San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Diego Padres honored the late Tony Gwynn before Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners and played Gwynn- like small-ball to come away victorious.
Everth Cabrera chopped his way to an infield single in the eighth inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Tommy Medica's pinch-hit single to center to give San Diego a fitting 2-1 victory.
The No. 19 of "Mr. Padre" was adorned all over Petco Park and a video montage of Gwynn's memorable moments were shown on the big screen prior to the game.
The Hall-of-Famer passed away Monday at the age 54 following a bout with cancer, and in their first home game since the somber news, the Padres paid their respects with a solemn ceremony and a much-needed win.
Andrew Cashner tossed seven innings of one-run ball, yielding seven hits and two walks, while Joaquin Benoit (3-0) tossed a perfect eighth to pick up the win, San Diego's second in its last 10 games.
"I think one of the biggest things I did tonight was keep my focus," said Cashner.
Huston Street picked up his 19th save with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Mariners took the first two meetings in this home-and-home set in Seattle and had won three in a row on the heels of a five-game slide.
Charlie Furbush (0-4) took the loss behind Felix Hernandez, who struck out 10 and allowed three hits and one run over seven solid frames.
"Those things happen. They had their best guy on the mound and we had our best guy on the mound," said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. "Every time we don't score runs for Felix, we can't say it's a tough game for Felix. It's a tough game for the Seattle Mariners. It was a baseball game. It was unfortunate we came out on the short end of the stick today."
The run Hernandez allowed came in the sixth without a ball hit out of the infield. Alexi Amarista led off the frame with an infield hit to the "5.5 hole" Gwynn made famous for himself between the third baseman and shortstop.
Cashner moved the runner over with a bunt. A groundout to the right side advanced Amarista to third, and a wild pitch allowed him to score.
The run tied the score at 1-1 after the Mariners opened the scoring in the second frame via Brad Miller's RBI single to left. Mike Zunino was hit by a pitch with one away and moved to third on a Dustin Ackley base hit before trotting home on Miller's opposite-field knock.
Game Notes
The Padres announced a public memorial for Gwynn will be held next Thursday, June 26, at Petco Park ... Hernandez came in 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA in six previous outings at Petco Park ... Cashner has allowed two earned runs or less in 14 consecutive starts at home, tying the club mark set by Randy Jones from September 2, 1977 - June 24, 1978.
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