Milwaukee, WI – The San Diego Padres tattooed Yovani Gallardo for six runs and despite a shaky effort from the bullpen, held on for a 10-8 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a four-game set at Miller Park.
San Diego had a seven-run lead cut down to two in the seventh inning, but stranded runners at second and third after Luke Gregerson struck out Rickie Weeks and Will Venable made a phenomenal diving catch on Norichika Aoki's sinking line drive.
"It's sort of unfair to Will (Venable) but we expect him to make those plays," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It was a hell of a catch. Today's was a game- saver, no doubt about it. That's an awesome play."
Carlos Quentin homered and knocked in three runs, Yonder Alonso went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Alexei Amarista had three hits with an RBI as the Padres took three of the four games in the set.
Edinson Volquez (8-8) picked up the win with 5 1/3 innings of work. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks.
The Brewers, who were coming off a sweep of the Miami Marlins, received only 3 2/3 innings out of Gallardo (8-9). The righty gave up eight hits and three walks.
"He didn't have his game going for him today," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke about Gallardo. "The key for him is his consistency and he just didn't have it today."
The Padres appeared to distance themselves when they took a 10-3 lead after scoring four runs in the top half of the seventh, but the Brewers answered back with five runs in bottom half.
Nick Vincent took the mound for San Diego and promptly served up a leadoff homer to Aoki. He then allowed three consecutive one-out singles, with Juan Francisco's hit driving in a run to make it 10-5.
Gregerson relieved Vincent and surrendered a run-scoring hit to Yuniesky Betancourt before Caleb Gindl ripped a two-run double off him to make it a two-run game.
Weeks, who killed a sixth inning rally by hitting into an inning-ending double-play with the bases loaded, struck out swinging with two runners in scoring position. Aoki then looked to tie the game when he ripped a shot off reliever Joe Thatcher to center, but Venable sprinted in and potentially saved the game for the Padres with a tremendous catch.
"I caught the ball and saved the runs, that's all I cared about," said Venable. "I don't care where it ranks on my list of catches."
The teams went scoreless the last two innings and Huston Street worked a scoreless ninth to notch his 18th save.
Quentin made his first two at-bats of the day productive ones, driving in a run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and then crushing a two-run homer to center in the third to stake the Padres to a 3-0 lead.
Alonso doubled after the home run, and two batters later, Amarista lined a two-out single to left for a 4-0 edge.
Gallardo's day on the mound ended before he could get out of the fourth. He walked three batters in the frame, and Alonso sent him to the showers with a two-run single to center.
Betancourt homered in the fourth, and the Brewers received another solo shot from Carlos Gomez and a one-out RBI single from pinch-hitter Logan Schafer in the sixth. The frame ended abruptly, however, on Weeks' double-play ball.
Game Notes
Volquez is 5-0 over his last 10 road starts ... Quentin, Venable and Rene Rivera each had two hits for San Diego ... The Brewers were 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position ... Milwaukee optioned first baseman Sean Haltom to Triple-A Nashville and selected the contract of pitcher Rob Wooten.