Perdomo, bullpen propel Padres to sweep of Giants
SAN FRANCISCO -- Right-hander Luis Perdomo pitched into the seventh inning and the bullpen threw hitless ball the rest of the way, as the San Diego Padres completed an improbable three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon.
The loss kept the Giants (77-68) just one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals (76-69) on the eve of their four-game series that begins Thursday night in San Francisco.
Luis Sardinas had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the Padres, who have won six straight against the Giants after having lost their first nine contests against San Francisco this season.
The three-game sweep was San Diego's first in San Francisco since May 2010.
Perdomo (8-9) rebounded from two poor September starts to stymie the Giants on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He allowed one run, walked one and struck out five.
Perdomo had been roughed up for nine runs and 17 hits over 12 2/3 innings by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies in his two previous starts.
Perdomo left with one on and one out in the seventh and holding a 3-1 lead and watched the San Diego bullpen dominate the Giants from there.
Brad Hand struck out the only two batters he faced to finish the seventh, fellow left-hander Ryan Buchter recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth, and righty Brandon Maurer pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save.
The win was the Padres' 50th straight this season when leading after eight innings.
Sardinas helped San Diego jump on Giants star Madison Bumgarner for a run in the first inning. He singled with one out, went to third on Wil Myers' double and scored on Yangervis Solarte's infield out.
The Giants got even in the second with their only run against Perdomo, taking advantage of a leadoff walk to Brandon Crawford. Joe Panik drove in the run with a one-out single.
Sardinas also singled in the sixth. After he stole second, he came home with the eventual difference-making run on Alex Dickerson's two-out RBI single.
San Diego tacked on in the seventh and sent Bumgarner to the showers.
Adam Rosales led off the inning with a double and scored on Sardinas' third single, a two-out hit that ended Bumgarner's day.
In losing to the Padres for the first time in his last five starts, Bumgarner (14-9) allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
The Padres out-hit the Giants 8-4, with all of San Francisco's hits being singles.
NOTES: When he completed the top of the first, Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner went over 200 innings for the sixth consecutive season. ... San Francisco has re-evaluated 3B Eduardo Nunez and is now calling his injury an oblique strain. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he hopes to have Nunez back for the St. Louis series this week. ... San Francisco reinstated RHP Derek Law (strained elbow) from the disabled list. He became the 35th active player on the San Francisco roster, with 20 being pitchers. ... Major League Baseball announced its 2017 schedule Wednesday, and it has the Padres and Giants both opening on the road. The Giants will face the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Sunday opener (April 2) because the NCAA Tournament championship game is scheduled for April 3 in Phoenix. The Padres will debut on April 3 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.