Padres Spank Marlins, 9-2
MIAMI (AP) — With Ricky Nolasco on the trade market, the San Diego Padres liked what they saw.
Their hitters did, anyway.
Will Venable drove in three runs and Logan Forsythe hit a two-run homer Friday night to help San Diego beat Nolasco and the Miami Marlins, 9-2.
Nolasco (4-8) allowed six runs and 11 hits in five-plus innings to match or surpass his worst effort of the season in all three categories. San Diego is among the teams believed to be interested in the right-hander, who is the Marlins' leader in career victories.
"I'm sure there were a lot of scouts in the stands watching," Padres manager Bud Black said.
Nolasco said recent trade talk didn't affect his performance.
"You read about it and see it on the Internet," Nolasco said. "But my job is to focus on what I have to do every fifth day. Just because I didn't get it done today doesn't mean I'm not focusing or trying everything I can."
Nolasco is on the market because he is by far the highest-paid player for cost-conscious Miami, and he becomes a free agent after the season. He predicted teams interested in him won't be dissuaded by his latest outing.
"Whether I pitched good or bad tonight, I don't think that's going to dictate what kind of pitcher I am or what they're going to get," he said.
Black said the Padres had a good plan against Nolasco, who threw 110 pitches.
"We drove his pitch count up early, so he was stressed and working hard," Black said. "That takes its toll on a pitcher for sure. The mistakes that he did make, we did some damage."
Venable and Forsythe each had three of the Padres' 15 hits. Edinson Volquez (6-6) gave up two runs in six innings for the Padres, who have outscored Miami 20-3 this season while winning all four games.
The Marlins' loss snapped a three-game winning streak that matched their longest this year. It was the first time in the past 11 games that they've allowed more than three runs.
Miami managed at least one hit in each of the first eight innings but went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
"We weren't crisp," manager Mike Redmond said. "We didn't give them our best."
Volquez struck out eight, including six looking, and lowered his ERA to 5.50. He also singled and scored.
"I felt great," Volquez said. "Everything was working tonight."
The Padres made it 1-all in the second when Chase Headley singled, stole second and scored on Venable's two-out single. They took the lead for good in the third when Volquez singled and Forsythe hit his third homer.
With San Diego ahead 3-2, Miami had a runner at second base when Venable charged from right field and made a diving catch of Nolasco's soft fly to end the fourth inning.
"I didn't think he was going to catch it," Nolasco said. "I was more worried about getting thrown out at first."
The Padres ended Nolasco's night with four consecutive hits to start the sixth. Yasmani Grandal and Venable hit RBI singles, and another run scored on an error by shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
"I couldn't put those guys away in the sixth, and a decent ballgame turns into a terrible one," Nolasco said.
When asked if he thought he had pitched his final game for Miami, Nolasco said: "I'm the wrong person to ask that question. I'm not thinking like that."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
