SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres packed more than a game’s worth of offense into one inning on Sunday.
Dave Roberts hit a three-run homer and Brian Giles added a two-run single in a 10-run seventh, carrying the Padres to a 12-4 victory over the Florida Marlins.
The Padres won for the 12th time in 16 games and swept the Marlins for the first time ever in a three-game series in San Diego. Khalil Greene had three hits, while Roberts and Giles each had three RBIs.
The Padres sent 13 batters to the plate in the seventh against starter A.J. Burnett – who no-hit them four years ago – and two relievers. They scored six runs before the Marlins got an out.
San Diego had six hits, drew three walks – two with the bases loaded – and benefited from a throwing error by first baseman Carlos Delgado. Only five of the runs were earned.
Roberts, pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney and Greene all batted twice and scored twice in the inning.
Trailing 4-1, the Padres loaded the bases in the seventh on a single, walk and the error by Delgado, who tried to force Sweeney at second on a grounder by Roberts, but the ball hit Sweeney in the back. Mark Loretta walked to force in a run and chase Burnett. Left-hander Matt Perisho came on and walked left-hander Ryan Klesko to make it 4-3.
Jim Mecir entered and allowed Phil Nevin’s single, which tied the game at 4. Giles gave them a 6-4 lead with his single to right-center. Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI single before the Padres made their first out, on Sean Burroughs’ sacrifice bunt.
Roberts capped the scoring with his three-run homer, his second, to right field, also off Mecir.
The Padres added a run in the eighth on Giles’ sacrifice fly.
Rudy Seanez (2-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win. Burnett (3-4) allowed five runs – four earned – on eight hits in six-plus innings, walked four and struck out four.
The Marlins had gone ahead 4-1 with five straight two-out hits off Brian Lawrence in the sixth inning.
Leading 1-0, Lawrence and retired Juan Pierre and Chris Aguila before his sinker apparently abandoned him. Lawrence had gotten 16 of 17 outs either by groundballs or strikeouts before the Marlins started hitting him hard and in the air.
Delgado drove a single up the middle to start the rally, followed by Miguel Cabrera’s single to right-center. Jeff Conine hit a flare to right-center to bring in the first run, Damion Easley doubled over Roberts’ head in center field to bring in two more and Alex Gonzalez doubled down the right-field line to make it 4-1 and chase Lawrence. Seanez came on and retired Matt Treanor.
Burroughs hit a two-out single in the second inning and scored on Greene’s double to center.
Lawrence allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out four and walked none.
Notes: Conine finished with three hits. … After going 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position in its three previous games, Florida went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position in the sixth inning. … Tennis great Rod Laver was a guest of Padres general manager Kevin Towers. Laver, the last man to win the Grand Slam, lives in nearby Carlsbad.
AP-ES-05-15-05 1905EDT
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