MILWAUKEE (AP) — Khalil Greene hit a go-ahead double and drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres boosted their playoff hopes with a 6-3 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night that eliminated the Brewers from post-season contention.
Greg Maddux (14-11) gave up three runs and six hits in five innings for his 347th win as San Diego opened a two-game lead in the NL wild-card standings and remained one game behind Arizona in the NL West. Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 42nd save in 47 chances.
As the Padres broke a 3-3 tie on Greene’s double in the sixth, the Brewers were getting more bad news via the electronic scoreboard on the left-field wall at Miller Park: The NL Central-leading Cubs were leading 6-0 in Cincinnati. Chicago’s win gave the Cubs a three-game lead over Milwaukee with two remaining.
Milwaukee certainly had its chance in the sixth, loading the bases with one out off reliever Joe Thatcher. But Padres manager Bud Black lifted Thatcher for right-hander Cla Meredith, who got pinch-hitter Craig Counsell to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Padres took the lead in the top half of the sixth, leading off the inning with back-to-back doubles by Adrian Gonzalez and Greene off Claudio Vargas (11-6).
Greene added a two-run homer in the eighth, his 26th of the season, putting the Padres ahead 6-3.
The Brewers had another scoring chance in the eighth, after reliever Heath Bell walked Prince Fielder and hit Corey Hart with one out. But Bell got Kevin Mench to fly out and struck out Joe Dillon to end the inning.
Chris Capuano gave up three runs and five hits in five innings. The Brewers have lost the last 22 games Capuano has appeared in, a stretch that includes 18 starts and four relief appearances. Capuano was banished to the bullpen in mid-August but recently returned to the rotation after No. 1 starter Ben Sheets injured his left hamstring.
Capuano received a no-decision on Friday but has dropped his last 12 decisions, a club record.
With the Padres trailing 2-0 and one out in the fourth, Capuano allowed a single by Kevin Kouzmanoff and issued consecutive walks to Gonzalez and Greene to load the bases. Josh Bard poked a single to centre to score Kouzmanoff and leave the bases still loaded. Geoff Blumb hit a sacrifice fly to score Gonzalez and tie the game.
Former-Brewer Brady Clark then singled to centre, and Corey Hart’s throw home bounced under the glove of catcher Damian Miller, allowing Greene to score and put the Padres ahead 3-2.
But Hart answered with a solo home run off Maddux in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 3.
The Brewers came out stealing against a Padres team that struggles to throw out runners, as two stolen bases led to a two-run lead in the first inning.
Notes: The commissioner’s office revoked the three-game suspension assessed to RHP Seth McClung Thursday. The reliever and Brewers manager Ned Yost were ejected Wednesday night after Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals was hit during a 7-3 loss. … Maddux was picked off first base by Capuano in the third despite taking only a two-step lead off first base. … Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks hit RHP Yovani Gallardo in the back with a line drive during batting practice. Gallardo eventually walked off the field, accompanied a member of the training staff. … Sheets, who is available for bullpen duty, warmed up in the sixth.
