Padres 7, Diamondbacks 2
SAN DIEGO -- Justin Upton snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run, two-out homer in the fifth inning and right-hander Andrew Cashner gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings Saturday night as the San Diego Padres defeated Arizona 7-2 to move past the Diamondbacks into third place in the National League West.
Cashner (3-9), who also drove in his first run this season with a single on a squeeze bunt, picked up only his second win since April 19 as the Padres gave him more than five runs in a game for the first time since Sept. 10, 2013. Cashner had six strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Third baseman Yangervis Solarte had three hits and an RBI for the Padres. Five other players -- Upton, right fielder Matt Kemp, first baseman Yonder Alonso, center fielder Will Venable and shortstop Clint Barmes -- each had two of San Diego's 15 hits. Kemp, Alonso and catcher Derek Norris also drove in runs.
Upton's 14th homer of the season -- but only his second in his last 32 games -- came on a full-count pitch from Arizona starter Jeremy Hellickson and broke a 2-2 tie.
Alonso set up Upton's 360-foot, opposite-field drive with a two-out double to left. Upton's homer bounced on top of the wall in right.
The Padres took a quick lead with two runs in the first against Hellickson.
Kemp, making his fourth start as the Padres' leadoff hitter, opened the game with a double, moved to third on Solarte's groundout to second and scored on Alonso's single.
Upton followed with a single to right, sending Alonso to third. Alonso scored on Norris' groundout to Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed, who had to charge the hopper, eliminating any shot at an inning-ending double play.
But after working out of a jam in the second -- the Diamondbacks didn't score after loading the bases on three singles with one out -- Cashner gave up two runs in the third on three straight two-out doubles by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, left fielder David Peralta and right fielder Yasmany Tomas.
An inning after Upton's home run, the Padres extended their lead to 7-2 with three runs on five singles in the sixth.
Venable and Barmes opened the inning with singles, putting runners at the corners with none out. After second baseman Alexi Amarista popped out to short left, Cashner placed a perfect squeeze bunt up the third-base line with Venable sliding home ahead of the throw from third baseman Jake Lamb to make it 5-2.
Kemp followed with a single to left against right-handed reliever Randall Delgado that scored Barmes. Cashner then scored on a single by Solarte.
Meanwhile, Cashner retired nine of the next 10 Diamondbacks he faced after Tomas' double in the third.
NOTES: Padres 2B Cory Spangenberg departed Saturday's game in the fourth inning with a sprained left knee. He suffered the injury while making the pivot on a first-inning double play when Arizona shortstop Nick Ahmed slid into him. . . . Padres RHP Josh Johnson will soon resume a throwing program after results from an MRI earlier this week on his reconstructed right elbow were inconclusive, although Padres manager Pat Murphy said "they don't know about the integrity of the ligament." ... Ahmed batted leadoff for the second time this season. ... Saturday night was the first time this season the Padres scored more than five runs for starter Andrew Cashner.