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Baek solid, Kouzmanoff powers Padres over Nationals

Sep 22, 2008 - 1:23 AM By Daimon Eklund PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Cha Seung Baek made a small change on the mound, and it paid big dividends.

Baek picked up the tempo, shortening the time between his pitches as he held the Washington Nationals to one run over seven innings, leading the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 win on Sunday.

Even 11 strikeouts from Washington starter Odalis Perez wasn't enough to outduel Baek as the Padres completed a three-game sweep in a matchup of the two worst teams in the National League.

"I just saw how aggressive he was," San Diego catcher Nick Hundley said. "He got on the hill, we got the sign into him and he went. There wasn't a lot of thought process on his mechanics or pitch selection -- he threw with a clear mind."

Adrian Gonzalez blasted his 35th home run in the sixth and Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in two runs with a first-inning double and added an RBI single in a three-run eighth that extended the lead to 6-1.

Perez (7-11) picked up the loss after allowing five hits, three runs and one walk over six innings.

It was the fifth time in his career Perez had a double-digit strikeout game. The lefthander struck out the side in order in the fourth and again in the sixth to finish his day.

"Pretty much everything (was working)," Perez said. "Fastball. Change-up. Cutter was good. Slider. Felt good all day long."

Baek (6-10) could not match Perez's strikeouts but he had the upper hand where it counted, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings while striking out five without walking a batter.

"C.S.B. matched (Perez), and that was the key," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Because Perez was on. Eleven strikeouts in six innings is a pretty good performance."

Baek said he had cut down on the time spent between pitches after Black suggested he pick up the tempo.

"Sometimes I would lose focus," Baek said. "This is more aggressive."

The Padres got off to a quick start thanks to Kouzmanoff's two-RBI double to left field in the top of the first inning. San Diego picked up three insurance runs in the eighth on another RBI double by Kouzmanoff, a run-scoring single by Chase Headley and a sacrifice fly by Hundley.

"It feels pretty good to walk away from here with some wins under our belt," Kouzmanoff said. "We pitched well, we hit well, we played good defense, and it was a good series for us."

Gonzalez led off the sixth with his blast to right field, giving the Padres a 3-0 lead. It was the only hit Perez allowed after the second inning and was the lone blemish during a stretch in which he retired 13 of 14 batters.

Ryan Zimmerman had a solo home run in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth to account for all of Washington's runs.

The game matched the teams with the two worst records in the National League. The Padres and Nationals entered the three-game series with identical marks of 58-95, but San Diego's sweep gave it the edge as both teams attempt to avoid 100 losses.

"Obviously, you don't want to lose, ever, and especially not 100 games," Hundley said. "We're just going to try and control what we can right now and finish strong."