Nationals 6, Padres 5
SAN DIEGO -- Chad Tracy's pinch-home run with two outs in the 10th inning lifted the Washington Nationals to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Petco Park.
The Padres forced extra inning by scoring two unearned runs in the ninth off closer Rafael Soriano. But Tracy delivered his first homer of the season, sending a 1-1 pitch from closer Huston Street (0-3) into the right-field seats.
Chase Headley singled home Chris Denorfia, who reached on a throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman, before Kyle Blanks' RBI single to right scored Headley to tie the score at 5 with two outs in the ninth.
Adam LaRoche homered twice, including consecutive shots with Zimmerman in the sixth, and drove in four RBIs.
Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez recovered from a shaky start and kept the Padres in check for much of his outing. After allowing two runs in the first inning, one of them on a throwing error, Gonzalez retired 11 of 12 batters from the second until the sixth when San Diego rookie Jedd Gyorko took him deep for a solo home run to center.
Gonzalez went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks before giving way to reliever Tyler Clippard in the seventh. Clippard pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings, but Soriano (1-1), who got the victory despite giving up three hits in the ninth, couldn't seal the deal.
Drew Storen picked up the save, his first, retiring Everth Cabrera on a groundout for the final out.
Padres starter Burch Smith got knocked around again. Though effective early, Smith, who was chased in the second inning at Tampa last weekend, ran into trouble in the fourth when LaRoche tagged him for a three-run homer that allowed the Nationals to wipe out a two-run lead.
Smith, who was making his second major-league start after being called up from Double-A San Antonio last Saturday, gave up five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out eight, including the side in the second, and walked one.
The Nationals (23-19) have won eight of the last 10 against the Padres (18-23) and seven of the past eight at Petco.
Blanks' RBI single to right and a throwing error by Bryce Harper, which allowed Jesus Guzman to score, gave the Padres a 2-0 lead with two outs in the first.
But LaRoche extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with a three-run homer, his second home run in as many nights, off Smith into the sand box in right center to give the Nationals the lead in the fourth.
NOTES: RHP Tim Stauffer was called up by the Padres from Triple-A Tucson on Friday. Stauffer, who had season-ending surgery in August on his right elbow to repair a flexor tendon, was 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 38 strikeouts in eight starts for Triple-A Tucson, the last one coming Saturday against Round Rock. He will pitch out of the bullpen. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin was placed on paternity leave Friday. Quentin also missed Thursday's game against the Nationals after the birth of his first child, a boy named Clark. Quentin, who is hitting .181 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 28 games, will return Saturday. ... Nationals OF Jayson Werth was temporarily shut down after experiencing tightness in his injured right hamstring during a rehab assignment with Class-A Potomac. Werth has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 11, retroactive to May 3. ... With Friday's "80's Night" celebration, the Padres wore their white throwback uniforms with orange, mustard and brown trim with brown- and mustard-colored caps.
