Richard's 5-hitter gives Padres 2-0 win over Cubs

[August 09, 2012]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Clayton Richard threw a five-hitter and the San Diego Padres swept the Chicago Cubs with a 2-0 win on Wednesday.

Richard (9-11), coming off one of his better starts of the season, held the Cubs to five singles and pitched out of trouble three times to hand Chicago its eighth straight loss.

Richard struck out five, walked one and hit a batter as the Cubs had a runner reach third base three times.

Chicago scored four runs -- all in Tuesday night's 7-4 loss -- and had 15 hits in the three-game series.

San Diego's runs came on Will Venable's RBI double in the second inning and Yonder Alonso's run-scoring single in the eighth.

Richard has three career complete games and two shutouts.

Jeff Samardzija (7-10) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked two.

In his last start, Richard gave up one run and scattered eight hits over seven innings in Friday's 3-1 win over the New York Mets.

San Diego scored the game's first run when Chase Headley led off the second with a double and scored one out later on Venable's double.

Chris Denorfia doubled with two outs in the ninth and went to third on first baseman Anthony Rizzo's error before Alonso blooped a single to left.

Chicago's Starlin Castro singled in the sixth to snap an 0-for-19 drought. Castro's single sent Alfonso Soriano to third after he was hit by a pitch with two outs and stole second. But Wellington Castillo grounded out to end the inning.

Samardzija struck out swinging to end the seventh inning and snapped his bat in two over his right leg.

NOTES: San Diego's sweep was its first at home since taking four straight from the Marlins last August. . The sweep was the Padres' third this season. . The clubs evened the season series at 3-3. . The last time Chicago won the season series against San Diego was in 2005. . Cubs manager Dale Sveum gave struggling rookie OF Brett Jackson the day off. Jackson has struck out eight times in his first 11 major-league at-bats, including four on Monday and three more on Tuesday. "I'm not surprised that he's had some strikeouts. We knew that was going to happen," Sveum said. "It basically comes down to swinging at strikes. It's not like he's swinging through anything, balls in the strike zone. Right now, he's just swinging out of the strike zone." Jackson was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. . Padres 1B Yonder Alonso (sore hamstring) and Cubs LF Soriano (swelling in right hand) were both back in the starting lineup after missing one game. . Reds RHP Mike Leake (4-7, 4.51 ERA) will face Cubs RHP Chris Volstad (0-8, 7.22) to start a three-game set Thursday in Chicago. San Diego is off Thursday before opening a seven-game trip at Pittsburgh on Friday.

[Associated Press]

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