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ARLINGTON, Texas(AP) Even without much help from slugger
Adrian Gonzalez
, the
San Diego Padres
had one of their best offensive games of 2009.
Rookie
Kyle Blanks
drove in three runs and the Padres had a season-high 16 hits, beating the
Texas Rangers
7-3 Saturday night.
The Nos. 5-9 hitters were 12 for 22 and scored six runs for San Diego. Blanks, who was called up from Triple-A Portland last
week, keyed two big innings for the lowest-scoring team in baseball with run-scoring doubles.
''It was a collective effort,'' Padres manager
Bud Black
said. ''When you knock out 16 hits, a lot of guys are doing good things.''
Gonzalez, who is second in the majors with 24 home runs, was 1 for 5 with a single in the ninth. The Padres first baseman
had protection behind him as
Kevin Kouzmanoff
and
Chase Headley
each had three hits.
Blanks had the first RBI of his career with a double in the second. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound left fielder added a two-run double
in the fifth that gave San Diego a 6-1 advantage.
Blanks was 2 for 16 with six strikeouts coming into the game.
''It's nice to see all the work and practice pay off,'' Blanks said. ''I was getting good swings at good pitches.''
The Rangers dropped out of the first place for the first time since May 5. They are a half-game behind the
Los Angeles Angels
in the American League West.
Rookie
Derek Holland
(1-5) allowed 13 hits and seven runs in 5 2-3 innings as Texas had its three-game winning streak snapped.
The 22-year-old Holland, making the sixth start of his career, was coming off one of the best performances of the season when
he gave up just one run in seven innings against San Francisco last Saturday.
''The only thing that hurts is those hits found holes,'' Holland said. ''There's nothing I can do about that.''
Kevin Correia
(5-5) struck out a career-high nine in seven innings, his fifth straight start pitching at least six innings. The right-hander's
previous high strikeout game was eight against Atlanta on August 10, 2005.
Correia is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA over his last five starts.
''We faced a pitcher that was on,'' Rangers manager
Ron Washington
said. ''We ended up scratching out three runs. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the other pitcher.''
The Padres snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the fourth time in 22 interleague games dating to last season.
San Diego, which has scored 284 runs this season, had only four hits in a 12-2 loss Friday. The Padres broke out in the second
by scoring three runs on five straight hits.
Kouzmanoff and Headley singled with one out. Blanks doubled off the wall in left to bring home Kouzmanoff.
Henry Blanco
and
Everth Cabrera
followed with RBI singles to give San Diego a 3-0 lead.
''We hit the ball well tonight,'' Kouzmanoff said. ''We strung some hits together. We were able to execute with runners in
scoring position and get them in.''
David Eckstein
had an RBI double in the fourth to extend San Diego's lead to 4-1. He added another run-scoring double in the sixth.
With two men on in the fifth, Blanks hit a grounder underneath Young's glove at third into the left-field corner to make it
6-1.
Correia, who allowed three runs and five hits, needed only 11 pitches in a spotless first inning. He struck out the side in
the fifth before giving up back-to-back RBI doubles to Young and Jones in the sixth.
Texas first baseman
Chris Davis
hit his 15th homer of the season.
NOTES: Rangers C
Taylor Teagarden
was scratched from the lineup with a stomach virus. ... San Diego RHP
Josh Banks
will start Tuesday night's game against Houston. LHP
Wade LeBlanc
was originally scheduled to make the start but he was optioned to Triple-A Portland on Friday. .... Texas SS
Omar Vizquel
, who became the all-time Venezuelan hit leader Thursday, is donating the jersey from the record-setting game to the Hall
of Fame. ... Holland struck out a career-high eight. ... The temperature was 100 degrees at first pitch for the second day
in a row.
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