October 11, 2011 – Texas League (TL) San Antonio Missions
San Antonio – Doug Dascenzo is leaving the San Diego Padres and has accepted a position with the Atlanta Braves as their minor league base running and outfield coordinator.

Dascenzo spent 13 years in the San Diego system, the last two with the Missions. In 2011 he guided San Antonio to a minor league best 100-47 record (including the post-season) on the way to the Texas League crown, the 12th in franchise history. For his efforts Dascenzo was named Manager of the Year for the second time in his career, the first coming in 2009 as he led Fort Wayne to the Midwest League title.

“I really enjoyed my time in San Antonio,” Dascenzo said. “This past season was unbelievable and I hope our fans had as much fun as we did. I’m glad we were able to bring home a championship.”

The native of Uniontown, PA started coaching in the San Diego system in 1999 as a base running and outfield coordinator before beginning his managerial career in 2006. Dascenzo amassed a 425-350 regular season record (.548) and a 13-3 post-season record (.812).

Dascenzo was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round of the 1985 draft out of Oklahoma St. University. He played parts of seven seasons in the Major Leagues with the Cubs (1988-1992), Texas Rangers (1993) and Padres (1996). He began his big league career by playing in a then National League record 241 consecutive games without making an error.

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Luebke took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, leading the San Diego Padres to an 8-2 victory against the slumping Rockies.

“He had a little bit extra on his fastball, a little bit more carry in the hitting area,” Colorado manager Jim Tracy said. “He did a pretty good job of wiggling out of several 3-0 counts and that didn’t help the situation just due to the fact that we weren’t able to get any runners on base.”

Cameron Maybin and Aaron Cunningham homered for San Diego, which has won three of four. Maybin, Cunningham and Jason Bartlett had two hits apiece.

Mark Ellis homered for Colorado’s only hit of the game. The Rockies have lost five straight and six of seven.

“We obviously don’t have some of our best players out there,” Ellis said. “The guys that are out there are playing hard. We’re not winning a lot of games.”

Luebke (6-9) struck out a career-high nine in seven innings, yielding two runs and one hit. The left-hander was 0-2 with a 5.48 ERA in nine career games against the Rockies before Monday night.

Tracy was quick to point out there were a different set of circumstances this time that left them vulnerable to Luebke.

“With what we have out there right now offensively, when you dig a seven-run hole, you can’t ask some of these young kids to do the things that are necessary when you get down that quickly,” Tracy said. “That is somewhat of an insurmountable task when you look around that field and see the number of young kids that we have out there.”

Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left hip), first baseman Todd Helton (back) and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (right wrist) were out of the lineup.

The Padres have never thrown a no-hitter in their 43-year history, and 19 times they’ve held an opponent hitless into the eighth. The last time was July 9 when five pitchers held the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless through 8 2-3 innings before Juan Uribe broke it up with a double.

Luebke tried to become the first pitcher in franchise history to accomplish the feat. He retired 12 straight at one point through five innings. He got Chris Nelson to line out to open the sixth before walking Eric Young Jr.

Luebke momentarily preserved the no-hitter in the sixth when he slid to grab Dexter Fowler’s slow roller near the mound and threw out the speedy outfielder at first for the second out of the inning.

One batter later, Ellis belted a two-run drive to left-center that made it 8-2.

“Everybody knows he’s throwing a no-hitter,” Ellis said. “You don’t really think about it until you get to the seventh inning.”

Ernesto Frieri pitched two innings to finish the game.

The Padres jumped on Kevin Millwood (3-3) early. They grabbed the lead in the second on three straight singles and made it 3-0 in the fourth on RBI singles by Bartlett and Kyle Blanks.

San Diego broke it open in the fourth and chased Millwood. Jeremy Hermida led off with a walk and scored on Cunningham’s homer to left-center, his second.

One out later, Luebke singled to right and Maybin hit the first pitch he saw into the right-field bleachers for his ninth homer.

Jim Miller relieved Millwood and got the final two outs of the inning.

Millwood allowed seven runs, six earned, and nine hits.

“It was a bad night,” Millwood said. “I pitched bad.”

NOTES: Tulowitzki has missed six straight games and eight of the past 10. Helton has missed six consecutive games and 12 of the past 14. Gonzalez missed his fourth game in a row. … Padres INF Jesus Guzman (sore neck) was not in the lineup. … The Padres will send RHP Matt Latos to the mound against RHP Jhoulys Chacin in the second game of the series Tuesday.

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

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

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

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, 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.

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.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brad Brach couldn’t stop smiling, and that’s saying something when you’re playing for the last-place San Diego Padres, who have lost a season-high seven in a row.

Brach made his major league debut in the seventh inning of a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, with his personal highlight a strikeout of Matt Kemp.

The 25-year-old right-hander gave up two singles in 1 1-3 innings and struck out three of the seven batters he faced. He earlier had his contract selected from Triple-A Tucson.

“It was definitely one of those things I’ll never forget. I was trying not to concentrate on the batter and just throw my pitches,” Brach said. “It’s exciting looking back at it now. At the time, I was just worried about the next batter.”

He walked out of the bullpen feeling nervous in front of a sparse crowd at Dodger Stadium. When Brach reached the mound, second baseman Orlando Hudson came over with some encouraging words.

“He took all the pressure away and just made me concentrate on the hitter and forget about everything else that was going on around me,” he said.

Brach’s trip to the majors included stops in Peoria, Ariz., Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lake Elsinore, Calif., where he was the California League pitcher of the year in 2010.

“The journey was well worth it, that’s for sure,” he said.

Padres manager Bud Black was impressed with Brach’s stuff back in spring training.

“The fastball at times has a nice cut to it,” he said. “I’m sure it’s a nice feather in his cap to look back and know that the first guy that he struck out in the major leagues was Matt Kemp. That’s pretty nice.”

Kemp got his career-high 102nd RBI and Rod Barajas hit a two-run homer as the Dodgers completed a three-game series sweep. The Padres finished 1-7 on their eight-game trip.

Los Angeles starter Ted Lilly (9-13) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. He had a season-high four walks in his ninth career win over the Padres — his most against a single opponent.

Javy Guerra pitched the ninth to earn his 13th save in 14 chances.

Wade LeBlanc (2-4) gave up four runs and six hits in six innings for San Diego.

“I didn’t have a whole lot today, so when you get to that point, it’s just a matter of how close you can keep the game and give the guys a chance to win it,” he said. “Mechanically, I just felt really off. I felt like I was rushing.”

Kemp’s single to left in the first inning gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

LeBlanc tied it with a two-out RBI single in the second that was preceded by consecutive walks by Lilly.

The Padres’ other run came on Alberto Gonzalez’s RBI double in the sixth.

The Dodgers took the lead for good when Barajas hit a 3-1 pitch off the left-field foul pole in the bottom of the second. Barajas’ 15th homer drove in James Loney, who reached on a leadoff walk.

NOTES: Dodgers RF Andre Ethier, who came in hitting .533 on the homestand, singled as a pinch hitter in the eighth. … The Dodgers earned their fourth series sweep of the season and their second over the Padres. … The Padres claimed OF Jeremy Hermida off outright waivers from Cincinnati and designated C Kyle Phillips for assignment. Hermida is set to join the team in San Diego on Friday. … The Padres optioned OF Blake Tekotte to Double-A San Antonio and transferred RHP Dustin Moseley from the 15-day to the 60-day DL. Moseley had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder Aug. 3. … The Dodgers placed RHP Matt Guerrier on paternity leave and recalled RHP Josh Lindblom from Double-A Chattanooga. Lindblom replaced Lilly and threw 16 pitches in the sixth inning.

“I’d obviously like to get that home run back,” Stauffer said. “He hit a pretty good pitch. He went down and got it. The other run they manufactured but it was enough.”

Stauffer has career highs in starts (27), innings pitched (166) and strikeouts (114) in his first full season as a starter.

“I feel good now and I get all my work in,” he said. “I don’t look forward or behind, I just try to keep it simple.”

A former first-round draft pick, Stauffer has had to overcome injuries and moves to the bullpen and back into the starting rotation.

“It’s a tribute to his perseverance,” Padres’ manager Bud Black said. “He’s battled back from a lot of issues and his career got untracked for a while. Right now he’s solid as one of our guys at the top of the rotation.”

Beltran returned to the starting lineup and sent a changeup from Stauffer (8-10) over the wall in right field in the fourth for his 16th home run of the season. The solo shot was the first of his career at AT&T Park.

Tim Lincecum (12-10) struck out seven and walked five in eight innings, pitching out of the stretch again the entire game. He gave up three hits and also had the go-ahead RBI single.

“The dude is a two-time Cy Young Award winner,” Padres’ Orlando Hudson said. “He’s one of the elite pitchers in baseball. I can see him walk to the podium and grab a few more Cy Young’s. That’s the type of pitcher he is.”

Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

After Cameron Maybin singled to start the sixth for the Padres, Beltran again found himself at the center of another big play. He dove for a ball near the right corner and missed, allowing Orlando Hudson to slide in for a triple and San Diego to slice the deficit to 2-1.

The Padres never could mount anything offensively.

The Giants avoided having to face closer Heath Bell, who they claimed off waivers. San Diego has 48 hours from the time Bell was claimed to decide whether to work out a trade with San Francisco, allow him to be claimed or pull him back from waivers.

NOTES: Home run king Barry Bonds was sitting with his son in box seats near the Giants dugout. … U.S. women’s soccer team members Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe were in attendance. Both were wearing Panda hats, which Giants fans often wear in support of 3B Pablo Sandoval. … The Padres optioned RHP Pat Neshek to Triple-A Tucson. … RHP Ryan Vogelsong (10-3, 2.47 ERA) starts for the Giants against Houston’s RHP Henry Sosa (0-2, 6.35 ERA) in the opener of a four-game series Thursday. … San Diego announced that IF James Darnell will be optioned to Triple-A Tucson, with a corresponding move to come before Friday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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

“The big joke in the clubhouse is, ‘You’re still here?’ ” Bell said, chuckling. “I said I couldn’t find the Giants clubhouse.”

While his name circulated on flat-screen televisions in both clubhouses, Bell and seemingly everybody else in the ballpark remained skeptical about whether he will actually end up with the defending World Series champions.

San Diego has 48 hours from the time Bell was claimed to decide whether to work out a trade for the three-time All-Star, allow him to be claimed or pull him back from waivers. The Giants already have one of baseball’s best bullpens – albeit banged up at the moment – and it would seem unlikely that general manager Brian Sabean would give up anything of value in a trade.

The move could be just to block NL West-leading Arizona – under first-year general manager and former Padres GM Kevin Towers – or other contenders from landing Bell. San Francisco began the day two games back of the Diamondbacks.

Asked if Bell, 33, would still be with the club after the deadline, Padres manager Bud Black said he would be “extremely shocked” if his closer wasn’t.

But San Francisco’s stellar bullpen is certainly fractured.

There is no timetable for when Brian Wilson will test his inflamed right elbow, although there’s a chance he could return in early September. Wilson has declined to discuss his injury.

The Giants are more confident that setup man Sergio Romo, also on the DL with an elbow injury, will be back soon. Manager Bruce Bochy said he hadn’t talked to Sabean yet and wouldn’t speculate about the team’s plans.

 

In yesterday’s games: * 

At Pittsburgh, Aaron Thompson pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his big-league debut, Jason Grilli followed with 2 2/3 shutout innings, winning his first game in nearly 2 years, and four Pirates pitchers combined on a five-hitter in a 2-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

* At St. Louis, Juan Rivera homered and knocked in three runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored an early knockout of the Cardinals for the second straight day, completing their first road sweep of the season with a 9-4 win.

* At Denver, Troy Tulowitzki scored from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros, 7-6, to complete a three-game sweep.

* At Miami, Joey Votto homered in each game of a doubleheader, and Bronson Arroyo (8-10) pitched eight scoreless innings in the nightcap, leading Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory for a split of the twinbill.

Logan Morrison returned from his demotion to Triple A New Orleans by homering in the Marlins’ 6-5 victory in the opener.

* At Washington, Daniel Hudson fell one out short of his first career shutout, and the Diamondbacks topped the Nationals, 4-2. Hudson (13-9) had the Nationals blanked through 8 2/3 innings before giving up back-to-back homers to Laynce Nix and Jonny Gomes.

* At Chicago, Alfonso Soriano homered, Randy Wells pitched effectively into the seventh and the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2. Wells (5-4) held the Braves to one run and two hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six.

* At San Francisco, Carlos Beltran homered and scored on a single by Tim Lincecum (12-10), who struck out seven over eight innings, as the Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 2-1.

Kyle Blanks hit a two-run homer and made a great catch in left field, but it was the effort from San Diego’s bullpen that proved key.

Five relievers combined to limit the Marlins to two hits in 3 2-3 innings. But there was perhaps no moment bigger than when Hamren came in to protect a 4-2 lead with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning in relief of Wade LeBlanc.

Hamren fooled Stanton on a slider for the second out, then walked Emilio Bonifacio on four pitches to force in a run before settling down to strike out Gaby Sanchez.

“Hamren got thrown into the fire against one of the best young hitters in the game,” San Diego manager Bud Black said about the duel with Stanton. “He responded and made pitches. It should be a great learning experience and a confidence builder as well.”

Hamren, who made his major league debut Aug. 1, acknowledged he’s still learning not to be star-struck.

“I’m starting to move beyond that,” Hamren said. “I’m starting to get more settled now, a little more comfortable. But it always lingers in the back of your head. But you just try to push that aside as much as possible.”

Stanton homered in four straight games coming into Thursday’s series opener. He is among the NL leaders with 27 homers and 76 RBIs. Stanton was a late scratch from the lineup with a sore left big toe.

“I did my job because I kept the lead,” Hamren said. “Obviously, you don’t want to give up any runs coming in. As long as we still came out with the lead, you learn to live with some mistakes because you’re not going to be perfect all the time.”

Hamren has seen action in eight innings over seven games since coming up from Double-A San Antonio. He is part of a young bullpen that will get a chance to prove themselves.

“We’re finding out about guys,” Black said. “For a lot of players, every day is a job interview. I think these guys sense that.”

Blanks crushed a ball into the second deck in left field to put the Padres ahead to stay 3-2 in the fourth inning. The 6-foot-6 Blanks also made a running catch to rob Sanchez of an extra-base hit in the fifth inning.

The Padres handed Florida its 13th loss in 15 games. San Diego won its fifth straight over the Marlins this season, outscoring them 30-10.

LeBlanc (2-2) had a shaky outing but the bullpen held the Marlins in check to give San Diego its fourth win in six games after dropping four of the previous six.

Heath Bell pitched the ninth for this 34th save in 37 chances.

Blanks’ towering shot off Chris Volstad (5-10) was his fourth. Volstad has allowed 20 homers in 22 starts this season.

“It’s been pretty common,” Volstad said. “I hung a slider to (Blanks) for two runs. It was a tough one. It’s getting pretty frustrating for me.”

Jose Lopez had three doubles to tie a Marlins record and drove in a run in the first inning. Volstad added an RBI double in the fourth. Florida stranded 12 base runners.

San Diego scored in the first after Will Venable led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Cameron Maybin’s single. The Marlins have allowed eight first-inning runs in their last three games.

LeBlanc won his second straight start after having gone eight starts without a win, dating back to last August. The lefty allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1-3 innings. He walked four and struck out three.

Volstad lasted five innings after giving up four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

NOTES: San Diego has hit a major league-low 69 home runs. … Stanton hurt his left big toe Thursday night when he jammed it against the right-field wall while chasing Nick Hundley’s triple. … Petco Park sported two large logos in foul territory down the first and third base lines in commemoration of Sunday’s retirement ceremony for Trevor Hoffman, baseball’s career saves leader. … Marlins RHP Edward Mujica pitched for the first time since Monday night when he left with a sore right lat muscle. … On Saturday, Florida right-hander Clay Hensley (1-4, 4.53 ERA) will make his first start and third appearance against his former team when he faces Padres’ right-hander Aaron Harang (11-3, 4.08), who is 6-1 over his last 13 starts.

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

By the time Javier Vazquez settled down Thursday night, it was too late.

Vazquez threw six solid innings, but was outpitched by Tim Stauffer in the Florida Marlins’ 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Vazquez (7-11) allowed three runs — all coming in the first two innings — and five hits. The right-hander retired his last 14 batters but still dropped to 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts this month.

“You can’t hide it, you play the game to win and you want to win,” Vazquez said. “It’s frustrating.”

Marlins manager Jack McKeon sounded frustrated, too.

“Same old story every night, right?” McKeon said. “We get behind in the first inning. We have a tough time getting our offense going every night. We’re getting killed in the first inning. We’re behind every night.”

Stauffer (8-9) allowed one run — John Buck’s 15th homer in the seventh inning — and five hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked one in his first outing since he yielded five homers and nine runs in just three innings of a 13-1 loss at Cincinnati.

“It seems like when we get in those situations and hit the ball hard, it’s not going anywhere, it’s just going right at people,” Buck said. “Guys are making diving plays and we’re hitting the ball hard at somebody, and it stinks. Javy threw an unbelievable game. It just stinks.”

Jesus Guzman drove in two runs for the Padres, who beat Florida for the 10th time in 12 games. Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 33rd save in 36 chances.

Florida has lost 12 of 14 to fall a season-high 24 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia.

San Diego scored twice in the first, but missed out on a chance for a bigger inning.

Jason Bartlett hit a one-out double and Cameron Maybin reached on an infield single. Guzman followed with a two-run triple. Orlando Hudson then was hit by a pitch and stole second base with Kyle Blanks at the plate.

Blanks stuck out on Hudson’s steal of second. When Buck’s throw caromed off the glove of second baseman Jose Lopez and went into center field, Guzman came home. But plate umpire Tony Randazzo ruled Blanks interfered with Buck’s throw on his swing for the third out of the inning.

“It was too late,” Vazquez said. “I just kept pitching. In the first inning, I had some balls fall in there with tough luck.”

Nick Hundley led off the San Diego second with his third triple in as many games and scored on Logan Forsythe’s sacrifice fly. Hundley has hit safely in all six games he’s played since returning from the disabled list, hitting .524 (11 for 21) with a homer and three RBIs.

Florida’s Mike Stanton went 1 for 2 with two walks, but failed to homer for the first time in five games.

NOTES: McKeon was back in San Diego for the first time since he managed Florida in 2005. McKeon was the Padres’ general manager from 1980-90, and served as the manager from 1988 to 1990. … RHP Joe Ross, San Diego’s first-round draft pick, threw out a ceremonial first pitch to C Austin Hedges, the club’s second-round selection. Hedges caught a bullpen session before the game from LHP Cory Luebke, then took batting practice. … Marlins RHP Chris Volstad (5-9, 5.60 ERA) will make his second start since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Friday night. He will face San Diego LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-2, 4.54), who has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six starts this season.