Padres Reclaim Share of NL West Lead

Greg Maddux led the Friars to a 3-1 win over the DBacks Wednesday night at Petco Park. Coming into the game with a streak of 35 innings without issuing walk (for a 1.2 walk/9 innings ratio), Maddux tacked on an additional 7 walk-less innings while also recording 5 punch outs on the way to his second career triumph over Arizona. Maddux appeared to talk Padres skipper Bud Black out of removing him from the game with 2 outs in the 7th; the Professor responded with an emphatic strikeout of AZ star Chris Young. Kevin Cameron pitched a 1-2-3 eight for his 34th scoreless inning in 39 attempts - not too shabby for someone the team was hiding in the bowels of the 'pen to start the season. Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth for his second career save as Trevor Hoffman was on the shelf after appearing in 6 of the last 8 games.

Brian Giles kicked off the San Diego's scoring by yanking a high and tight fastball over the right field wall. The blast not only knotted the score, but it also notched his 1000 career RBI. Giles is now only the twelfth active player to have 1000 RBI, 1000 runs, 1500 hits and 250 dingers. Giles also scored the Friar's second run on a Mike Cameron double in the 8th. Adrian Gonzalez then drove Cameron in with a single (Gonzalez was tossed at second trying to extend his hit into a double).

The Padres now have 30 games remaining in the 2007 campaign, with 22 of those contests happening within the NL West. A win tomorrow will give Kevin Towers' club a 4 game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Phillies won tonight to keep pace 3 games back in the Wild Card race. Ironically, Philly won on an obstruction call to end the game.

NOTES:
* Kevin Kouzmanoff's 7 game hitting steak came to end with a on 0-3 night.
* Maddux threw 88 pitches Wednesday night. His season high pitch count was 97 on April 22 during 2-4 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field