Five-run inning carries Padres past Brewers
SAN DIEGO -- Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run single and scored on a triple by Ryan Schimpf as part of a five-run fifth inning Monday night, and the San Diego Padres defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 at Petco Park.
The Padres had three consecutive hits with runners in scoring position while wiping out a 2-1 deficit in the fifth to break out of a situational-hitting slump.
Alexi Amarista's run-scoring single, which tied the game at 2-2, ended San Diego's run of 14 straight at-bats without a hit with runners in scoring position.
Travis Jankowski reached base all five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks, two steals and two runs for the Padres, who evened the season series against the Brewers at 2-2.
Solarte, who returned to the Padres after missing four games on family leave, Schimpf and Wil Myers all had two hits for the Padres.
Reliever Carlos Villanueva (2-2) got the win despite allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson (6-10) took the loss.
In the fifth, Jankowski drew an inning-opening walk and stole second. Amarista followed with an RBI single to right-center to tie the game. Myers hit a line-drive double off the wall in left-center, although Amarista limped into third clutching his leg and had to leave the game with a left hamstring strain.
Solarte drove home pinch runner Christian Bethancourt and Myers with a single to right-center to break the tie and give the Padres a 4-2 lead.
Solarte raced home from first on Schimpf's triple into the right field corner, the hit also driving Nelson from the mound. Schimpf scored the fifth run in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Adam Rosales off reliever Blaine Boyer.
Nelson gave up six runs on eight hits, four walks and a hit batter in four-plus innings in his third-worst start of the season.
Both starting pitchers struggled with their control.
Right-hander Jarred Cosart's first start with the Padres lasted only 3 1/3 innings, during which he walked six Brewers and hit one. The leadoff hitter reached base in three of the four innings.
However, Cosart allowed only one hit and didn't allow a run thanks to two double plays.
With Brewers on first and second -- on a hit-batter and a walk -- with one out in the fourth, Cosart came out after 77 pitches, 43 of which missed the strike zone.
Right-hander Carlos Villanueva got out of the fourth inning but ran into trouble in the fifth.
Hernan Perez followed a one-out single by Scooter Gennett with his eighth homer of the season, a 381-foot drive into the right-field seats.
The two-run blast erased a 2-1 Padres lead that was achieved in the bottom of the second when Schimpf hit a lead-off double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out to short by Derek Norris.
Gennett went 2-for-3 with two walks.
NOTES: Milwaukee traded All-Star C Jonathan Lucroy and RHP Jeremy Jeffress to Texas for three minor league prospects, including former first-round draft picks OF Lewis Brinson and RHP Luis Ortiz. ... Brewers C Martin Maldonado will start at catcher the next two games, although the team called up C Manny Pina. ... Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the closer's role would be filled by committee. ... Brewers LF Ryan Braun (right side tightness) was available to pinch-hit Monday and could return to the lineup Tuesday. ... San Diego RHP Colin Rea, who left his first start with Miami with an elbow injury after 3 1/3 innings, was returned to the Padres Monday in exchange for RHP Luis Castillo. Castillo was part of the four-play package the Padres received for starters Rea and RHP Andrew Cashner. Rea is on the 15-day disabled list. ... Padres SS Jose Rondon was optioned to Double-A San Antonio Monday when 3B Yangervis Solarte returned from family leave.