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 The right-hander held the Milwaukee Brewers to one run over six
innings as San Diego closed its home season at Petco Park with a 3-1
win.
"We have plenty of opportunity to talk," said Kennedy, who will be a
free agent at the end of the season. "I love it here in San Diego.
I'm not ready to say this is my last start here."
Kennedy (9-15) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out 11.
He got all the runs he needed on third baseman Yangervis Solarte's
two-run homer in the bottom of the third.
"Kennedy was great today," Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said.
"He was focused. He had great tempo, and he made really good pitches
in tough situations.
"I thought this was one of his best outings of the season."
Kennedy said, "My fastball was working well today. I didn't use my
curve. It was a fastball-change combo."
Four San Diego pitchers combined to record 15 strikeouts while
allowing seven hits and no walks. Craig Kimbrel picked up his 39th
save as the Padres bullpen worked a seventh consecutive scoreless
game covering 22 2/3 innings.
Kennedy, who picked up his first win since Aug. 22, cruised through
five shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight,
including the side in the fifth.
Milwaukee left-handed pinch hitter Shane Peterson opened the sixth
with a 408-foot homer to center to end the shutout bid. The homer
was the 31st allowed by Kennedy this season, tied for the third most
allowed in the National League this season.
Second baseman Scooter Gennett followed with a single and moved to
second on a wild pitch. However, Kennedy struck out the side for a
second straight inning to end the threat with a 3-1 lead.
Rookie right fielder Travis Jankowski made two consecutive plays
behind Kennedy to save at least one run.
In the third, Jankowski threw out Michael Reed at the plate as the
rookie right fielder tried to score on a two-out single by third
baseman Hernan Perez. Opening the fourth, Milwaukee first baseman
Jason Rogers hit a high foul fly to right that Jankowski caught as
he tumbled over the low railing.
"Jankowski really came through on defense, and there were other good
plays," Kennedy said.
Offensively, the Padres started the game without their Nos. 3 and 4
hitters -- corner outfielders Justin Upton and Matt Kemp -- and lost
left fielder Wil Myers when he exited after three innings with
soreness in his surgically repaired left wrist.
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"What I'm feeling now is not what I felt before the surgery," Myers
said. "It's not tight now. Before, there was pain."
Milwaukee starter Taylor Jungmann (9-8) allowed three runs on four
hits and four walks with two strikeouts in three-plus innings.
The switch-hitting Solarte, who has been playing with a tight right
hamstring, followed a leadoff walk by second baseman Cory
Spangenberg in the third with a 407-foot foot shot into the right
field seats. The homer was Solarte's 14th of the season.
Another leadoff walk issued by Jungmann in the fourth resulted in a
3-0 Padres lead. Spangenberg drove home catcher Derek Norris with a
two-out single off reliever Kyle Lohse.
"Command has been a struggle for me the last month or so," said
Jungmann, who was 1-3 in September with a 7.85 ERA. "Not necessarily
the walks, but falling behind in the counts.
"If you fall behind in the counts, pretty good hitters are going to
take advantage of it, and that has been the case the last month or
so."
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, "It was definitely a struggle
today for Taylor. He couldn't get any easy outs. ... There wasn't
anything easy for him. I don't think he finished the way he wanted
to."
The win snapped a three-game losing streak by the Padres. The
Brewers won the season series 5-2.
NOTES: Padres LF Justin Upton escaped serious injury Wednesday night
when he slid head-first into the padded wall down the left field
foul line at Petco Park, although he likely will miss the final
weekend of the season with a neck strain. "It was scary and Justin
is sore," assistant general manager Josh Stein said, "but everything
checked out neurologically. He didn't lose consciousness, and there
are no signs of a concussion." ... Michael Reed made his first major
league start in right field for the Brewers on Thursday, and he went
1-for-3.
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