San Diego’s Wade LeBlanc pitched his best game of the season and
wound up being a footnote in a historic chase.

Matt Kemp took another step toward a rare possible Triple Crown
with a solo homer as he led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0
victory over the Padres on Friday night.

LeBlanc kept Kemp hitless in his first two at-bats before the
Dodgers outfielder homered leading off the seventh inning to tie
St. Louis’ Albert Pujols for the NL lead with 37.

Kemp, who leads the league with 119 RBIs, went 1 for 4 to keep
his average at .326. He picked up a point on Milwaukee’s Ryan
Braun, whose average dropped one point to .329 and into a tie with
New York’s Jose Reyes, who didn’t play because of a rainout.

Ted Lilly combined with three relievers on a four-hitter,
including rookie closer Javy Guerra, who picked up his 20th save in
21 chances.

But this night and the Dodgers’ final five games belong to Kemp,
who is attempting to be the major league’s first Triple Crown
winner since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

The last player in the National League to pull off the feat was
Ducky Medwick of St. Louis in 1937.

“He’s a Triple Crown candidate for a reason,” LeBlanc said.

And if all that isn’t enough, Kemp is just three homers shy of
becoming only the fifth player in major league history to hit 40
home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

“It’s a fun experience and I’m just going to enjoy it,” Kemp
said.

His 426-foot home run off LeBlanc (4-6) made it 2-0 in the
seventh. Kemp had two hits in 15 at-bats against the left-handed
LeBlanc before the homer.

“It’s a pitch now that I’d like to have back,” LeBlanc said.
“But he did a good piece of hitting. If you can hit one out to
right-center field here, you’ve earned it.”

Kemp is hitting .552 (16 for 29) during a seven-game hitting
streak. During the run he has four homers and nine RBIs.

“It felt pretty good,” Kemp said of the homer. “He is someone
you have to be pretty patient with. He mixes his pitches up pretty
good.”

LeBlanc allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings as he
set a career-high with 10 strikeouts.

“I don’t think his velocity wavered for seven innings,” Padres
manager Bud Black said. “Not that this game is about velocity for
Wade, but that’s the best he’s had since he’s been a Padre.”

Lilly (11-14) combined with Mike MacDougal, Kenley Jensen and
Guerra to hand the Padres their 19th shutout, tops in the majors.
Lilly gave up all four hits as he struck out six and walked
two.

Los Angeles’ Eugenio Velez went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts to
tie a modern major-league record by going hitless in his last 45
at-bats. He tied Pittsburgh’s Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell of
San Diego and St. Louis (1973) and Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell this
season.

“It’s a little hard to watch,” Mattingly said. “He’s such a good
kid. He works hard, he’s a good teammate and he’s not moping around
here.”

Lilly is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six starts this season against
San Diego. Lilly has allowed three runs or less in each of his last
10 outings.

LeBlanc allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings as he
set a career-high with 10 strikeouts.

Rookie Jerry Sands extended his hitting streak to a career-high
11 games with a leadoff double in the second before he scored on
Russell Mitchell’s groundout.

The Dodgers (79-77) won for the 22nd time in 30 games as they
moved two games above .500 for the first time since they were 6-4
on April 11.

Notes: The Dodgers are 12-4 against San Diego. … Los Angeles
started five rookies. … Dodgers rookie SS Dee Gordon extended his
hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. … LeBlanc became the
first Padres pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts. … Chad
Billingsley (11-10, 4.23 ERA) will start for Los Angeles on
Saturday in the second game of the three-game series against Aaron
Harang (13-7, 3,82).

Rather than feeling pressure, Matt Kemp is embracing his Triple
Crown pursuit.

Kemp took another step toward a rare possible Triple Crown with
a solo homer as he led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 victory
over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Kemp went hitless in his first two at-bats before he homered
leading off the seventh inning to tie St. Louis’ Albert Pujols for
the NL lead with 37. Kemp, who leads the league with 119 RBIs, went
1 for 4 to keep his average at .326. He picked up a point on
Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, whose average dropped one point to .329 and
into a tie with New York’s Jose Reyes, who didn’t play because of a
rainout.

Kemp, who turned 27 on Friday, was asked if he was aware of his
statistics.

“No, no, I don’t,” he said deadpan. Then he smiled and added, “I
do, I do. It is what it is. It’s a fun experience and I’m just
going to enjoy it.”

Ted Lilly combined with three relievers on a four-hitter,
including rookie closer Javy Guerra, who picked up his 20th save in
21 chances.

But this night and the Dodgers’ final five games belong to Kemp,
who is attempting to be the major league’s first Triple Crown
winner since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

The last player in the National League to pull off the feat was
Ducky Medwick of St. Louis in 1937.

And if all that isn’t enough, Kemp is just three homers shy of
becoming only the fifth player in major league history to hit 40
home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

“What we talked about all year long is get ready to play and
play,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Don’t give at-bats
away, keep fighting and at the end of the year there are going to
be a pile of numbers there because he focused.”

His 426-foot home run off Wade LeBlanc (4-6) made it 2-0 in the
seventh. Kemp had two hits in 15 at-bats against the left-handed
LeBlanc before the homer.

“He’s a Triple Crown candidate for a reason,” LeBlanc said.
“It’s a pitch now that I’d like to have back. But he did a good
piece of hitting. If you can hit one out to right-center field
here, you’ve earned it.”

Kemp is hitting .552 (16 for 29) during a seven-game hitting
streak. During the run he has four homers and nine RBIs.

“It felt pretty good,” Kemp said of the homer. “He is someone
you have to be pretty patient with. He mixes his pitches up pretty
good.”

Both Mattingly and Kemp spoke about the need for Kemp to
continue doing what he has done and not try to change. Kemp said he
has resisted the temptation to swing for home runs.

“I haven’t did it the whole season and I’m not going to do it
the last five games,” Kemp said. “I’m not going to change it up. I
just have to relax. When I try to hit home runs and hit too hard,
I’m not too successful.”

Said Mattingly: “It’s been fine for him all year long, so I
don’t see making any changes as far as trying to lead him off to
try to get him any more at-bats.”

Lilly (11-14) combined with Mike MacDougal, Kenley Jensen and
Javy Guerra to hand the Padres their 19th shutout, tops in the
majors. Lilly gave up all four hits as he struck out six and walked
two.

Guerra pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances as Los
Angeles picked up its 17th shutout.

Los Angeles’ Eugenio Velez went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts to
tie a modern major-league record by going hitless in his last 45
at-bats. He tied Pittsburgh’s Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell of
San Diego and St. Louis (1973) and Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell this
season.

“It’s a little hard to watch,” Mattingly said. “He’s such a good
kid. He works hard, he’s a good teammate and he’s not moping around
here.”

Lilly is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six starts this season against
San Diego. Lilly has allowed three runs or less in each of his last
10 outings.

LeBlanc allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings as he
set a career-high with 10 strikeouts.

Rookie Jerry Sands extended his hitting streak to a career-high
11 games with a leadoff double in the second before he scored on
Russell Mitchell’s groundout.

The Dodgers (79-77) won for the 22nd time in 30 games as they
moved two games above .500 for the first time since they were 6-4
on April 11.

Notes: The Dodgers are 12-4 against San Diego. … Los Angeles
started five rookies. … Dodgers rookie SS Dee Gordon extended his
hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. … LeBlanc became the
first Padres pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts. … Chad
Billingsley (11-10, 4.23 ERA) will start for Los Angeles on
Saturday in the second game of the three-game series against Aaron
Harang (13-7, 3,82).

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

A good effort by San Diego’s Aaron Harang wasn’t enough against
the Arizona Diamondbacks and Joe Saunders.

Saunders took a five-hitter into the ninth inning, Paul
Goldschmidt drove in three runs and the Diamondbacks beat the
Padres 5-1 Sunday to cut the magic number to five for their first
NL West title since 2007.

Harang (13-7) allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings. He
has lost four of his last five starts despite a 3.19 ERA in that
span.

“He pitched a game that was good enough to win,” San Diego
manager Bud Black said. “But we just couldn’t get to Joe Saunders.
His assortment of fastballs in, fastballs down and away. We just
couldn’t get enough balls squared against him.”

Both runs off Harang came on solo homers _ by Miguel Montero and
Goldschmidt. The home runs were decisive, as they have been in many
of Harang’s losses.

The right-hander is 8-1 in the 14 starts where he has not
allowed a home run. In his other 13 starts, Harang has given up 20
homers and has a 5-6 record.

Cameron Maybin had a leadoff single in the third, stole second,
took third on Montero’s throwing error from behind the plate and
scored on Jason Bartlett’s groundout.

Montero’s 17th homer tied the score leading off the fourth.
Goldschmidt put the Diamondbacks ahead 2-1 with a leadoff homer in
the sixth.

“I wish I could have gone back out there for the seventh,”
Harang said. “But Buddy had his reasons. I felt good but two balls
they did a good job of hitting.”

Goldschmidt combined with Aaron Hill for RBI singles in the
seventh against Brad Brach and added a sacrifice fly against Erik
Hamren in the eighth.

Arizona maintained a five-game lead over second-place San
Francisco with nine games remaining, stopping a three-game losing
streak. The Diamondbacks open a nine-game homestand Monday against
Pittsburgh, then host the Giants for a three-game series next
weekend.

Saunders (12-12) limited last-place San Diego an unearned run
and seven hits in 8 2-3 innings, improving to 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA
against the Padres this season. After two-out singles by Blanks and
Alberto Gonzalez in the ninth, J.J. Putz struck out pinch-hitter
Nick Hundley for his 41st save in 45 chances.

San Francisco kept the pressure on the Diamondbacks with its
eighth straight win, 12-5 at Colorado.

“It’s been a couple of days, so it’s a good feeling,” Arizona
manager Kirk Gibson said. “Every victory at this point of the
season is great. The Giants have been playing great and are on a
big winning streak. We needed to match that and take care of our
own business.”

NOTES: Arizona was 11-7 against San Diego, which is 23-43
against the NL West. … San Diego LHP Corey Luebke (5-9, 3.27)
will start the opener of a three-game series, the club’s final road
games, at Colorado against RHP Kevin Millwood (3-2, 3.68).

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

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Although it won’t pitch beyond September, the San Diego Padres’ staff is having a say in the NL West race.

The last-place Padres surprised NL West-leading Arizona for the second straight night, winning 3-1 on Saturday as Wade LeBlanc and three relievers combined on a five-hitter and Orlando Hudson and Jeremy Hermida hit solo homers.

It was the second straight night the Padres held the Diamondbacks to five hits, also doing so in Friday night’s 2-0 win.

“We won two ballgames in a row. We’re going to come out tomorrow and try to keep it rolling,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve got some momentum, we’ve got some good pitching going. We got some timely hits that we need. We’re going to try to finish out the season strong.”

LeBlanc (4-5) allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three. Relievers Luke Gregerson and Chad Qualls each threw a scoreless inning before All-Star Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 39th save in 44 chances. Bell struck out Justin Upton looking and got Miguel Montero to fly out to left before allowing a single to Paul Goldschmidt and walking Chris Young on four pitches. Bell ended it by throwing a called third strike past pinch-hitter Lyle Overbay on a full-count pitch.

A week earlier, Bell blew a save at Arizona by allowing consecutive ninth-inning homers to Young and Overbay, then Joe Thatcher walked in the winning run in the 10th inning.

“C.Y. and Overbay got me in Arizona so I wasn’t going to give in. I fell behind and made some good pitches off Lyle, right on the corner. C.Y., I didn’t make that good pitch, but then again I didn’t want him to shoot the ball into right. I wasn’t going to give in to those guys. I got Lyle instead of C.Y. I had a base.

“That’s kind of our motto, defense and pitching,” Bell added. “Good fundamental baseball and good pitching. We’re starting to get some good pitching from our starters, and our bullpen’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing.”

Manager Bud Black agreed.

“Our guys, from Wade on down, made pitches when they had to,” Bud Black said. “They were stressed a couple times, each guy with the exception of Chad, who had a 1-2-3. Wade’s ball-strike ratio wasn’t great, but through the game he made pitches when he had to. Came back from deep counts and got outs.”

The Diamondbacks came into the game with a magic number of six for clinching the division title. Any combination of Diamondbacks wins and San Francisco Giants losses totaling six will give Arizona the title. The defending World Series champion Giants were playing at Colorado on Saturday night.

Arizona lost its third straight game, its longest losing streak since dropping six from Aug. 17-22. The Diamondbacks also had only five hits in Friday night’s 2-0 loss at San Diego.

With the score tied at 1, Hudson homered onto the top of the out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall with two outs in the fourth, his seventh. It came on a full-count pitch from Josh Collmenter (9-10).

Hermida led off the seventh with a homer into the seats in right-center, one of the deepest parts of Petco Park. It was his second.

LeBlanc’s only mistake was allowing Aaron Hill’s solo shot to left-center on a full-count pitch with one out in the first, his second.

San Diego tied it in the second when Hudson hit a two-out single to right, advanced when Hermida was hit by a pitch and scored on Andy Parrino’s single.

Collmenter allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings, struck out two and walked none.

NOTES: The Padres will wait a few days to determine whether RHP Tim Stauffer makes his next start. He left Friday night’s win with tightness in his right arm. … The series concludes Sunday with Arizona LHP Joe Saunders (11-12, 3.83) facing San Diego RHP Aaron Harang (13-6, 3.85). Harang has gone 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA in his last 10 home starts since May 19. … Saunders threw his first complete game of the season, and sixth of his career, in a 6-1 win against the Padres on July 26.

Ross also singled, doubled and scored three times to back a solid outing by rookie Eric Surkamp.

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

The Giants still harbor slim postseason hopes this year — they began the night 8 1/2 games behind division-leading Arizona — while the Padres are just finishing out the string.

San Francisco, the majors’ lowest-scoring team since the All-Star break, put up eight runs for the second straight game. It’s the first time the Giants have done that in back-to-back games since the first two games of the 2010 World Series.

Most of the offense came from San Francisco’s 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.

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.

One day after scoring eight runs in a win over the Dodgers — the most runs by the Giants in more than a month — the defending World Series champs matched it against the Padres.

Beltran provided early offense when he snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a two-run shot off Aaron 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.

Harang (13-6), who was 4-0 in six previous starts against the Giants, 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 singled in Chris Denorfia to cut the lead to 4-3.

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

Sergio Romo, 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 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 (ankle) played catch before the game and will head to Arizona to start his next phase of rehab. … OF Will Venable 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 could get into the starting lineup in the next few days. … Black said an ineffective slider is to blame for reliever Luke Gregerson’s 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, 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 (5-9), who has dropped his last three starts, goes for the Padres.

Ross also singled, doubled and scored three times to back a solid outing by rookie Eric Surkamp.

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

The Giants still harbor slim postseason hopes this year — they began the night 8 1/2 games behind division-leading Arizona — while the Padres are just finishing out the string.

San Francisco, the majors’ lowest-scoring team since the All-Star break, put up eight runs for the second straight game. It’s the first time the Giants have done that in back-to-back games since the first two games of the 2010 World Series.

Most of the offense came from San Francisco’s 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.

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.

One day after scoring eight runs in a win over the Dodgers — the most runs by the Giants in more than a month — the defending World Series champs matched it against the Padres.

Beltran provided early offense when he snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a two-run shot off Aaron 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.

Harang (13-6), who was 4-0 in six previous starts against the Giants, 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 singled in Chris Denorfia to cut the lead to 4-3.

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

Sergio Romo, 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 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 (ankle) played catch before the game and will head to Arizona to start his next phase of rehab. … OF Will Venable 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 could get into the starting lineup in the next few days. … Black said an ineffective slider is to blame for reliever Luke Gregerson’s 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, 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 (5-9), who has dropped his last three starts, goes for the Padres.

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.

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)—Even down six runs after six innings, the Arizona
Diamondbacks thought they would find a way to win.

This time, their rally came up a bit short.

“You’d like to win them all but we didn’t today,” manager Kirk Gibson said
following the Diamondbacks’ 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres. “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.”

Henry Blanco(notes) homered and Chris Young added a two-run double for the NL
West-leading Diamondbacks, who had won a franchise-record 15 consecutive home
games. Arizona’s lead over San Francisco slipped to 8 1-2 games and the
Diamondbacks’ magic number remained eight.

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).

James Darnell(notes) drove in Nick Hundley(notes) with a single in the second, then hit a
sacrifice fly in the third. Jesus Guzman(notes) 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 Wade LeBlanc(notes) (3-3).

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.

“I thought we were going to pull it out again,” Young said. “Honestly, I
thought we were going to find a way to win it.”

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.”

Hundley, Guzman and 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.

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

“No one in the clubhouse is too down right now,” Young said. “We showed a
lot of fight tonight and the Padres know that.”

NOTES: The Diamondbacks have never rallied from a seven-run deficit to win.
. Arizona’s previous 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.

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.

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