Clayton Richard pitched a strong game and Cameron Maybin led a relentless offense. However, it was Everth Cabrera who was the talk of the Padres' locker room.
Richard threw a commanding eight innings and Maybin drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
But Cabrera's 13-pitch at-bat -- on all fastballs -- against Ryan Vogelsong (10-7) leading off the first inning drew a lot of credit for San Diego's success.
Cabrera eventually struck out swinging after fouling off seven straight pitches with the count full.
"That first at-bat, from our side, was awesome," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Being in those shoes, it's not a great way to start the game. Mentally, as a starting pitcher, you're not in a good way."
Vogelsong threw 35 pitches in the first inning when San Diego sent eight men to bat and scored three runs. The right-hander threw another 31 pitches in the second inning when the Padres loaded the bases.
"That at-bat fired us up," Maybin said. "Cabby came out and set the tone with that big at-bat."
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Said Cabrera: "I was just trying to see the ball and put it in play."
Vogelsong, who had his second straight subpar outing, disagreed with effect of Cabrera's at-bat.
"It's 13 pitches," he said. "They fouled a bunch of balls off. Both teams did."
The Giants dropped out of first in the NL West and trail the Dodgers by a half-game heading into their big three-game series in Los Angeles. Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the opener on Monday night.
Richard (10-12) allowed an unearned run and five hits while improving to 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA in his last five starts. The left-hander was 0-3 with a 7.64 ERA in his three previous starts against San Francisco this season.
"It starts with the starting pitcher," Black said. "He answered the bell. He wasn't feeling well (in his last start) and it stayed with him. He was a little fuzzy, but as the game wore on, he set the tone."
Maybin tied his career high with four hits, including a two-run single in the first inning.
"Not being happy with this year, you still want to go up there and believe you can keep producing," said Maybin, who has had a disappointing season after signing a five-year, $25-million extension in the spring.
Cabrera and Will Venable had three hits apiece and San Diego finished with 16 overall, while avoiding matching its longest losing streak of the season.
San Francisco had scored 22 times and managed 37 hits in three games since outfielder Melky Cabrera was suspended on Wednesday for 50 games following a positive test for testosterone.
The Padres improved to 4-8 against San Francisco this season and 10-20 over the last two years.
Vogelsong gave up eight runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings in a 14-2 loss to Washington on Monday. The right-hander lasted three-plus innings against San Diego and was charged with three runs and eight hits. Over his last two outings, his ERA has increased from an NL-best 2.27 to 2.85.
"The first inning was a long inning," Giants manager Bruce
Bochy said. "It probably caught up with him. It was pretty amazing the number of pitches he threw."
Venable hit a one-out single in the first, stole second and scored on Carlos Quentin's base hit. After Yonder Alonso singled and Alexi Amarista walked, Maybin drove in two more runs with a single.
The Giants countered with a run in the second after Buster Posey reached on Venable's two-base error when he dropped a routine fly ball to right. Posey went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Hunter Pence's sacrifice fly.
The Padres added three more in the fifth. Amarista hit a leadoff triple and scored on Maybin's single. Cabrera added a two-run double.
