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Padres edge Giants

Sep 24, 2012 - 3:06 AM San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - A bases-loaded two-run single by Yonder Alonso broke open a seventh-inning tie Sunday, helping to lift the San Diego Padres over the San Francisco Giants, 6-4, in the final test of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

The Padres, after dropping the first two games to the NL West- leading Giants, got strong pitching from left-hander Eric Stults (7-3), who threw 92 pitches over six innings. Stults gave up two runs on seven hits, while striking out three and walking one.

"When you lose the first two, you'd really like to salvage that last one," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We've done that twice on this road trip."

Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit, on the other hand, lasted only 4 2/3 innings before being pulled in the fifth after loading the bases. He was tagged for two runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out one, but came away with a no-decision.

Reliever Clay Hensley (4-4) came away with the loss for San Francisco, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks in just 1/3 an inning.

Everth Cabrera helped San Diego's cause, going 4-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases, and Logan Forsythe also scored twice for the Padres.

Mark Kotsay had a pinch-hit homer in the seventh, and Yasmani Grandal added an RBI for San Diego.

Buster Posey, Xavier Nady, Eli Whiteside and Emmanuel Burriss each had an RBI for the Giants.

"I had a pretty good bench to work with," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, who had Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, Angel Pagan, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence on his bench before installing them later in the game. The Giants clinched the NL West on Saturday.

San Diego took an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Alexi Amarista, who walked earlier in the inning, scored on a throwing error by Ryan Theriot, who was fielding a sacrifice bunt from Stults.

After San Francisco went ahead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Theriot and a sac fly from Whiteside, Grandal got the Padres back to even in the fifth.

With Forsythe and Chase Headley at first and second, Grandal hit a two-out single to center field that brought Forsythe home, evening the score at 2-2 after five.

But with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, and the score still knotted, Alonso hit a 1-0 changeup from Hensley softly back to center field, bringing Cabrera and Forsythe home to score the go-ahead runs.

The Giants responded in the bottom half of the frame, climbing within one run when Burriss hit into a fielder's choice to score Franciso Peguero from third.

But Kotsay, pinch-hitting for reliever Dale Thayer, immediately put San Diego back out front, crushing a solo shot to center field with two outs. After Cabrera walked and stole second, he also tried to swipe third, and scored another insurance run when catcher Hector Sanchez shorthopped his throw past third base and into left field.

In the ninth, Padres closer Huston Street allowed a walk and a single before Buster Posey, pinch-hitting in place of Gregor Blanco, hit into a fielder's choice with two outs to bring the fourth run home for San Francisco.

But Street didn't let the run phase him, getting his 22nd save of the year when Theriot lined out to center field to end the game.

Game Notes

In taking the loss, the Giants had a six-game winning streak broken...Since the All Star break, the Giants are now 43-24.