Padres ride 4-run 4th, Lamet to series win in SF

SAN FRANCISCO -- Continuing to show they have the Giants' number in 2017, the San Diego Padres rode starter Dinelson Lamet to a 5-2 win Sunday at AT&T Park. The Padres have won seven of their last nine games against their National League West neighbors, and they've taken all four series this season.
"For some reason, our starters have just not had very many good starts against these guys," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They have a little power. They've hit their share of home runs."
It was Wil Myers who provided the thump Sunday with a 453-foot first-inning blast, his third in as many games. Meanwhile, Lamet improved to 4-4 this season after spinning 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. His outing helped save a beleaguered Padres bullpen that had eaten more than 30 innings over the first six games of the road trip.

"I prepared myself mentally going in, knowing that we had to use a lot of pitchers in really deep, long games," Lamet said. "I was trying to get as deep into the game as possible and do it as efficiently as possible, knowing I could help the team a lot by doing so."

Héctor Sánchez, a symbol of San Diego's surge against San Francisco, went 2-for-4, lifting his season average against his former team to .409. Trade candidate Brad Hand -- who still hasn't allowed a run since June 10 -- slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning, lowering his ERA to 2.12.

Eduardo Núñez continued his hot streak at the plate, posting a game-high three hits. Giants starter Ty Blach (6-6) worked his way through seven innings, helping rest a similarly overused San Francisco bullpen, but allowed five runs and eight hits along the way. Blach did, however, strike out a season-high seven batters. The Giants (38-62) now have their worst 100-game record since 1956.
• Westward no: Giants fall to 17-27 in division
"He left some pitches up in the fourth, similar to what Matt [Moore] did yesterday," Bochy said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't overcome it."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Cordoba picks up Blash: The Giants had Buster Posey, the game-tying batter, on deck in the seventh with a rally underway. Padres left fielder Jabari Blash opened the door for a big inning when he dropped Brandon Belt's pop up. But shortstop Allen Córdoba, in shallow right field as a back up, promptly picked up the mishandled ball and threw sharply to third base. That's when Cory Spangenberg applied a clean tag to beat Nunez, escaping the inning.
"It's a big mistake," Bochy said. "I talked to him in the dugout. It can't happen. … He compounded the problem and damage by trying to restart again. You can't do that with two outs. Just run. He knows. It's a critical play."

Wild deuces: After Myers walked in the fourth, the Padres drilled three consecutive doubles to bring home three runs. Blach didn't give Myers much to hit, bringing the count to 3-1 before walking the first baseman. The Padres then cashed in when Hunter Renfroe, Blash and Sanchez all doubled in a five-pitch span, giving the Padres their first inning with a trio of doubles. Blash's deuce was the farthest of the three, tracked at 329 feet, according to Statcast™.
"Just a couple bad pitches there," Blach said. "They kind of ambushed me early in the counts and I didn't make quality enough pitches early on. They took advantage."

QUOTABLE
"We still have a ton of respect for who they are … and we know at any point in time they can go reel off 10 of 12 and have a great run. We didn't want that to start against us." -- Padres manager Andy Green, on the Giants
"That's not going to work. There's a lot of things to say about this and this. But bottom line is we haven't played very well against them." -- Bochy, on a 1-for-16 performance from the heart of his order
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Myers' first-inning solo homer off a changeup, measured at 453 feet, tied his longest blast since Statcast™ debuted in 2015 and was the fourth-longest at AT&T Park this season. Myers also became the second opposing hitter to hit five homers in a season at AT&T Park. Rockies infielder Nolan Arenado hit six during the 2015 season.
MARGOT RETURNS
Padres center fielder Manuel Margot returned from paternity leave Sunday after the birth of his son, Diamond. He was slotted right back into the leadoff spot and went 1-for-5. The Padres optioned outfielder Franchy Cordero to clear space for Margot.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The Giants unsuccessfully challenged a fifth-inning grounder that Margot legged out for a single. Brandon Crawford fielded the slow offering, throwing to first baseman Belt. Margot was originally called safe and a replay determined the play stands.

WHAT'S NEXT
Padres:Clayton Richard is looking to bounce back from his worst start as a Padre, in which he allowed 11 runs in Colorado on Wednesday. He'll be happy to return home, where San Diego welcomes the Mets to town for a four-game series beginning Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT.
Giants: Wrapping their 10-game home stand, the Giants start a three-game series Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:15 p.m. PT at AT&T Park. Veteran righty Matt Cain (3-8, 5.49 ERA) takes the mound, continuing to start in place of Johnny Cueto.
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