Burnett, Byrd Lead Phillies Over Padres, 5-2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A.J. Burnett threw 7 1-3 sharp innings, Marlon Byrd hit a three-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Back from a 1-5 trip that left them tied with the Cubs for the worst record in the NL, the Phillies opened a six-game homestand with only their 13th win at Citizens Bank Park.

Burnett (4-5) allowed two runs and three hits to earn his first win since May 20. Jonathan Papelbon left the bases loaded in a scoreless ninth to record his 300th career save, becoming the 26th pitcher to reach that mark. He has 14 consecutive saves after blowing his first try.

Will Venable hit a solo homer for San Diego. Starter Ian Kennedy (5-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Kennedy retired the first nine batters before Ben Revere lined a double to right to start Philadelphia's fourth. Chase Utley's RBI single tied it at 1. After Ryan Howard singled, Byrd hit an opposite-field shot into the seats in right-center field for a 4-1 lead.

Utley and Howard hit consecutive singles before Byrd drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 5-1.

That was enough for Burnett, who shook off his recent struggles and was in control throughout. The righty was 1-4 with a 7.25 ERA in his previous six starts. Burnett walked two after issuing 10 in his last two starts.

The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the third when Venable lined a 3-1 pitch into the seats in right for only his second homer in 179 at-bats. Venable hit a career-high 22 homers last season.

The light-hitting Padres entered with the worst batting average in the majors at .218. Carlos Quentin snapped an 0-for-24 slump with a seventh-inning double. But Everth Cabrera (0 for 18) and Jace Peterson (0 for 18) were 0 for 5 to extend their hitless streaks.

Quentin scored on Yonder Alonso's sacrifice fly to cut it to 5-2.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.