Padres 5, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Andrew Cashner finally got some run support, and the end result was finally a positive one for the San Diego Padres' pitcher.
Cashner gave up three runs in seven innings and got key hits from left fielder Justin Upton and right fielder Matt Kemp in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Cashner got just 2.41 runs-per-game from the offense in his nine starts this season, which explains why he entered Wednesday with a 1-7 mark despite a 2.89 ERA.
Wednesday, the Padres hitters more than doubled that, while getting a little help from the Angels defense, which made three errors.
Angels starter Garrett Richards was his own worst enemy, committing two of the errors himself, including one while fielding a bunt in the seventh inning that led to two unearned runs.
That's when Upton and Kemp came through with back-to-back, two-out, RBI singles that turned a 3-3 game into a 5-3 Padres lead. Those hits also knocked Richards out of the game.
Richards (4-3) got the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six.
For Cashner (2-7), the start was anything but his best of the season. Seven times prior to Wednesday, he allowed two earned runs or fewer in a game. But this time he was good enough, getting his first victory since April 19, ending a losing streak of five consecutive decisions.
Padres third baseman Will Middlebrooks had a big day at the plate with an RBI double and two-run homer (No. 6), both hits coming with two outs. Catcher Derek Norris also had two hits for the Padres.
The Angels had 10 hits, including two each from center fielder Mike Trout, third baseman David Freese and catcher Carlos Perez. Perez also drove in two runs, and left fielder Matt Joyce hit a solo homer, his second of the season.
The Angels cut their deficit to 5-4 in the eighth inning with a run off right-handed reliever Brandon Maurer, ending Maurer's streak of 13 consecutive scoreless innings. But closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save, getting a boost from Kemp in right field.
Pinch hitter Johnny Giavotella hit a line drive to right center field with two out and tried to stretch it into a double, but Kemp threw a strike to shortstop Alexi Amarista to nail Giavotella and end the game.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the second inning against Richards, getting a one-out double by designated hitter Derek Norris and a two-out, RBI double by Middlebrooks.
The Angels matched the run in their half of the second against Cashner. Freese led off the inning with a double, and he scored on catcher Carlos Perez's two-out infield single, tying the game at 1-1.
Middlebrooks, though, untied the game in the fourth with his second two-out hit of the night, a two-run home run that put the Padres up 3-1.
The Angels narrowed their deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, getting a two-out single by catcher Chris Iannetta followed by an RBI double by Perez.
NOTES: The Angels acquired OF Kirk Nienwenhuis from the Mets on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations. Nienwenhuis hit .079 (3-for-38) in 27 games for the Mets this season before he was designated for assignment last week. He is expected to be activated Thursday. ... To make room for Nienwenhuis on the major league roster, the Angels likely will send 1B/DH Marc Krauss to Triple-A Salt Lake. Krauss, though, could stay if the Angels instead place OF Collin Cowgill (sprained right hand) on the disabled list. ... Entering play Wednesday, the Padres were the only National League team to have three players with at least 25 RBIs -- OF Justin Upton (35), C Derek Norris (28) and OF Matt Kemp (25). ... Norris began the night leading all NL catchers in a number of categories, including extra-base hits (20), hits (45), RBIs (28), doubles (16) and runners caught stealing (14).