• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Peavy pounded on three days' rest as D-Backs take first place

Sep 6, 2007 - 7:14 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Working on three days' rest apparently didn't sit well with Jake Peavy.

The leading Cy Young Award candidate was tagged for eight runs in his shortest outing of the season as the San Diego Padres dropped the rubber game of a crucial three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-6, on Wednesday evening in the final game of the season between the clubs.

Conor Jackson and Miguel Montero homered early off Peavy and Chris Young delivered a go-ahead double in the fifth for the Diamondbacks (78-63), who regained a one-game lead for first place in the National League West over the Padres (76-63).

San Diego won the first game of this first-place showdown, 10-2, on Monday by slugging four of its five homers in the first three innings. Arizona returned the favor on Tuesday, getting homers by Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes in the first three frames en route to a 9-1 triumph.

"This guy has had our number and we wanted to finally put something on him," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "That was probably as focused as I have seen us all year."

"Yesterday's game was the biggest one of the year which led into today's which was the biggest game of the year especially against that group that has been playing so well and sent message over there. After they beat us up in the first game we needed to send a message back."

With Peavy (16-6), who entered with a major league-leading 2.10 ERA, was scheduled to pitch Friday against the Colorado Rockies after an off-day on Thursday, he asked to move up two days and pitch on short rest.

The Padres' ace entered 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his previous seven starts and 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his only two starts all-time on three days' rest, but he didn't have it in this one.

Jackson hit a two-run homer in the first inning to open the scoring and rookie Montero drove a 1-2 curveball in the fourth frame into the right field bullpen to snap a 2-2 tie.

"I have faced him a bunch of times all season and I was looking fastball but finally he hung a curve," Montero said. "He wanted to pitch against us with two days off, you gotta make him pay."

San Diego rallied for three runs in the fifth - two on Adrian Gonzalez's 26th homer of the season off Arizona starter Livan Hernandez - but Peavy didn't get an out in his half of the fifth.

Stephen Drew hung tough during an eight-pitch walk to start the onslaught. Orlando Hudson followed with a triple that tipped off the glove of center fielder Mike Cameron, who was attempting to make a leaping catch at the base of the left-center field wall.

Peavy then walked Byrnes and Jackson before being replaced by Doug Brocail. After he struck out Montero, Young drilled a hanging breaking ball down the third base line into the left field corner, plating all three runs for an 8-5 lead.

"Jake threw the ball well early but the Diamondbacks had some very good at-bats in the fourth and fifth innings," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Jake just couldn't put them away and make the pitch. I don't think there were any (negatives). He will be the first to tell you that (only three days rest) was not the reason.

Peavy allowed a season-high eight runs, seven hits and three walks in dropping to 8-1 on the road. He allowed more than four runs in just one other start all season.

"It was a bad night to have a bad night," Peavy said. "It had no problems, I felt great. I just couldn't make good pitches. They laid off good pitches but I didn't make a whole lot of quality pitches.""

Montero hit his 10th homer of the season in the seventh off Brett Tomko to complete his first multi-homer contest of his career and increase the edge to four.

Hernandez (10-9) labored through five innings to pick up the win. The righthander yielded five runs and seven hits to improve to 11-4 all-time against San Diego and avenge an earlier 3-1 loss this season to Peavy.

"I gave up five runs but the team had my back and scored some runs," Hernandez said.

"A lot of people are talking and talking about San Diego, San Diego, San Diego but it is not like that. This team here has a lot of heart and plays hard everyday. If people don't believe in this team, I don't care. I know what this team can do and if we continue to play like this, trust me, we will be in the playoffs."

Three relievers bridged the gap to closer Jose Valverde, who logged the ninth for his major league-leading 42nd save.

Diamondbacks All-Star secondbaseman Orlando Hudson left the game in the eighth inning with a sprained left thumb and will have an MRI on Thursday.

Juan Cruz, who replaced Hernandez in the sixth, left the game with tightness in his right shoulder and neck.