Padres ride Yonder Alonso's HR to win over Arizona

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The new Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 deck atop the reconfigured right field wall at Petco Park provides an inviting target.

"It's nice," said Alonso, who hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Wade Miley in the fifth inning to help the Padres to a 7-6 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, San Diego's seventh win in nine games. It was Arizona's fourth straight loss.

Alsono's homer was one of 14 hits for the Padres, the second time they've had that many in three home games. Rookie Jedd Gyorko had his first three-hit game, including two doubles.

"I've sensed us starting to swing the bats better the last couple weeks," manager Bud Black said. "We've broken out a couple different times on a couple different games and it showed tonight again with double-digit hits, some good at-bats, some good walks, some hard contact along the way, a big home run, a couple big swings. I've sensed that."

With the Padres trailing 3-2, Alonso drove a 2-2 pitch from Miley (2-1) into the Jack Daniel's deck in right-center, his fourth. It probably would have been a home run even in Petco Park's old configuration. The fences were moved in 11 feet from the home run porch in the right-field corner to the gap in an attempt to make the downtown ballpark play fairer. Jesus Guzman was aboard on a grounder.

Miley was "locating pretty well early in the game," Alonso said. "I got a good fastball elevated middle in. He got me to foul some pitches inside. I wasn't catching up to it, but then I made a little adjustment."

Miley said he left a pitch up.

"I was trying to get it away and I overthrew it and it stayed middle and he did a good job of hitting it," Miley said. "I was battling a bit. You don't always feel your best every time. But I had some opportunities to get out of it."

The homer made a winner of Jason Marquis (3-2). Marquis allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, struck out five and walked five.


(ap.org)