Giants Use 10 Pitchers In 5-4 Loss To Padres, Fall 7 Back
SAN DIEGO (AP) - It only seemed as though the San Francisco Giants used their entire pitching staff in a 5-4 loss to San Diego on Wednesday night that moved them closer to elimination from the playoff race.
Giants starter Jake Peavy did his job, pitching six scoreless innings and making a gutsy putout at first base. The bullpen was a mess, though, costing San Francisco the game.
Jedd Gyorko singled in Matt Kemp with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday night to give the Padres the win and drop the Giants seven games behind first-place Los Angeles in the NL West with 11 to go.
The Dodgers beat Arizona 4-1. The Giants remained 9 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second wild card.
The Padres won for just the fourth time in 12 games.
"Hanging by a thread," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who used nine relievers and still had five more in the bullpen. "This was a tough one to let get away."
Five of San Francisco's relievers threw four or fewer pitches.
"It stinks to be in this position, but you have to be a professional and plays as hard as you can and show up tomorrow and figure out a way to get the big boy (Madison Bumgarner) in the win column," Peavy said.
San Diego started the winning rally against George Kontos (4-3) with a one-out double by Matt Kemp and an intentional walk to Justin Upton. Brett Wallace popped up before Gyorko singled off Santiago Casilla.
Padres closer Craig Kimbrel (3-2) was one out from finishing a 4-3 victory with runners on second and third when he threw a wild pitch over rookie Trevor Brown's head that allowed Buster Posey to score the tying run. Kimbrel had struck out rookies Mac Williamson and Kelby Tomlinson.
The inning started with Kemp losing Posey's fly to right in the lights and then dropping it for an error. Brandon Crawford doubled to left.
Rookie Travis Jankowski hit a two-run double off Sergio Romo with two outs in the eighth to give the Padres a 4-3 lead.
The Giants' bullpen was unable to hold Peavy's 2-0 lead going into the seventh and then blew the 3-2 lead rookie Jarrett Parker gave San Francisco on his home run off the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner. It was his second career homer.
Romo allowed one-out singles to Wallace and Gyorko before Jankowski's opposite-field liner down the left-field line.
Peavy, the unanimous 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner with San Diego, held the Padres to four hits.
With two outs in the fourth, Peavy fielded Derek Norris' broken-bat comebacker. When he saw that Posey wasn't going to cover first in time, Peavy dove and touched the bag with the ball for the out.
Peavy allowed three singles and a double. The Padres had runners in scoring position only twice. He struck out four and walked one.
The bullpen almost immediately gave up the lead.
Cory Gearrin started the seventh and allowed a single to Gyorko and walked Norris. Josh Osich came on and struck out Jankowski and pinch-hitter Wil Myers before allowing Yangervis Solarte's two-run double to right-center. Solarte, who also doubled in the fifth against Peavy, then left with a cramp in his right hamstring.
"Our bullpen has been tough all year," Peavy said. "This was just a tough night and we just couldn't finish the deal there a few times."
Crawford hit a two-run single in the first off Andrew Cashner, who allowed two runs and two hits in six innings, struck out six and walked five. He's walked 12 in three starts.
TRAINERS ROOM
Giants: Bochy said INF Ehire Adrianza sustained concussion-like symptoms when he was hit in the face by a grounder Tuesday night. With Adrianza out for an unknown time, the Giants brought back INF-OF Kevin Frandsen. INF Juan Perez (strained side muscle) was put on the 60-day DL.
Padres: Myers was a late scratch with minor discomfort in his surgically repaired left wrist. ... RHP Shawn Kelley (forearm) was fine after pitching Tuesday for the first time since Sept. 1.
UP NEXT
Giants: Bumgarner (18-8, 2.84 ERA) is scheduled to pitch the series finale. He's 2-1 in four starts against San Diego this year.
Padres: RHP Ian Kennedy (8-15, 4.29) is scheduled to make his sixth start against the Giants this season. So far he's 2-2.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.