Edinson Volquez has had some bad starts for the Padres, but Friday night's was far and away the worst.
Volquez allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning before getting the hook against the Cubs at Petco Park. The Padres had not won a game where their starting pitcher was pulled in the first inning since 1991 against the artists formerly known as the Montreal Expos.
But, thanks to the work of the bullpen (led by Tim Stauffer, who came in and allowed just one hit in 4.1 innings) and some dizzying offense, the Padres did it again.
Will Venable had three hits (finishing a double shy of the cycle), including a solo home run that broke a 6-6 tie in the 7th inning.
Venable's shot was made possible by the work of Jedd Gyorko (who hit a pair of home runs, the first a 3-run shot in the 4th inning to cut the Cubs' lead in half), and Logan Forsythe, who had a pair of knocks, including a triple in the 6th inning that scored Chase Headley to tie the game.
The Padres pounded out 13 hits en route to overcoming the 6-run deficit, their biggest comeback of the season.
Gyorko's multi-homer game was his first in the big leagues, and the first for any Padres player this season. He now has 16 on the season, leading all MLB rookies.
