Gerut gets go-ahead RBI as Padres edge D'backs 5-4

Images (showing 1 of 3 photos)

Jody Gerut singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the San Diego Padres denied Randy Johnson his 295th career win with a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Gerut, who had three hits in the game also hit a two-run game-winning homer on Monday, singled off Chad Qualls (2-8) and drove in Chase Headley from second base to give the Padres a sweep of the three-game series against the NL West leaders.

Arizona has lost four straight and five of six.

Mike Adams (2-3) pitched one inning for the win and Trevor Hoffman struck out the side for his 27th save in 30 chances and career save No. 551.

San Diego scored two runs off Qualls, who started the eighth. Headley had tied the game with a single that scored pinch hitter Brian Giles. Giles singled and was sacrificed to second.

San Diego's comeback ruined Johnson's second attempt to win No. 295 despite seven solid innings. Johnson, who had two hits and an RBI, allowed three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts after carrying a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning. He is 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA in his past 10 starts.

Johnson was sharp through six innings, giving up just two hits and not allowing a baserunner past second base. But he allowed three runs in the seventh, including rookie Nick Hundley's two-run homer.

The Diamondbacks broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with four runs that knocked Cha Seung Baek from the game.

Chad Tracy and Adam Dunn had one-out singles in the sixth. Mark Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to knock out Baek. Miguel Montero hit an RBI triple off Clay Hensley and Chris Young followed with a double. After an intentional walk, Johnson singled to left to drive in one run for a 4-0 lead.

The Padres scored off Johnson in the seventh after Gerut's one-out triple. He scored on an infield single by Edgar Gonzalez. Hundley then followed with a two-run homer, his third.

San Diego, with the second-worst record in NL, swept its first series since taking four straight against the New York Mets from June 5-8. The Padres were swept in three straight at Arizona last week.

Notes:@ Johnson is six wins shy of becoming the 24th pitcher in major league history with 300 victories. ... Baek is 0-7 with an 5.94 ERA at home.

(This version CORRECTS Padres 5, Diamondbacks 4; corrects Arizona's losing streak in 3rd graf.)

Ramirez helps Dodgers close in on Diamondbacks

Associated Press

Wed Aug 27

0