Padres Trounce The Jays
Posted June 16, 2010 8:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Aaron Cunningham hit his first career grand slam and Mat Latos outpitched Brett Cecil to carry the San Diego Padres to an 8-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
It was the first hit as a Padre for Cunningham, who was called up from triple-A Portland on Friday after Matt Stairs went on the disabled list. Cunningham doubled in his next at-bat.
Latos (7-4) retired the first 11 Toronto batters before allowing four straight Blue Jays to reach base during a two-run rally in the fourth. Latos allowed two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings, struck out seven and walked one. He and three relievers combined on a five-hitter.
Latos is 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in his last eight starts.
Cecil (7-3) had his five-start winning streak snapped. He allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings. It was the second time in 11 starts he’s allowed more than four runs.
Cunningham, who played parts of the last two seasons for Oakland, hit his slam to centre field on an 0-1 pitch from Cecil with one out in the second. It was his third career home run and the fourth slam by the Padres this season. The Padres loaded the bases on a double by Nick Hundley — the first of his three hits — a walk to Chris Denorfia and a single by Jerry Hairston Jr.
Denorfia hit a sacrifice fly in the third and San Diego added three runs in the eighth, including two on David Eckstein’s single.
Latos ran into trouble with two outs in the fourth inning. Adam Lind hit a slicing liner down the left-field line that dropped in for a double. Latos hit Vernon Wells with a pitch and Alex Gonzalez and Lyle Overbay followed with RBI singles that pulled the Blue Jays to 5-2. Latos then retired the next seven batters, starting by striking out John Buck to end the fourth.
