SAN FRANCISCO – The Padres had a chance at their first series sweep of the season, which would have put them third in the forgiving National League West.
But the Giants scored three runs off Trevor Hoffman in the 10th inning to win 4-3 yesterday before a spirited crowd of 33,867 alongside San Francisco Bay.
The Padres (23-35) had won five of six games, including a season-best three in a row.
“It would have been good to get the sweep,” Brian Giles said. “But we won our second series in a row, and at least we're starting to play better baseball.”
Hoffman and Padres utilityman Edgar Gonzalez were unable to secure a win that cleanup man Adrian Gonzalez seemingly had set up with his 16th home run – a two-out, two-run drive off rookie Alex Hinshaw that put San Diego ahead 3-1.
Associated Press
After giving up a game-tying triple in the 10th inning, Trevor Hoffman rubs up the ball as manager Bud Black (right) and most of his teammates visit the mound.
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Hoffman gave up four hits, three of them softly hit singles, the last one a game-winner on a ground ball directly to Edgar Gonzalez, who drew a severe test in his first start at shortstop.
With speedy Randy Winn breaking toward second base on the full-count pitch and fleet Fred Lewis racing from third on contact, Gonzalez was at double-play depth as Jose Castillo's one-out ground ball approached him with the score 3-3.
Edgar Gonzalez appeared to have a chance to start a difficult double play by flipping quickly to second baseman Tadahito Iguchi. But after fielding the ball, Gonzalez hesitated.
Ballgame. As Gonzalez realized he had no play anywhere, Lewis crossed the plate with the winning run.
“I didn't think I had a play anywhere,” Edgar Gonzalez said. “Unless I was playing in, and I charge it, and I go home – and it still would have been a close play.”
When the count went full against Castillo, two men on the Giants' bench wondered why Gonzalez wasn't playing in to cut off the run. Veteran shortstop Rich Aurilia said he had that conversation with bench coach Ron Wotus, adding, “You can't play back there. You can't guarantee a double play. On (a count of) 3-2, you know (Winn) is running. You've got to play in. He wasn't in the right place at that point. I don't know if you can blame him. He probably doesn't play short too much.”
Shortstop Khalil Greene was on the bench because manager Bud Black had committed to giving him a full game off. Greene had started 55 of 57 games and was looking lost at the plate, going 0-for-9 in the previous two games.
“As well as we know Greeney, we decided this was an off day for him,” Black said.
Heeding the book against Hoffman, the Giants of former Padres manager Bruce Bochy came out swinging and got two singles off softly hit balls.
Hoffman's bid for an eighth consecutive save ended when Lewis, pinch hitting after a sacrifice bunt, belted a 420-foot triple to right-center, tying the score at 3.
Hoffman and catcher Michael Barrett praised Lewis, who had seen five consecutive outside pitches before belting the next one, an inside fastball, with the count full.
“We were able to get him two nights ago on a similar pitch,” Hoffman said. “He made an adjustment.”
Said Barrett of the entire home 10th: “Hoffy's stuff was as good as it's been all year. The first hit, (Ray) Durham got jammed and (the ball) fell in center. The next guy (Brian Horwitz) hit a ground ball the other way that just got by Tadahito. Lewis, those were close pitches, and he fought some good pitches off. To me, that last inning was the way it goes sometimes.”
In four of their first 10 at-bats against Giants ace Tim Lincecum, the Padres blistered shots that each went into a Giants glove. Lincecum then found a groove, and it appeared Aaron Rowand's solo homer, with two outs in the sixth against Padres starter Randy Wolf, might lead to a 1-0 final score.
But after Jody Gerut led off the eighth with a single, Iguchi followed with a walk that ousted Lincecum. Kevin Kouzmanoff, following an intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez, tied it 1-1 by drawing a walk against reliever Tyler Walker. Barrett then grounded into a double play.
In the 10th, Gerut hit another leadoff single. Adrian Gonzalez, boosting the Padres after consecutive strikeouts, made it 3-1 when he drove the ball some 410 feet, a home run over the center-field wall that was similar to the game-winner he had struck in San Diego seven days earlier to beat the Reds in the 18th.
Tom Krasovic: (619) 293-2207; tom.krasovic@uniontrib.com
