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 Staked to a 6-1 lead, Stults and three relievers held on for the
Padres' 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday at Chase
Field. He entered with a major league-low average of 2.84 runs of
supports per game in his 28 previous starts.
"This year has been one of those years," said Stults, who gave up
five runs (two earned) and seven hits in six innings. "There always
seems to be one guy that doesn't get a lot of run support. That's
the way it is. Our guys play hard. Obviously they are trying. It was
nice to get some runs early in the game. To go out and pitch with a
lead is definitely a lot easier than to pitch in a close ball game."
Catcher Rene Rivera homered and four Padres had two hits and an RBI
as San Diego (68-78) won for the second time in nine games.
Stults (7-16) had pitched with a five-run lead only once before,
going six innings in a 10-1 victory over Atlanta.
Stults is tied with A.J. Burnett and Kevin Correia for the most
losses in the majors, but he has turned it around lately. He is 4-3
with a 2.81 ERA in his last eight starts and 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA in
his last five road starts
"You look at his numbers the second half, he's pitched fine," San
Diego manager Bud Black said. "He is victim of the fewest run
support in the majors. That is sort of reflective a little bit in
his won-loss (record). But he doesn't give in to that. None of our
guys do."
First baseman Yasmani Grandal, third baseman Yangervis Solarte,
center fielder Cameron Maybin and second baseman Jedd Gyorko each
had two hits and drove in a run for the Padres.
Center fielder A.J. Pollock had a three hits, including a three-run
homer in a four-run fifth inning, for the D-backs (59-88), who
remain tied with Colorado for the worst record in the National
League.
Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush gave up two singles in the ninth
inning before recording his third save. Shortstop Alexi Amarista
made an acrobatic play to his right to take another hit away.
"Amarista made several plays, Gyorko had a couple of plays," Arizona
manager Kirk Gibson said. "We just got too far behind to catch up."
Pollock's homer on the first pitch he saw in the fifth was his first
since returning from a three-month stay on the disabled list Sept.
1.
"I just wanted to be a little aggressive," Pollock said. "He was
trying to sneak the first one over, then he was going with his other
stuff outside the zone. I just wanted to get a good swing and get
the runner in and I got the ball in the air and got it out of the
park."
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Arizona left fielder Ender Inciarte and third baseman Jake Lamb each
had two hits and scored a run.
Stults broke a three-game losing streak with the fourth victory in
his last seven decisions.
Arizona left-hander Vidal Nuno (0-6) gave up six runs in five
innings. He had given up seven runs in his previous four starts over
29 1/3 innings.
Pollock singled in Inciarte in the first inning before the Padres
scored six runs in the next four innings.
Grandal and Solarte drove in runs on two-out singles in the third
and fourth innings, and Rivera's 10th homer of the season made it
6-1 in the top of the fifth.
NOTES: Arizona OF David Peralta (back) had an MRI on Friday but
results were not known. Peralta said his back locked up while
lifting weights following a Sept. 5 game against the Dodgers. He has
not played since. ... Padres OF Will Venable (back) did not start
Friday after being removed from Wednesday's game in the fifth
inning. ... The Diamondbacks promoted LHP Joe Paterson and OF Brett
Jackson from Triple-A Reno on Friday. Jackson, the Cubs' first-round
pick in 2009, was acquired in a wavier deal Aug. 14. ... San Diego
RHPs Tyson Ross (191) and Ian Kennedy (184) are attempting to become
the fourth set of National League West teammates since 2000 to
strike out 200 apiece in the same season. RHP Tim Lincecum and LHP
Jonathan Sanchez did it for San Francisco in 2010, LHP Randy Johnson
and RHP Curt Schilling did it in Arizona twice (2001-02), and RHP
Chan Ho Park/RHP Kevin Brown did it with the Dodgers in 2000. Ross
is to start Saturday.
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reserved.]
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