Padres 2, Giants 1
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' Andrew Cashner was on the money, and the Padres cashed in a rare victory.
The San Diego Padres edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday night before 34,292 at Petco Park. And it was Cashner's lively right arm that helped the Padres earn just their seventh victory of the season.
Cashner (1-1), in his second start this year and eighth of his career, limited the Giants to one run in six innings of work. Leaning on a heavy fastball, Cashner struck out five and allowed five hits and a walk as the Padres won their second straight game.
The Giants swept the Padres last weekend, so Cashner's performance was uplifting for a squad that has struggled coming out of the gate.
Cashner was the key piece of the trade with the Cubs that sent Anthony Rizzo to Chicago.
After scoring in the first inning, the Giants bats had few answers for Cashner's fastball, which was clocked at 96 mph. The Giants' first two batters reached in the third inning, but it was a series of U-turns back to the dugout after that.
After throwing 83 pitches and retiring the final 12 batters he faced, Cashner gave way to the Padres' bullpen in the seventh.
The bullpen is billed as a Padres' strength. That prove to be true with relievers Joe Thatcher and Dale Thayer combining on a spotless seventh. Set-up specialist Luke Gregerson worked the eighth, and he duplicated Thatcher and Thayer with a clean inning.
Next was closer Huston Street, seeking his second save of the home stand. But Street would have to navigate the potent middle of the Giants' order to gain it.
Street got Pablo Sandoval on a lazy fly to right, but Buster Posey followed with a sharp single. Hunter Pence came up representing the go-ahead run, but he went down swinging.
But Brandon Belt stroked a single to left, chasing pinch-runner Joaquin Arias to third. With runners on the corners, Street coaxed Brandon Crawford into a soft grounder to second, which Jedd Gyorko flipped to Everth Cabrera to force Belt for the final out.
The Giants got to Cashner early, scoring once in the first inning.
Angel Pagan opened with a single, stole second and took third on a force out. Cashner then uncorked the first of his two wild pitches, with Pagan scampering home.
The Padres appeared poised to tie the score when Yonder Alonso opened the second with a walk and Chris Denorfia followed with a single. Gyorko sent a ball to the left-center gap, but Pagan made a sensational diving catch that probably prevented two runs from scoring. John Baker grounded into a double play to end the threat.
The Padres took the lead in the third when Alonso's single chased home Chase Headley. They had tied the score earlier in the inning when Carlos Quentin drove in Cashner, who was aboard via a walk.
NOTES: Padres manager Bud Black said Kyle Blanks will start in right field on Saturday against the left-handed Barry Zito. Blanks has been nursing a sore shoulder after running into the AT&T Park wall last Sunday while making a catch. ... Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin's sore wrist remains in a splint, and the team won't have a clear picture for his return until it is removed. There is no timetable when that might be. ... Padres infielder Logan Forsythe is out of his walking boot and is roughly 10 days from returning to baseball activities. Forsythe started the season on the DL with a foot injury. ...Crawford and Pence are the only Giants to start all 23 games this season. ... Zito, Saturday's starter, has allowed nine runs this season. All nine came in his lone road outing, April 14 at Milwaukee.
