ball easily cleared the wall in right
field, bounced on the cement landing and fell into McCovey Cove.

It was Beltran’s 18th home run of the season and third since being traded
from the Mets to San Francisco on July 28.

Ross homered leading off the third, then added an RBI single in the seventh.
Sandoval put the game out of reach with his three-run drive off reliever Andrew
Carpenter(notes).

Harang left after the fifth. He allowed six hits and struck out four.

San Diego, which fell to 1-4 on its seven-game road trip, scored a run in
the fourth with the help of Surkamp’s throwing error, then added two more in the
sixth on four consecutive two-out singles to chase the San Francisco rookie.

Kyle Banks knocked in one run and Orlando Hudson(notes) singled in Chris Denorfia(notes)
to cut the lead to 4-3.

San Diego put two runners on in the eighth but failed to score.

Sergio Romo(notes), the fifth San Francisco pitcher, got Hudson to hit into an
inning-ending double play, then retired the side in the ninth.

NOTES: Giants closer Brian Wilson(notes) threw 19 pitches while facing hitters for
the first time since going on the disabled list three weeks ago. Wilson will
rest the next two days before the team decides what his next step will be. … C
Buster Posey(notes) (ankle) played catch before the game and will head to Arizona to
start his next phase of rehab. … OF Will Venable(notes) also played catch during
batting practice to test his shoulder and could return to San Diego’s lineup
Tuesday. … Padres manager Bud Black hinted that prized prospect Anthony Rizzo(notes)
could get into the starting lineup in the next few days. … Black said an
ineffective slider is to blame for reliever Luke Gregerson’s(notes) dip in strikeouts
this year. Gregerson set a major league record for holds in 2010 and averaged
10.2 strikeouts over nine innings but that number has dipped to 5.6 this year.
… RHP Matt Cain(notes), who lost to San Diego in his last outing despite giving up
two runs in seven innings, pitches for San Francisco on Tuesday. Cain (11-10)
has won only twice in his previous eight starts. … LHP Cory Luebke(notes) (5-9), who
has dropped his last three starts, goes for the Padres.

PHOENIX (AP)—The San Diego Padres have struggled all year long, especially
in Arizona. So this one was particularly sweet.

Nick Hundley(notes) homered and the Padres held on for a 7-6 victory Sunday that
snapped the Diamondbacks’ franchise-record home winning streak at 15 games.

Hundley, Jesus Guzman(notes) and James Darnell(notes) had two RBIs apiece for the Padres,
who ended a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven
games.

“Anytime you can come out of here with a win you consider it to be a good
day,” San Diego starter Wade LeBlanc(notes).

San Diego had lost seven of eight games in Arizona this season, including
the first three games of the series.

“We’ve got to stay positive,” said Heath Bell(notes), who pitched the ninth for
his 37th save in 42 chances one day after allowing two homers in the ninth. “We
could have taken three out of four. I messed up yesterday and the second game we
kinda blew it.”

LeBlanc (3-5) went 5 2-3 innings and allowed four runs and four hits while
snapping a personal three-game losing streak.

“I thought he deserved to get the win,” Padres manager Bud Black said.
“He had good efficiency, mix of pitches and changing of speeds, which all go
into Wade’s game.”

Henry Blanco(notes) homered and Chris Young added a two-run double for the NL
West-leading Diamondbacks. Arizona’s lead over the San Francisco Giants slipped
to 8 1-2 games and its magic number remained eight.

“You’d like to win them all but we didn’t today,” manager Kirk Gibson
said. “We push through. There’s a saying about playing 27 outs, playing to the
end. It’s something that’s been preached for a while. It’s part of their
character.”

Backed by LeBlanc’s one-hit pitching over the first five innings, San Diego
built a 7-0 lead against Josh Collmenter(notes) (9-9).

Darnell drove in Hundley with a single in the second, then hit a sacrifice
fly in the third. Guzman had an RBI single and Anthony Rizzo(notes) drew a bases-loaded
walk in the third to put the Padres ahead 4-0.

Hundley hit a two-run shot in the fifth for his eighth homer, giving San
Diego a 6-0 lead and ending Collmenter’s day. Guzman added a run-scoring double
in the seventh.

Then the Diamondbacks made things interesting.

Blanco, Arizona’s regular Sunday catcher, led off the sixth with a line
drive over the wall in left. Reliever Zach Duke(notes) singled to center, Gerardo Parra(notes)
reached on a one-out single and Paul Goldschmidt(notes) walked to load the bases and
chase LeBlanc.

Chris Young hit a two-run double to left off Erik Hamren(notes), and Colin Cowgill
brought home Goldschmidt and Young with a single to center that trimmed San
Diego’s lead to 7-5.

“We got it the hard way,” Black said. “It looked as though we might have
done it the easy way but it turned out to be the hard way.”

The Diamondbacks pulled within one in the seventh when Blanco singled, went
to second when pinch-hitter Geoff Blum(notes) was hit by a pitch and scored on
pinch-hitter Justin Upton’s(notes) groundout.

“It’s been our team all year,” Collmenter said. “Up, down, we play all
the way through. It’s fun to be a part of a team like that and know that no
matter how far down you are, they’re going to battle and give you a chance to
win.”

Collmenter gave up six runs and seven hits, walked three and struck out two.

“I think I forced through some things,” Collmenter said. “I didn’t make
some big pitches when I needed to. I left some balls up over the plate today and
they were able to put the bat on.”

NOTES: Arizona’s last home loss was on August 8, a 9-1 defeat against the
Houston Astros. The Diamondbacks won the next three games of the series to begin
a seven-game winning streak. … Darnell has driven in five runs in his past two
games. . Young stole second in the second inning to reach the 20-homer,
20-stolen base plateau for the third time in his career. . The Padres dropped
their formal protest of the Diamondbacks’ 6-5, extra-inning victory on Saturday.

Hundley, Jesus Guzman and James Darnell had two RBIs apiece for the Padres, who ended a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven games.

“Anytime you can come out of here with a win you consider it to be a good day,” San Diego starter Wade LeBlanc.

San Diego had lost seven of eight games in Arizona this season, including the first three games of the series.

“We’ve got to stay positive,” said Heath Bell, who pitched the ninth for his 37th save in 42 chances one day after allowing two homers in the ninth. “We could have taken three out of four. I messed up yesterday and the second game we kinda blew it.”

LeBlanc (3-5) went 5 2-3 innings and allowed four runs and four hits while snapping a personal three-game losing streak.

“I thought he deserved to get the win,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He had good efficiency, mix of pitches and changing of speeds, which all go into Wade’s game.”

Henry Blanco homered and Chris Young added a two-run double for the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. Arizona’s lead over the San Francisco Giants slipped to 8 1-2 games and its magic number remained eight.

“You’d like to win them all but we didn’t today,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “We push through. There’s a saying about playing 27 outs, playing to the end. It’s something that’s been preached for a while. It’s part of their character.”

Backed by LeBlanc’s one-hit pitching over the first five innings, San Diego built a 7-0 lead against Josh Collmenter (9-9).

Darnell drove in Hundley with a single in the second, then hit a sacrifice fly in the third. Guzman had an RBI single and Anthony Rizzo drew a bases-loaded walk in the third to put the Padres ahead 4-0.

Hundley hit a two-run shot in the fifth for his eighth homer, giving San Diego a 6-0 lead and ending Collmenter’s day. Guzman added a run-scoring double in the seventh.

Then the Diamondbacks made things interesting.

Blanco, Arizona’s regular Sunday catcher, led off the sixth with a line drive over the wall in left. Reliever Zach Duke singled to center, Gerardo Parra reached on a one-out single and Paul Goldschmidt walked to load the bases and chase LeBlanc.

Chris Young hit a two-run double to left off Erik Hamren, and Colin Cowgill brought home Goldschmidt and Young with a single to center that trimmed San Diego’s lead to 7-5.

“We got it the hard way,” Black said. “It looked as though we might have done it the easy way but it turned out to be the hard way.”

The Diamondbacks pulled within one in the seventh when Blanco singled, went to second when pinch-hitter Geoff Blum was hit by a pitch and scored on pinch-hitter Justin Upton’s groundout.

“It’s been our team all year,” Collmenter said. “Up, down, we play all the way through. It’s fun to be a part of a team like that and know that no matter how far down you are, they’re going to battle and give you a chance to win.”

Collmenter gave up six runs and seven hits, walked three and struck out two.

“I think I forced through some things,” Collmenter said. “I didn’t make some big pitches when I needed to. I left some balls up over the plate today and they were able to put the bat on.”

NOTES: Arizona’s last home loss was on August 8, a 9-1 defeat against the Houston Astros. The Diamondbacks won the next three games of the series to begin a seven-game winning streak. … Darnell has driven in five runs in his past two games. . Young stole second in the second inning to reach the 20-homer, 20-stolen base plateau for the third time in his career. . The Padres dropped their formal protest of the Diamondbacks’ 6-5, extra-inning victory on Saturday.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PHOENIX — The San Diego Padres have struggled all year long, especially in Arizona. So this one was particularly sweet.

Nick Hundley homered and the Padres held on for a 7-6 victory Sunday that snapped the Diamondbacks’ franchise-record home winning streak at 15 games.

Hundley, Jesus Guzman and James Darnell had two RBIs apiece for the Padres, who ended a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven games.

“Any time you can come out of here with a win you consider it to be a good day,” San Diego starter Wade LeBlanc.

San Diego had lost seven of eight games in Arizona this season, including the first three games of the series.

“We’ve got to stay positive,” said Heath Bell, who pitched the ninth for his 37th save in 42 chances one day after allowing two homers in the ninth. “We could have taken three out of four. I messed up yesterday and the second game we kinda blew it.”

LeBlanc (3-5) went 5 2-3 innings and allowed four runs and four hits while snapping a personal three-game losing streak.

“I thought he deserved to get the win,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He had good efficiency, mix of pitches and changing of speeds, which all go into Wade’s game.”

Henry Blanco homered and Chris Young added a two-run double for the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. Arizona’s lead over the San Francisco Giants slipped to 8 1-2 games and its magic number remained eight.

“You’d like to win them all but we didn’t today,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “We push through. There’s a saying about playing 27 outs, playing to the end. It’s something that’s been preached for a while. It’s part of their character.”

Backed by LeBlanc’s one-hit pitching over the first five innings, San Diego built a 7-0 lead against Josh Collmenter (9-9).

Darnell drove in Hundley with a single in the second, then hit a sacrifice fly in the third. Guzman had an RBI single and Anthony Rizzo drew a bases-loaded walk in the third to put the Padres ahead 4-0.

Hundley hit a two-run shot in the fifth for his eighth homer, giving San Diego a 6-0 lead and ending Collmenter’s day. Guzman added a run-scoring double in the seventh.

Then the Diamondbacks made things interesting.

Blanco, Arizona’s regular Sunday catcher, led off the sixth with a line drive over the wall in left. Reliever Zach Duke singled to centre, Gerardo Parra reached on a one-out single and Paul Goldschmidt walked to load the bases and chase LeBlanc.

Chris Young hit a two-run double to left off Erik Hamren, and Colin Cowgill brought home Goldschmidt and Young with a single to centre that trimmed San Diego’s lead to 7-5.

“We got it the hard way,” Black said. “It looked as though we might have done it the easy way but it turned out to be the hard way.”

The Diamondbacks pulled within one in the seventh when Blanco singled, went to second when pinch-hitter Geoff Blum was hit by a pitch and scored on pinch-hitter Justin Upton’s groundout.

“It’s been our team all year,” Collmenter said. “Up, down, we play all the way through. It’s fun to be a part of a team like that and know that no matter how far down you are, they’re going to battle and give you a chance to win.”

Collmenter gave up six runs and seven hits, walked three and struck out two.

“I think I forced through some things,” Collmenter said. “I didn’t make some big pitches when I needed to. I left some balls up over the plate today and they were able to put the bat on.”

NOTES: Arizona’s last home loss was on August 8, a 9-1 defeat against the Houston Astros. The Diamondbacks won the next three games of the series to begin a seven-game winning streak. … Darnell has driven in five runs in his past two games. . Young stole second in the second inning to reach the 20-homer, 20-stolen base plateau for the third time in his career. . The Padres dropped their formal protest of the Diamondbacks’ 6-5, extra-inning victory on Saturday.