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Padres rally, complete sweep of Diamondbacks

Aug 27, 2008 - 11:48 PM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Jody Gerut had three hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the San Diego Padres used a late rally to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4, and complete a three-game sweep on Wednesday.

Brian Giles led off the decisive frame with a pinch-hit single against Chad Qualls (2-8) and later scored when Chase Headley laced a single to right that evened the score at 4-4 with two outs.

Headley stole second, and Gerut followed with a single to right-center to give San Diego a 5-4 lead and a third consecutive win on the heels of a seven-game losing streak.

"I was certainly glad that, if we were going to come back, we would go all the way through and (get the lead)," Gerut said. "At this point, we're really just going to be spoilers. We're going to make the teams sweat a little bit. The last thing we want is for them to think we're pushovers."

"It's nice to play a series like we did," Headley said. "Today, we never gave up. Sometimes you've just got to battle and we were able to get some runs there and keep scratching. That's how you win a game."

Mike Adams (2-3) worked a perfect eighth, and all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman retired the side in the ninth to convert his 27th save in 30 chances and 551st career.

"It came up and bit us quick at the end," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "We've just got to make a better pitch to Gerut there. (Qualls) was our freshest arm at the time, he just got some balls up."

Staked to a 4-0 lead in the sixth, Arizona starter Randy Johnson was denied in his bid to notch career victory No. 295. The 44-year-old lefthander worked seven innings, allowing three runs and added two hits and an RBI. He struck out nine and walked one batter.

Arizona scored all of its runs in the sixth inning, as Chad Tracy and Adam Dunn hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with one out.

Mark Reynolds followed with a sacrifice fly, and the next four hitters all reached, with Johnson capping the uprising with an RBI single.

Nick Hundley's two-run shot was the big blow in the seventh, as San Diego cut its deficit to 4-3 and chased Johnson from the game. Rookie Edgar Gonzalez also had an RBI single in the frame.

"We've talked about how the situational hitting on our team has needed to improve overall," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Today was a game where it showed up, and when it shows up, you score runs and you come back late and you can win some games."

Chris Young had two hits for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped four in a row.

"Obviously, we didn't see (the sweep) coming with the pitchers we had going in this series," Melvin said. "We just have to deal with it and move on."