Cabrera, Padres Steal Victory From Los Angeles

The Padres were just one strike away from their fifth straight defeat, when Everth Cabrera took advantage of a lackadaisical Kenley Jansen, and broke for home. Jansen realized that Cabrera was attempting to steal home, and made a wild throw to the backstop. Cabrera was initially called out, until umpire Greg Gibson realized that the ball had gotten away from the catcher. Will Venable, who was second, took advantage of the miscue, and scored the go-ahead run, that gave San Diego a strange, but satisfying win over the Dodgers.

Just like last night, the Padres scored first, when Carlos Quentin grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Logan Forsythe. The lead was short-lived, as the Dodgers scored a run in their half of the first, on an RBI single from Andre Either.

The Dodgers took the lead in the 3rd inning, when five consecutive batters reached base to beginning the inning. Either had another RBI single, and Padres starter Edinson Volquez walked in a run. Volquez struggled to throw strikes yet again, and threw 111 pitches in just five innings. He gave up four runs, and allowed 12 base runners in the game, four via the walk.

The Padres got a run back in the fourth, when Carlos Quentin homered off of  former Padre Aaron Harang to cut the deficit to 3-2. It was Quentin’s eighth bomb of the year.

San Diego trailed 4-2 in the sixth, when Chase Headley homered to deep right, to tie the game at 4. The blast gave Headley his team-leading ninth homer, and his 44 RBI’s on the season have equaled his 2011 total.

Andre Either, a constant thorn in the side of Padres pitching hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth, off of Padres reliever Brad Brach. The home run put the Dodgers ahead, 6-4.

The Padres went into the final frame, trailing 6-5, when Yonder Alonso led the inning off with a single. Everth Cabrera was inserted as a pinch-runner, a move that paid dividends. Will Venable followed with a single, and the Padres had runners on the corners, with no one out. Cameron Maybin struck out, and pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay popped out. With two outs Cabrera made that fateful decision, and the Padres stole the victory from the Dodgers.

Huston Street pitched a scoreless ninth, to get his 14th save of the year. Alex Hinshaw picked up his first win in a Padre uniform, by getting the final two outs of the eighth inning.