TURNING POINT
Having lost eight in a row and down 8-3, the Padres scored five runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. After relievers Mike Adams and Heath Bell held the Rockies hitless over the next three innings, the Padres scored seven times in the ninth.
KEY FACTOR
The ninth produced hero after hero, starting with Khalil Greene driving in the tiebreaking run with an infield single. Michael Barrett followed with an RBI ground-rule double, Craig Stansberry hit an RBI single through a drawn-in infield and Jody Gerut (three-run shot) and Edgar Gonzalez (his second of the game) capped the scoring with back-to-back homers.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Offense: Edgar Gonzalez was 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBI. But Jody Gerut also had four RBI and Brian Giles also had four hits.
Pitching: With the score tied at 8-8 when he entered the game, Mike Adams retired all six Rockies he faced, three via strikeout.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Although the Padres will likely have only one player on the National League All-Star team, manager Bud Black said three are deserving.
Most notable, of course, is first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
But Black also believes right fielder Brian Giles and relief pitcher Heath Bell deserve consideration.
“Without Adrian, I don't know where we'd be,” Blacks said. “Middle relief guys can get overlooked, although I'd like to think they wouldn't. And Brian ranks in the top 10 in the league in several important categories (49 walks, .406 on-base percentage and .350 road batting average).”
WHO'S HOT
Kevin Kouzmanoff: Runs his career-best hitting streak to 10 straight games, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI. During the streak, which is the Padres' longest of the season, Kouzmanoff is hitting .390 (16-for-41) with four doubles, a triple, three homers and seven RBI.
Edgar Gonzalez: He is 8-for-12 over his past three games with a double and last night's two homers.
Padres hitters: This was only the fifth game of 22 or more hits in Padres history. The last was a 22-hit game at Philadelphia on Aug. 24, 2007. The club record is 25 hits set on April 19, 1992, against San Francisco.
WHO'S NOT
Greg Maddux: Away from Petco Park this season, he is 2-5 with a 5.71 ERA compared to a 2.45 at home. As a Padre, Maddux is 9-6 with a 3.17 ERA at home and 8-11 with a 5.00 ERA on the road.
– BILL CENTER
BY THE NUMBERS
2 Times last night that the Padres batted around.
7 Runs in the ninth for the Padres' biggest inning of the season.
10 Straight starts without a win for Greg Maddux since he won No. 350 on May 10 against the Rockies.
18 Times in his career that Brian Giles has had at least four hits in a game.
