SB Nation Arizona - D-backs Finding Favor With Baseball Gods, Score 5-2 Win Over Padreshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46593/arizona-fave.png2010-09-01T18:09:18-07:00http://arizona.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14278662010-09-01T18:09:18-07:002010-09-01T18:09:18-07:00Brandon Allen Hits Grand Slam As Diamondbacks Sweep Padres 5-2
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<p><font size="2"> Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Brandon Allen belted his first career grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat San Diego, 5-2, to complete a three-game sweep at Chase Field. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> It was quite a 2010 debut for Allen, who was promoted from Triple-A Reno earlier Wednesday, the first day major league rosters can be expanded. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Barry Enright (6-2) gave up two runs and nine hits over seven innings for Arizona, which has won six of its last seven games. The rookie right-hander has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his 12 starts. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> San Diego starter Mat Latos did not figure in the decision after yielding a solo home run to Chris Young among four hits in six full frames. He did match a career-high with 10 strikeouts. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The defeat extended San Diego's season-high losing streak to seven games. The National League West-leading Padres began the day four games ahead of second- place San Francisco. The Giants host Colorado later Wednesday. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Will Venable grounded a two-out single up the middle to plate Everth Cabrera and put San Diego up 2-1 in the top of the seventh. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Luke Gregerson (3-7) replaced Latos on the mound in the bottom of the inning and was lifted after he failed to retire any of the four batters he faced. Mark Reynolds walked, Miguel Montero reached on an error and Gerardo Parra hit an infield single, setting the stage for Allen, who crushed a 1-1 pitch to right field for the fifth home run of his career. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The Padres had runners on first and second with no out in the eighth, but Arizona reliever Aaron Heilman fanned Chase Headley and got Nick Hundley to ground into an inning-ending double play. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Juan Gutierrez pitched the ninth for his sixth save. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The game remained scoreless until Miguel Tejada homered off Enright to open the fourth. Young, though, tied the game with a two-out blast off the left- field foul pole in the sixth. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Game Notes </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Parra had three hits...The Diamondbacks finished with an 8-10 record against San Diego in the season series, but were 7-2 at Chase Field...Latos has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last 14 starts. </font></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/9/1/1664397/brandon-allen-dbacks-sweep-padresCory Williams2010-09-01T14:06:30-07:002010-09-01T14:06:30-07:00Gibby's Pregame Notes: Brandon Allen Gets Start For Justin Upton
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<p>For a guy who played with such passion, Gibby sure has turned out to be about as emotionally flat as any coach/manager out there. That's not to say he's without humor but he certainly lacks any kind of engaging spark when he delivers he monotone pre or post game chats.</p>
<p>Notes:</p>
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<li>Brandon Allen, recently called up from Reno where he .261 with 72 runs scored, 18 doubles, 3 triples, 25 home runs and 86 RBI in 107 games, will get the start today in left field and will bat eight in the order. </li>
<li>Parra will start again in right for Upton who continues to rest his shoulder. Gibby expects him to play on Friday and made it sound like they were just being cautious with him.</li>
<li>LaRoche is back in at first base after resting his knee last night.</li>
<li>Gibby said that Allen will continue to see time in left but could also play some first base in games against teams not in playoff contention. He said he would play "our guys" in games that had postseason implications.</li>
<li>Kelly Johnson will play tonight but get Friday off. Gibby said that Kelly has played "the right way" and was given the option of taking more time off during the month of September but Kelly wants to keep playing. Tony Abreu will get the start Friday at second and will continue to get some playing time down the stretch.</li>
<li>Gibby said he and the coaching staff discussed Allen's facing ace Mat Latos in his first appearance this year but them's the breaks.</li>
<li>Kirk faced Goose Gossage in his appearance. He struck out on three pitches in what he described as a 30 second at bat.</li>
<li>One aspect of the Gibby regime that's starting to make itself known more is pitching inside and off the plate with purpose. He's not talking about brush-back pitches but believes that there are few hitters who can handle a ball near his hands and a couple of good pitches in can open up the rest of the plate.</li>
<li>Gibby cited Ian Kennedy's 1st at bat against Tejada in last night's game which set up a big AB later in the game.</li>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/9/1/1663947/diamondbacks-pregame-notes-brandon-allenSeth Pollack2010-09-01T13:06:22-07:002010-09-01T13:06:22-07:00Enright Meets Latos As Padres Visit D-backs, 3:10 P.M. AZT
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<p>(Sports Network) - Mired in a season-high losing streak of six straight games, the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Diego Padres</a> will try save some face tonight in the finale of a three- game series against the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> at Chase Field.</p>
<p>The Padres haven't scored more than five runs in six straight games and hope to avoid suffering back-to-back sweeps. They lost all three games versus Philadelphia over the weekend before the first two installments of this series with the D'Backs, including Tuesday's 7-4 setback which featured a five-run fifth inning by Arizona.</p>
<p><span>Kevin Correia</span> was no help in trying to halt San Diego's skid, as the starting pitcher permitted six runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. <span>Nick Hundley</span> was the lone bright spot by going 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBI for the Padres, whose lead atop the National League West Division has dwindled down to four games ahead of San Francisco. The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Giants</a>, though, have also been hard pressed for wins lately.</p>
<p>"It's just not happening right now," Padres manager Bud Black said of the lack of production. "The world will turn. It happens to every team."</p>
<p>Black and the Padres may get off the schneid tonight with wins leader <span>Mat Latos</span> scheduled to start. Latos is 13-5 with a 2.29 earned run average in 24 starts this season and has won eight of his last nine decisions. He did not figure into the decision of last Friday's 3-2 loss versus Philadelphia and hurled seven strong innings of one-run ball with six K's.</p>
<p>Latos, a right-hander, defeated the Diamondbacks in his first career start against them on August 8 in the desert, where he tossed six shutout innings in a 10-1 rout. Latos is 9-3 in 15 starts away from Petco Park this season.</p>
<p>Arizona has won five of six games and is in search of its first sweep of the Padres since winning all three matchups from July 6-8, 2009 at Chase Field.</p>
<p>"We certainly can't let our guard down and say we're there, because we're far from it," D'Backs skipper Kirk Gibson told the team's site.</p>
<p><span>Mark Reynolds</span> hit a two-run homer, while <span>Miguel Montero</span> and <span>Gerardo Parra</span> both knocked in a pair of runs for the Diamondbacks. Reynolds owns 31 homers this season and has three in his last two games with seven RBI.</p>
<p>D'Backs rookie <span>Barry Enright</span> will try to keep his unbeaten streak intact when he takes the ball this evening. Enright is 4-0 with a 2.13 earned run average in his last eight starts and threw seven scoreless innings in last Friday's 6-0 win at San Francisco, improving to 5-2 in 11 overall starts.</p>
<p>The right-hander is 3-2 in six home outings this season and will face San Diego for the first time.</p>
<p>San Diego leads the 2010 series with Arizona by a 10-7 count, but has lost six of the eight matchups at Chase Field.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/9/1/2320304/enright-meets-latos-as-padres-visit-d-backs-3-10-p-m-aztJustin Burning