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San Diego downs Boston in rain-shortened tilt

Jun 23, 2011 - 2:39 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Somewhere in between the rain drops, there was a baseball game.

The Padres scored four runs in the fourth inning thanks to John Lackey's wildness, and came away with a 5-1, rain-shortened victory over the Red Sox in the rubber match to their three-game series.

"We came into a ballpark and a team that's been playing very well, scoring a ton of runs. And we won a series," said San Diego manager Bud Black.

Wednesday's contest wasn't easy to complete. With rain falling throughout, the game was delayed a fourth time in the middle of the eighth inning before being called.

Clayton Richard (3-9) gave up just one run in five innings to pick up the victory for San Diego, which won the final two games of this series to finish its road trip with a 3-6 record.

San Diego right fielder Will Venable hit a home run, his first of the season, after rain delayed the start of the game for 35 minutes. Lackey (5-6) hung a 2-2 slider over the plate and Venable hit it into the seats in right field.

Boston wasted a chance in the bottom half, when David Ortiz grounded into a double-play with the bases loaded and one down.

A 38-minute delay interrupted the Padres' at-bat during the third inning, but they struck again in the fourth.

The decisive rally started with Orlando Hudson's leadoff walk and Anthony Rizzo getting hit by a pitch. Cameron Maybin followed with an infield single to load the bases, and while Lackey rebounded by striking out Nick Hundley, he then lost control.

Lackey walked Venable, hit Jason Bartlett and tossed a wild pitch to allow three runs to score. Chase Headley followed with an RBI single to make it a 5-0 game and force a pitching change.

In 3 1/3 innings, Lackey allowed five runs, four hits and four walks.

The game's third delay -- 30 minutes -- extended the middle of the fifth inning, and the Red Sox got on the board in the bottom half. Richard walked Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia with one out before Adrian Gonzalez, who finished 4-for-4, punched an RBI single up the middle.

But Richard retired the next two batters to limit the damage to one run, and Ernesto Frieri threw two shutout innings of relief. Mike Adams was set to start the bottom of the eighth for the Padres, but rain picked up, forcing the grounds crew to push the heavy tarp back onto the field once more. The cover didn't come off again.

"You want to win every series," said Boston third baseman Kevin Youkilis. "We're playing great baseball. We can't be too upset."

Game Notes

The Padres improved to 2-7 in interleague play...San Diego got its first series victory against Boston, and its first overall since taking three of four from Houston from June 2-5...The Red Sox ended their interleague homestand with a 3-3 mark. They now head out on a nine-game road trip with stops in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Houston...The Padres start a six-game homestand Friday against Atlanta.