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Padres take advantage of five errors to hold wild card lead

Sep 28, 2007 - 4:19 AM By Nick Berenz PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- In a critical matchup with divisional and wild card implications, the San Diego Padres' bats and the Milwaukee Brewers' gloves were the deciding factors.

Scott Hairston drove in three runs and Khalil Greene added two more, and the Padres took advantage of five errors in a 9-5 triumph over the Brewers on Thursday night.

With the victory, the Padres (88-71) maintained their one-game wild card lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (87-72) and stayed within one game of the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-70) for first place in the National League West. Arizona beat Pittsburgh, 8-0, earlier. Colorado (86-72) is 1 1/2 games behind in the wild card pending its outcome against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"This is as good a race as I can ever recall with so many teams in the mix," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We knew this trip wasn't going to be easy, I feel very proud of these guys."

For a second straight game, Milwaukee (81-78) failed to take advantage of a loss by the National League Central Division-leading Chicago Cubs (83-76), remaining two games back with three to play.

"It hurts a lot when the team we're trailing loses twice and we couldn't take advantage of it," said Brewers bench coach Dale Sveum who was filling in for manager Ned Yost.

Yost was serving a one-game suspension for his role in the intentional beaning of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols on Wednesday night. Sveum had to watch the Brewers commit a season-high five errors, the team's most since August 1, 1999.

"I wasn't nervous or anything like that, I just had defensive lapses," said Brewers rookie Ryan Braun, who committed three errors on the night bringing his season total to 26.

In just his fourth career start, Padres starter Jack Cassel helped defeat fellow rookie Yovani Gallardo (9-5) by going 4 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs and notching a pair of strikeouts before being pulled with runners on first and second in the fifth inning.

"In this tight of a race I was hoping to pitch out of it and give myself a chance (for the victory)," Cassel said. "I understood though and as long as we get the win, I'm playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back."

Joe Thatcher (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his second career victory after notching his first on Tuesday.

"Every day I stop and think how far I've come, but now that I'm here I have to contribute," Thatcher said. "I know we have to take advantage this time of year."

After Gallardo struck out four of the first seven batters he faced, it began to unravel in the third. The Padres led off the inning with three straight hits, including a sacrifice bunt attempt from Cassel that hugged the line and stayed fair for his first career hit.

"We needed this win and I really feel bad about how I pitched," Gallardo said. "It seemed like in that inning (third) they hit everything I threw, it was just one of those days."

Hairston drove a bases-loaded double into the left field corner that was misplayed by Geoff Jenkins, allowing all three runs to score. With Hairston on third, Kevin Kouzmanoff's ground out to short brought in the fourth run of the inning.

Gallardo took the mound having won four consecutive decisions, but was facing the Padres for the first time in his young career. He went five innings and gave up three earned runs and struck out seven.

"It doesn't get much better than that," Hairston said of breaking open a game in a pennant race. "We had some timely hitting tonight, it's fun to be a part of."

In the seventh, the Padres were able to tack on four more runs as a result of the Brewers' fielding mishaps. Pinch hitter Oscar Robles bunted a ball to third baseman Ryan Braun, who attempted to get the lead runner at second. His throw sailed into center field for his third error of the game and 26th of the season.

Rickie Weeks represented the majority of the Brewers' offense with his third career multi-homer game and three RBI. Braun added his 34th homerun of the season in the seventh.