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Padres eye fourth straight win in the desert

Jul 3, 2012 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - A rare power surge helped San Diego pick up a victory over Arizona in last night's opener of a three-game series. The Padres try to make it four straight wins overall as they continue the set tonight against the Diamondbacks.

The Padres got homers from Alexi Amarista, Cameron Maybin and Yasmani Grandal in Monday's 6-2 win. The three shots upped San Diego's season total to just 48, tied for 28th in the majors and 16 behind the next closest team. By comparison, the Yankees lead baseball with 124 homers.

Amarista, though, had three hits and drove in three runs. He has gone deep four times in his past five games, while Grandal has logged three homers over his first four MLB games.

Clayton Richard fell one out short of his third career complete game and scattered two runs and eight hits to get the win.

Trevor Cahill was on the opposite end of the decision, as he allowed four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and three walks over six frames for the Diamondbacks.

Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Chris Young homered for Arizona, which has dropped three straight to fall under .500 at 39-40. Young's blast did give the Diamondbacks a homer in 13 straight games for the first time since 1999.

"It was, overall, a poor game of execution for us and that was something that we need to fix," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said.

Rookie Trevor Bauer will look to cool off the Padres' bats tonight in his second career start and first at home.

The third overall pick of the 2011 draft made his debut on Thursday in Atlanta and did not factor into a 3-2 win. He allowed two runs over four innings, yielding five hits and three walks while striking out three. The 21-year-old righty also batted a cramp in his groin while becoming the third-youngest pitcher to make a start in D-Backs history.

Getting the call for the Padres will be converted reliever Andrew Cashner, who makes his third start of the season and fourth of his career.

In his first game since June 9, Cashner made the start on Thursday in Houston and got a no-decision in his club's 7-3 win. The right-hander, making his 29th appearance of 2012, allowed two runs on two hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine and taking a no-hitter into the seventh.

The 25-year-old set career highs in innings and pitches (101) and is 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA on the season.

Cashner is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in five career outings versus Arizona, including a start. He beat them in relief on June 1 with a hitless inning.

His previous start against the Diamondbacks came on April 5 of last year while with the Cubs. He worked 5 1/3 frames of one-run ball in a no-decision.

The Diamondbacks had won four of six over the Padres entering this series and the clubs are meeting for the first time in Arizona this season.