Padres Win in Wild Walk-Off Fashion

Here's are some fun stats: Over the Padres' recent five-game losing streak they scored a total of just six runs, but during their current three-game winning streak they've combined for twelve runs. Eight of them came in the extra-inning victory over the Giants Saturday night. Only three of them were earned.

Some thought the game was over when the Giants went up 5-0. Brandon Crawford hit a two-out homer in the 2nd that also brought home Buster Posey, who led off the inning with a walk, and Brandon Belt, who was hit by a pitch. In the 3rd inning, Angel Pagan hit a leadoff single and later Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey hit back-to-back doubles to score San Francisco's 4th and 5th unanswered runs.

But then Bud Black pulled some motivational sh_t in the 4th inning or something because the Padres rallied for six runs to take the lead. With one out, Carlos Quentin got on base thanks to a fielding error by Andres Torres. Kyle Blanks followed up with a single to put runners at the corners for Yonder Alonso, who picked that moment to hit his second double of the night and score both runners. A wild pitch by Giants starter Barry Zito sent Alonso to third. Later, Zito issued a two-out walk to Nick Hundley to put runners at the corners again. A Jesus Guzman single and Chris Denorfia double brought home three more runs and tied up the game. At that point, former Padre Chad Gaudin came in to relieve Zito. Everth Cabrera promptly hit an RBI single to give the Padres their first lead of the game. Then in a sadly poetic moment, Chase Headley, who grounded out to lead off the inning, struck out swinging to end it.

The excitement was short-lived, however, as the Giants retook the lead in the 5th. With Marco Scutaro and Posey on base, Hunter Pence hit a triple off reliever Anthony Bass. San Francisco held the lead until the bottom of the 7th. Headley led off the inning with a double off Gaudin, who then left the game. Blanks later hit an RBI single off Gaudin's replacement, George Kontos, to tie the game back up.

Then a bunch of frustrating innings happened. The Padres had lots of opporunities to get the lead back, but instead left a bunch of men on base. The game went into extra innings and still they had trouble bringing runners home.

So we got to the bottom of the 12th. Sergio Romo took the mound for the Giants. With one out, Alonso hit his third double of the night to the same gap in left-center field, and no one was surprised because that is just what he does. Jedd Gyorko followed with a single to put runners at the corners for Hundley. He swung on the first pitch and the ball bounced to second baseman Scutaro, allowing Hundley to reach on a force-out attempt. The inning would have extended except that Scutaro mishandled the ball, which gave Alonso a chance to run home from third. The Padres won on a walkoff E4 and it. Felt. Good. Bud Black's strategic plan to take revenge on the Giants now two-thirds complete, the Padres are looking at a potential sweep in today's season finale.