San Diego Padres overcome Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 at Petco Park – MLB news
San Diego Padres easily overcame Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 on Sunday, June 16, 2013 at the Petco Park.
The Padres for the first time this season are a game ahead of the .500 mark.
The Padres overcame a stiff challenge from the d-backs courtesy of some pitching excellence from Clayton Richard and a fantastic three-run home-run by Kyle Blanks in the eighth innings.
Kirk Gibson, the D-backs’ manager, was full of praise for the Padres whom he think as one of the hottest teams in the Major League. They have done really well in their home turf as well.
“They've beat a lot of people here,” Gibson said. “This is probably one of the hottest teams in the game right now.”
Bud Black, the manager for the Padres, was pleased with the performance by Clayton who pitched really well during the game. He was happy that the pitcher had a good command over his fast ball which was not always the case this season.
“Clayton threw extremely well,” Black said. “I thought he had good command of the fastball down in the zone, which is something he hasn't always had this season. He had good action with all of his pitches, which is what we expect of him every time out.”
The pitcher pitched eight innings with seven hits and just surrendering a single run in the process. This was his second win of the season.
Kyle Blanks made the real difference in the game when he hit a three-run home-run in the bottom of the eighth innings with two batters down. The 26-year-old was likely to move into the Triple-A soon but this should help him stay with the Padres.
Bud Black was happy to see him perform and take advantage of opportunity that he has been provided with. He said that he is now showcasing his real talent.
“He's taken this opportunity and really made the most of regular play,” Black said. “He's made a real statement with his performance, and we're starting to see how good Kyle can be.”
The d-backs started the scoring in the game in the top- of the third innings with the help of an RBI single by Ian Kennedy. Will Venable helped the Padres to get back on even terms with a home-run in the bottom of the innings.
The save was recorded by Huston Street, his 12th for the current season.
The win has brought San Diego at touching distance of the lead of the National League West. Although they are currently fourth in the division, they are actually just two games away from the D-backs who are the current leaders.
By the looks of it, the NL West will be the most highly competitive group of all in the Major League Baseball.
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