Padres Press Clips Thursday, September 17, 2015 Article Source Author Page Kemp’s HR sends Cashner, Padres to victory MLB.com Bloom/Gilbert 2 Kimbrel gets taste of his own medicine in 1st AB MLB.com Bloom 4 3rd elbow surgery coming for JJ MLB.com Bloom 6 Kennedy starts as Padres open weekend set in Colorado MLB.com Bloom 8 Loss of Maurer, Kelley has crippled Friars’ ‘pen Padres.com Center 9 Kemp’s HR lifts Cashner, Padres UT San Diego Lin 11 Johnson to have third Tommy John surgery UT San Diego Lin 14 Friar talk: J.J. knew he had torn ligament? UT San Diego Sanders 16 Kemp’s 3-run homer lifts Padres to 4-3 win over Diamondbacks Associated Press AP 18 1 Kemp's HR sends Cashner, Padres to victory By Barry M. Bloom and Steve Gilbert / MLB.com | 2:55 AM ET PHOENIX -- Matt Kemp's three-run homer in the fifth inning proved to be the difference as the Padres rallied to beat the D-backs, 4-3, on Wednesday night at Chase Field and capture the three-game series. The D-backs took a 2-1 lead in the fourth thanks to a two-run single by Chris Owings, but Kemp's homer off Robbie Ray (4-12) was the decisive blow. It made a winner of Andrew Cashner (6-15), who allowed three runs over seven innings. "He's been great for us," Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said of Kemp. "I can only imagine if we had guys getting on base in front of him how many RBIs he'd have." The D-backs managed to pull to within one on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's sixth-inning homer, but they could get no closer against Cashner and a pair of San Diego relievers. Craig Kimbrel entered in the eighth and picked up a four-out save, his 37th save of the season. "Ultimately one pitch, really," Saltalamacchia said of the Kemp homer. "He's a good hitter so guys like that you can't make a mistake to." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Kemp stays hot: Kemp's two-out, three-run homer in the fifth was his 22nd of the season and gives him 97 RBIs. That's the most for a Padres outfielder since Greg Vaughn had 119 in 1998, the last time the Padres won the National League pennant. "Is that right?" said Kemp, who also recently hit for the first cycle in Padres history. "I'm just trying to drive in runs because that's what they pay me to do. We just got to keep going. The season's not over yet. We've got to keep going and just win some more games." Not quite Ray's day: Ray retired the first two batters of the fifth inning before walking Wil Myers and allowing a single to Yangervis Solarte. That brought Kemp to the plate and after the count went to 1-1, Ray uncorked a 93 mph fastball. It would be his 102nd and last pitch of the night as Kemp turned it into a three-run homer. "We were trying to go down and away," Saltalamacchia said of the pitch to Kemp. "He had chased some pitches out of the zone. I knew that was the guy that you didn't want to get beat by. [Ray] had pretty good command of fastball down and away, so I was hoping that he would get it there again, and we'd get another one of those swings and get out of the inning. [It was] just elevated and over the plate to a guy that's got really good power the other way." 2 Kimbrel a strikeout wizard at the plate, too: It took 289 games in the Major Leagues, but Kimbrel got his first at-bat in the top of the ninth, striking out looking against Josh Collmenter. Hey, at least he fouled off one pitch. Otherwise, he took two strikes and a ball. Kimbrel also had one at-bat in the Minors five years ago. He struck out. Oh yeah, the four-out save was his 37th of the season and he whiffed the D-backs side in the ninth. Starting Salty: Saltalamacchia's homer was his ninth of the year and eighth since joining the D-backs. He has now homered in four straight starts behind the plate. "He's swung the bat well for us," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "He's obviously come here and re- created himself, and he's doing a good job behind the plate, and he's swinging the bat well." WHAT'S NEXT Padres: The Padres have an off day on Thursday and then travel to Denver to open a three-game weekend set against the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night. Right-hander Ian Kennedy (8-15, 4.28) is scheduled to start for the Padres against right-hander Chad Bettis (7-5, 4.59) for the Rockies. D-backs: After taking Thursday off, the D-backs open a three-game series in San Francisco on Friday night with Rubby De La Rosa on the mound. The series with the Giants begins a 10-game road trip that also includes games against the Dodgers and Padres. 3 Kimbrel gets taste of his own medicine in 1st AB Closer strikes out looking, before whiffing three in 9th By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 12:54 AM ET PHOENIX -- Padres closer extraordinaire Craig Kimbrel had pitched in 288 Major League games over six seasons without taking one hack at the plate. That was bound to happen, and it finally did in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday night as the Padres hung on to defeat the D-backs, 4-3, at Chase Field. Padres interim manager Pat Murphy went to the mound to make a pitching change in the bottom of the eighth, replacing Joaquin Benoit with Kimbrel, giving him a four-out save opportunity with two out and a runner on second. Murphy told Kimbrel before leaving the mound in no uncertain terms that he was going to hit. Kimbrel didn't realize it at the time, but the pitcher's spot was due up third in the ninth inning. "I was kind of caught off guard," Kimbrel said. "I didn't realize it. I didn't know if I was up fourth or whatever. But it was fun." First, Kimbrel got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to ground out to second on his first offering, ending the threat. Then, it was Kimbrel's chance at the plate, with two out and nobody on against Josh Collmenter. He struck out looking, fouling off the second pitch. "It didn't matter when I was going to get it, the result would have been the same," Kimbrel said about the at bat. "He threw me a nasty front-door cutter. I wasn't expecting that. I'm glad I got at least one swing." Kimbrel then went out and did the job he's paid to do, striking out the D-backs in order in the bottom of the ninth to record his 37th save of the season and 223rd already of his short career. Murphy decided that he didn't want to double switch with either of the last two batters of the eighth inning -- his middle infielders Jedd Gyorko or Cory Spangenberg -- when Kimbrel came into the game. "It's a little unorthodox, but that's the way we chose to do it," Murphy said. "We knew we were going to be questioned about it. If they tie the game there, [Kimbrel] doesn't hit. We were taking a chance, but it's time to take some chances. Nothing else has worked." Of all the preseason deals engineered by general manager A.J. Preller, getting Kimbrel from the Braves might have been the best. The Padres, after all, have always had a lights out closer. 4 One of them, Trevor Hoffman, with his all-time National League-leading 601 saves, will be on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time later in the year. Hoffman had 36 plate appearances and four hits in 18 years. The season has been a frustrating one, Kimbrel said. "It's been disappointing," he said. "We played good ball at times, but we were never able to put it together. Personally for myself I can say it has been a frustrating year." Wednesday night, though, provided a high note. Kimbrel had one at-bat in six Minor League seasons and struck out that time, too -- in 2010 for Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate, Gwinnett. There's not a lot of slugging history there. "Obviously I hit in high school, but when I went to college [Wallace State Community] I didn't hit at all there, either," Kimbrel said. "I mess around [in the batting cage], but they don't let me do too much. They don't want me to pull an oblique or something. It's been a long time since I've had a consistent at-bat and tonight definitely showed that." He might have another five years to get ready for the next one. 5 3rd elbow surgery coming for JJ Padres RHP has not pitched in MLB since 2013 By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | September 16th, 2015 PHOENIX -- Josh Johnson's long road back to the big leagues just got a lot longer. The Padres said on Wednesday that Johnson will have to undergo a third Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.