Gaudin puts troubles behind in Giants' win
SAN DIEGO -- Chad Gaudin had a rough couple of days, but it was smooth sailing for the right-hander and the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Buster Posey drove in five runs and the Giants took advantage of a controversial call in the seventh inning to pound the San Diego Padres 10-1 before a sellout crowd of 42,361 at Petco Park.
Two days ago, it was revealed that Gaudin had been arrested in January in Las Vegas and charged with lewdness for allegedly touching a female patient inappropriately at a Las Vegas emergency room. But it had no bearing on his performance against the Padres.
"I just stay focused on my job and do what I have to do," said Gaudin, who was making his first start since the news broke and his first since coming off the disabled list last Saturday.
Gaudin (3-1) worked five-plus innings, limiting the Padres to a run and three hits. He struck out five and walked four.
"I got a good rhythm going and was just trying to get guys out," said Gaudin, who is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA since being moved to the starting rotation on June 2. "I did that tonight."
The Giants (42-50) seemed to do whatever they wanted from the sixth inning on. They scored three runs in the sixth for a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Padres loaded the bases with no outs and chased Gaudin. But Jose Mijares induced Yonder Alonso to pop out to short and then struck out Jedd Gyorko and Chris Denorfia.
"That was a big part of the game," Padres manager Bud Black said. "The last two weeks we have not really gotten that real big hit to swing momentum to our side."
In the seventh, it all fell apart for the Padres. An obstruction call on San Diego third baseman Chase Headley initiated it and opened the floodgates.
The controversy occurred after the Padres had Kensuke Tanaka caught in a rundown between second and third with one out. Headley, after a relay throw to Gyorko at second, made contact with Tanaka on the grass near second base as Tanaka attempted to run to third. Black argued in vain before being tossed by second base umpire Laz Diaz.
"It was a textbook obstruction case and Laz ruled it exactly, 100 percent correctly," said crew chief Mike Winters, who was the home plate umpire.
Posey stroked a two-run double after the play as the Padres gave up five runs, four of them unearned.
Sean O'Sullivan (0-1), a San Diego native who was called up from Triple-A Tucson, gave up two runs and six hits in five innings. He had four strikeouts and three walks in his 2013 debut with the Padres (41-53), who lost for the 17th time in their last 20 games.
Headley's RBI double down the right-field line scored Everth Cabrera for a 1-0 Padres lead with one out in the first. But the Giants scored 10 straight runs to roll past the NL West celler-dwelling Padres, who lost for the 13th time in their last 14 games.
"You have to weather the storm and keep coming in every day with the expectation to win," Black said. "I don't think there is anything drastic we can do. We have our team pretty much in tact. Guys have to get it done on the field."
NOTES: Third-base umpire Tim Timmons and Giants SS Brandon Crawford had a minor collision in the third inning. Crawford apparently called off 3B Pablo Sandoval to catch Alexi Amarista's popup near the third-base line, but Crawford failed to field it after bumping into Timmons. Replays showed the ball hit the chalk, but it was ruled a no-play. ... The Padres activated 1B Yonder Alonso (fractured right hand) and INF Jedd Gyorko (strained right groin) before the game. ... San Diego 1B/OF Kyle Blanks was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left Achilles' tendinitis. ... Padres LHP Clayton Richard is likely done for the season after being transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Clayton is expected to have surgery on his injured left shoulder soon. ... San Diego INF Pedro Ciriaco was designated for assignment. ... Giants OF Jeff Francoeur is expected to join the club in San Diego on Saturday. Francoeur was picked up on July 9 after he was released by the Kansas City Royals. ... Padres RHP Miles Mikolas was optioned to Triple-A Tucson.
