MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Padres right-hander Ian Kennedy had been eyeing the 200-innings pitched plateau for most of the month.
He emphatically reached the milestone and threw a kink into the Giants’ playoff plans along the way.
Kennedy pitched seven innings for his third consecutive win, Seth Smith hit a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning and San Diego beat San Francisco 4-1 on Friday night.
“For me, 200 innings is a mark that shows a guy stayed in the game and was durable,” Kennedy said. “You’ve got to go 33, 34 starts a year just to be able to do that. I knew (about it) all the way through September, actually.”
Kennedy (13-13) gave up one unearned run and four hits while going over 200 innings pitched for the third time in his career. He’s the first San Diego right-hander to do that since current Giants pitcher Jake Peavy in 2007.
The Giants managed just five hits and repeatedly came up empty with runners in scoring position. They got four runners to second base with one out and failed to score each time.
Kennedy retired the 11 of the final 13 batters he faced.
Kevin Quackenbush worked the eighth and Joaquin Benoit pitched the ninth for his 11th save.
“I think that Ian smelled it at the end, I really do,” San Diego manager Bud Black said. “You don’t punch 200 guys without having good stuff the whole year. He knew what was in front of him.”
By winning, the Padres assured the Giants of opening the postseason on the road. San Francisco is two games behind Pittsburgh with two to go. The Pirates hold the tiebreaker, giving them home-field advantage.
“We wanted (a home game) for our fans but hey, it didn’t happen,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We look forward to going on the road, just having a chance.”
Rene Rivera singled in a pair of runs and had two hits, and Yasmani Grandal also drove in a run to help the Padres clinch the season series against their division rivals for the first time since 2010.
San Diego, which rallied from a 6-0 deficit to lead the Giants late before losing 9-8 on Friday, led from the beginning this time.
The Padres jumped on San Francisco starter Ryan Vogelsong (8-13) for a run in the first then broke the game open with a three-run sixth.
FINISHING STRONG
Black has been encouraged with how well the Padres have been playing down the stretch despite missing the playoffs. San Diego has won nine of its last 12 games and will finish with its most regular season wins since 2010.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: All-Star catcher Buster Posey was held out of the lineup as a precaution after undergoing an MRI on his back. Posey has been bothered by some nagging soreness. Since Aug. 21, Posey leads the majors with a .413 average.
UP NEXT
Padres: LHP Eric Stults (8-17) is seeking his third win in four starts. A ninth victory would be the second-most of Stults’ career.
Giants: Resurgent RHP Peavy (6-4) will make his first career start against the Padres. Peavy broke into the majors with San Diego in 2002 and spent nearly eight seasons there.
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