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 The Padres closer won, recording his 11th save as San Diego held
off Miami 5-4 for a third consecutive win over the Marlins.
"There was a little crisis at the end of that one," manager Bud
Black said after his club took a 5-0 lead into the eighth only to
see the Marlins score four runs and strand the tying run at third.
Miami then loaded the bases with two out in the ninth against Street
before the right-hander got second baseman Jeff Baker to ground out
to short to end the game.
"Huston knows how to work his way through an inning," Black said.
"He knew what he had to do."
And that was to avoid right fielder Giancarlo Stanton and third
baseman Casey McGehee.
"I saw the statistic, those two guys are driving in more than 40
percent of their runs," Street said. "I didn't want them to beat
me."
Miami pinch hitter Marcell Ozuna opened the ninth with a single, and
he was forced out a grounder by center fielder Christian Yelich.
After left fielder Reed Johnson flied out, Yelich was on first with
Stanton coming up and McGehee in the on-deck circle ahead of Baker.
Street pitched around (and walked) both Stanton and McGehee to load
the bases before getting Baker.
Street's ninth was a strategic if not cosmetic success.
"I knew what I was doing," the veteran closer said. "Stanton wasn't
chasing the slider, and I wasn't going to give in to a special
player in a special spot. I don't like walking anyone to put the
tying run on second, but Stanton is Stanton."
That brought up McGehee with two on and two outs. Street fell behind
after missing with a couple of sliders. That is when he took a look
a deep look at the situation. Marlins manager Mike Redmond already
had deployed his other two infielders as pinch hitters.
"Baker had to hit," Street said. "He's a good hitter with punch, but
he's used mostly against left-handed pitchers (like Padres starter
Robbie Erlin).
"Walking McGehee wasn't in the original plan, but when I'm behind in
the count and Baker next, the tactical thing to do was pitch to
Baker with the bases loaded."
One grounder later, the Padres had their first three-game winning
streak of the season.
The Padres took a quick 1-0 lead when center fielder Will Venable
opened the game by drilling the second pitch from Henderson Alvarez
400 feet for the franchise-record, 10th game-opening homer of his
career.
The Padres extended their lead with four runs in the bottom of the
fourth.
Shortstop Alexi Amarista made it 2-0 with a run-scoring single.
Right fielder Chris Denorfia doubled the margin with a bases-loaded,
two-out, two-run single. Left fielder Seth Smith drove home the
Padres' final run with the fourth single of the inning.
Meanwhile, Erlin (2-4) was throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings. He
allowed five hits and no walks while equaling his career high with
seven strikeouts.
Padres pitchers set a franchise record for strikeouts in a three- or
four-game series with 48 while winning three of the four games
against the Marlins, who are now a major-league-worst 3-13 away from
home.
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"We're being tested on the road," Redmond said. "We just came off a
really good homestand (8-1). We've got to get going on the road."
The Marlins continue their 10-game West Coast trip with four in Los
Angeles against the Dodgers ahead of three in San Francisco against
the Giants.
San Diego went 5-5 in the homestand that ended Sunday.
The Padres scored 24 runs on 35 hits over the past three games after
scoring only 92 runs (2.3 per game) while hitting .215 through the
first 36 games of the season.
Third baseman Chase Headley opened the fourth with a single and
moved to second when first baseman Yonder Alonso drew a walk to
reach base for the eighth straight time (he singled in his next
plate appearance to stretch the streak to nine). Amarista then
singled home Headley.
After Erlin struck out, Alvarez (2-2) walked Venable to load the
bases. Denorfia followed with his two-run single up the middle to
raise his career batting average with the bases loaded to .406 with
32 RBIs in as many at-bats.
Smith's ensuing RBI single extended his hitting streak to eight
games (17-for-31, .548, with seven doubles, three triples and a home
run). He drove in seven runs in the final three games against the
Marlins.
Miami's four-run eighth opened with Yelich's leadoff, 430-foot homer
to right-center off right-handed reliever Dale Thayer.
After Johnson singled off Thayer, right-hander Joaquin Benoit came
on in relief and gave up a single to Stanton before getting McGehee
to line out to right. Baker followed with a sinking line drive to
right that eluded the diving attempt of Denorfia and rolled to the
warning track for a two-run triple. Baker scored on shortstop Adeiny
Hechavarria's groundout to second.
NOTES: The Marlins promoted RHP Henry Rodriguez from Triple-A New
Orleans to replace RHP Carlos Marmol, who was designated for
assignment after Saturday night's game ... OF/1B Xavier Nady opted
to become a free agent rather than report to the Padres' Triple-A
affiliate in El Paso. He cleared waivers Thursday after being
designated for assignment. ... RHP Casey Kelly will continue his
rehab from 2013 Tommy John surgery with Double-A San Antonio on
Wednesday after making two starts for Class A Lake Elsinore ...
Padres SS Everth Cabrera missed Sunday's game after wife gave birth
to the couple's second child late Saturday night.
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