SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - John Buck belted two home run as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Monday, in a game that was shaken by an earthquake in the eighth inning.
The 5.7 magnitude tremor, which struck a remote part of southern California near the border of Mexico, only held up play momentarily. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.
"They happen so fast there's nothing you can do," Toronto manager Cito Gaston told reporters.
Toronto took an early 4-0 lead with a two-run blast from Buck and an Aaron Hill two-run double in the second, before Buck added his 11th home run of the season in the eighth off reliever Sean Gallagher.
The National League West-leading Padres (37-27) trailed 5-2 in the seventh when they loaded the bases with no outs but only managed one run against Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum, who earned the win after completing seven innings.
"That was our chance," Padres manager Bud Black said. "A big hit, anywhere in there would have proved to be a different ball game."
Scott Downs pitched the eighth and Kevin Gregg handled the ninth for his 16th save of the year as Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak.
The second straight loss cut San Diego's division lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers to a half game.
Padres starter Jon Garland (6-5) lost his third consecutive game after previously winning six in a row.
San Diego's other scores came through solo home runs from Jerry Hairston Jr and Adrian Gonzalez in the third and fourth innings respectively.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.