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Upton hits two mammoth HRs, Diamondbacks hold off Padres

Jul 28, 2011 - 6:19 AM San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Justin Upton hit a pair of home runs that covered nearly 850 feet and Ian Kennedy pitched six solid frames, as Arizona edged San Diego, 4-3, in the second contest of a three-game set at Petco Park.

Upton put on a power display at a ballpark known more for pitching duels with plenty of in-play real estate. The Diamondbacks outfielder found areas few have seen, first driving a pitch 412 feet to left-center field in the fourth then destroying a mistake in the sixth, depositing another solo shot into the third deck of the Western Metal Supply building over the left-field wall.

Kennedy (12-3) gave up two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk, improving to 3-0 lifetime against the Padres. Arizona has won four in a row and eight of 12 games after the All-Star break to keep pace with San Francisco, which edged Philadelphia on Wednesday to maintain its three-game division lead. Xavier Nady hit a two-run home run and finished with three hits in the victory.

J.J. Putz appeared in a game for the first time since June 28, retiring the Padres for his 22nd save. Putz was on the disabled with elbow tendinitis before being activated on Tuesday. A strikeout and caught stealing ended the game, but replays showed Orlando Hudson was clearly safe at second base.

Cory Luebke (3-5) suffered the loss, giving up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six-plus frames.

"[Luebke] threw the ball fine. Upton got him twice and Nady hit the ball to the right part of the park. Those are the four runs," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Will Venable hit a two-run triple for the Padres, who have lost five of six following a three-game sweep of Florida.

Following Upton's solo home run in the fourth, the Padres finally found success against Kennedy, taking the lead with a pair of fifth-frame runs. Hudson worked a one-out walk and moved to second on Luebke's two-out infield single. Venable followed with a towering shot into right that dropped over the glove off a leaping Upton for a two-run triple.

Upton's second home run went even farther, as he turned on an inside pitch and launched it into the third deck of the warehouse over the left-field wall to square the contest.

"The first one I was a little worried about, but the second one I knew was going to get out," said a confident Upton.

Arizona took the lead one frame later, as Miguel Montero walked and Nady drove a low-and-away offering just over the wall down the right-field line for a 4-2 game. Replays showed a fan may have reached over the yellow line and touched the baseball, but the umpires decided against using replay.

Luis Martinez, looking for his first big-league hit, got it in grand fashion, driving a Kennedy mistake out of the park to left for a 4-3 game in the seventh.

Game Notes

The Diamondbacks made a minor trade on Wednesday, acquiring outfielder Michael Restovich from the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations. Restovich was assigned to Triple-A Reno....Martinez is the first Padres player to hit a home run for his first hit since Drew Macias on September 11, 2008...Kennedy and Luebke combined for 11 strikeouts over the first four frames...San Diego's Cameron Maybin has 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts.