Surging Prado leads Diamondbacks past Padres
PHOENIX -- Martin Prado has no explanation for his extended hot streak this month, but he is not about to complain.
Prado drove in three runs in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday, giving him a National League-high 27 RBIs in August. He leads the major leagues with 36 hits this month.
"It's hard to believe, but I'm taking advantage of it," said Prado, who is hitting .283 with 13 homers and 68 RBIs this season. "It was a difficult couple of months that I had in the first half. It is good to be feeling this way and contributing for the team."
Prado hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and singled with the bases loaded in the sixth, driving in two runs to give Arizona a 4-1 lead.
"He's been on fire," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said.
The D-backs added two unearned runs in the seventh inning.
Arizona right-hander Brandon McCarthy (3-8) gave up five hits and an unearned run in seven innings to win for the first time in five starts since returning from the disabled list. He missed the previous nine weeks due to right shoulder inflammation. The victory Monday was his first since May 24.
"At least I can leave the game feeling that I carried my weight and kind of did what I was supposed to do," said McCarthy, who gave up seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in his last start at Cincinnati on Wednesday. "It is nice to leave a game with a positive feeling."
Paul Goldschmidt had two RBIs to push his NL-leading total to 103 as the D-backs (67-63) won for the second time in three games.
Will Venable had two of the Padres' five hits and scored the lone run for San Diego (59-72), which has lost four of its last seven. He has hit safely in 21 of 22 games in August.
San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross (3-7), who pitched eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory at Arizona on July 28, gave up six runs, four earned, and seven hits in six-plus innings Monday.
"The story was we just couldn't get any runs. I thought Tyson was fine," San Diego manager Bud Black said.
Ross said, "I definitely struggled with command early on. I found a little bit of a groove there, but I wasn't sharpest with the fastball. That is something that I have to work on."
The D-backs scored two unearned runs in the seventh inning, both coming after Padres catcher Nick Hundley was ruled to have missed the plate while attempting a force play with no outs and the bases loaded.
Black argued with plate umpire Manny Gonzalez, but the call stood.
"I don't know what the replay showed, but I had Nick on the plate," Black said.
Venable and Alexi Amarista singled to open the first inning off McCarthy, and Venable scored when shortstop Didi Gregorius threw past first base while trying to complete a double play on Yonder Alonso's grounder.
Arizona tied the score in the fourth, when Goldschmidt tripled home Adam Eaton, who was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Prado's one-out sacrifice fly put the Diamondbacks in front 2-1.
NOTES: Arizona announced it will recall Double-A Mobile LHP David Holmberg for Tuesday's start against San Diego, a spot open because RHP Trevor Cahill had to pitch four innings in relief in a 12-7, 18-inning victory at Philadelphia on Saturday. ... San Diego purchased the contract of OF Reymond Fuentes and recalled RHP Anthony Bass from Triple-A Tucson, returning OF Jaff Decker and RHP Brad Brach to Tucson. Fuentes, 22, hit .330 with six homers, 43 RBIs and 35 stolen bases at Double-A San Antonio and Tucson this season. A first-round pick by Boston in the 2009 draft, Fuentes was obtained in the Adrian Gonzalez trade. ... The D-backs reinstated C Miguel Montero and 3B Eric Chavez from the disabled list and optioned 3B Matt Davidson and Tuffy Gosewisch to Triple-A Reno. ... RHP Ian Kennedy will make his fifth start for San Diego on Tuesday and his first appearance against the D-backs since being dealt to the Padres for LHP Joe Thatcher, minor league RHP Matt Stites and a 2014 draft pick at the July 31 trade deadline. Kennedy is 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in four starts for the Padres after going 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts for the D-backs this season. He was 48-34 in 3 1/2 years in Arizona, winning 21 games in 2011. ... D-backs 2B Aaron Hill (groin tightness) missed his second straight start but appeared as a pinch hitter in the seventh, drawing an intentional walk and scoring a run.
