W: Chris Capuano (2-2)
L: Wade LeBlanc (7-11)
HR: Casey McGehee (20), Jonathan Lucroy (3), Adrian Gonzalez (24), Chase Headley (3)
MVP: Chris Capuano (+.334)
LVP: Yovani Gallardo (-.558)
This was not the game I expected to watch tonight.
The Padres entered tonight's game among the bottom five teams in the NL in slugging, OPS and home runs. This would seem to bode well for Yovani Gallardo, who was allowing just 0.4 HR per nine innings pitched entering the game, and hadn't allowed one since June. But, as John Travolta said in Swordfish, "Not everything ends the way you think it should."
The Padres lit up Gallardo in the early innings tonight, scoring three runs on a pair of home runs in the first inning, two more in the second and one in the fourth before the Brewers' ace was mercifully removed. Gallardo's final line: 3.1 IP, six runs on six hits, five walks and just one strikeout.
Meanwhile, the Padres' pitching staff entered tonight's game leading the NL in team ERA (3.20), WHIP (1.206) and hits per nine innings (7.8). One would assume they don't lose very often when they score six runs in the first two innings...but tonight, they found a way. Starter Wade LeBlanc was also chased from the game after just 3.1 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits, with a walk and three strikeouts.
From there, it was a battle of the bullpens and Chris Capuano came out the big winner. Capuano entered the game with the bases loaded in the third inning and faced the minimum while pitching 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and one walk, which was promptly erased on a double play. He also went 1-for-2 at the plate, picking up his first base hit since August 24, 2007.
Elsewhere at the plate, Casey McGehee was the star of the night, going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, driving in four of the first five Brewer runs. He now has multi hit games in five of the Brewers' last eight contests.
Corey Hart left the game in the eighth inning with a tight right hamstring, and was replaced defensively by Chris Dickerson. He'll likely be reevaluated tomorrow.