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 For him, 13-13 means far less than 200-200.
Kennedy reached the 200-inning mark one start after topping the
200-strikeout plateau, holding the playoff-bound San Francisco
Giants to one unearned run over seven innings while pitching San
Diego to a 4-1 victory.
The Padres' 10th win in 17 games against San Francisco allowed them
to clinch their first season-series victory over the Giants since
2010.
The loss assured the Giants (86-74) will be on the road for their
wild-card playoff game Wednesday against either the Pittsburgh
Pirates (88-72) or St. Louis Cardinals (89-71).
Kennedy (13-13) went over 200 innings in a season for the third time
in his career by going at least six for the 24th time in his 33
starts. He knew exactly where he stood going in.
"That's always been one of my goals," he said of pitching 200
innings in a season. "That's a guy who stays in the game. Who's
durable. Durability has always been important to me."
Kennedy allowed only four hits and two walks in his seven innings
against a team that had averaged 6.0 runs in its previous 13 home
games. The right-hander struck out six, advancing his season total
to a career-best 207.
His last two strikeouts were his biggest, getting Giants left
fielder Travis Ishikawa and catcher Andrew Susac both looking to end
the sixth inning after each had come to the plate as the potential
tying run in a 4-1 game.
"I think he smelled it at the end," observed Padres manager Bud
Black. "That's a testament to Ian. He knew what was in front of him.
He knew he was six innings from 200. He knew he was one win from
13-13.
"Two-hundred innings and 200 strikeouts. That's pretty cool."
In running his career record in September to 13-4, Kennedy gave up
an unearned run on two hits in the second inning, then allowed only
two other singles.
The record-evening 13th win was far less important to him than the
200 innings.
"Getting that would be a bonus," he said of the win. "Knowing if
(Giants starter Ryan) Vogelsong pitches well, you might not get it.
They (the Giants) are always tough here.
"When our team scored big runs in the top of the sixth, that was
it."
En route to beating the Giants for the fourth time in five meetings
in the last eight days, the Padres broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run
sixth that featured an RBI double high off the right-field wall by
left fielder Seth Smith and a two-run, broken-bat single by catcher
Rene Rivera.
After Vogelsong (8-13) got the first out of the sixth, Padres second
baseman Jedd Gyorko ignited the uprising with a double down the
left-field line.
First baseman Yasmani Grandal then walked, setting the stage for
Smith, whose shot to right nearly went for a three-run homer.
Instead, it scored only Gyorko and put runners on second and third,
from where Grandal and Smith scored on Rivera's flare into center
field to make it 4-1.
"He was throwing the ball well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of
Vogelsong. "He got a bad break there (on Rivera's hit)."
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For Rivera, the RBIs were his 43rd and 44th of the season, 12 of
which have come against the Giants.
Vogelsong was pulled after Rivera's hit, having allowed four runs
and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush stranded Giants second baseman Joe
Panik at second base while pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
Padres closer Joaquin Benoit dealt a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save.
Smith, Rivera and center fielder Will Venable had two hits apiece
for the Padres, who out-hit the Giants 9-5.
First baseman Brandon Belt had two hits and scored the lone run for
the Giants, who gave catcher Buster Posey the night off after he'd
complained of a sore back in Thursday's 9-8 win.
Bochy knew his club had its work cut out for it catching either
Pittsburgh or St. Louis in order to earn the home field for
Wednesday's wild-card game. He said the Giants don't mind going on
the road.
"We've played well on the road," he said of his team, which at 43-38
is one of just three National League squads with a winning record
away from home. "We needed to win some road games lately to get to
where we are, and we did. That's encouraging."
NOTES: Padres manager Bud Black took time after the game to
congratulate his former team, the Kansas City Royals, on ending a
29-year postseason drought. Black was a 10-game winner on the last
Royals team to make the playoffs, the World Series champs of 1985.
... The last time the Padres won a season series from San Francisco,
the Giants went on to capture the 2010 World Series. ... Before RHP
Ian Kennedy achieved the feat Friday, the last Padres right-hander
to throw 200 or more innings in a season was RHP Jake Peavy, who
will face the Padres for the first time in his career Saturday. ...
The Giants found out Friday if they win next Wednesday's wild-card
game, they would open the best-of-five, National League Divisional
Series at Washington on Oct. 3. The Nationals clinched the best
record in the NL on Friday. ... Giants C Buster Posey had a
precautionary MRI on his sore lower back Friday. Results showed no
damage and he was in uniform for Friday's game, although he did not
play. ... Before the game, the Giants honored LHP Madison Bumgarner
as winner of the annual Willie Mac Award, given each season to the
club's most inspirational player.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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