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SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The San Diego Padres might finally be figuring
out spacious Petco Park. | Elias Says | 
Pujols Albert Pujols hit his 24th home run of the season in the Cardinals' 50th game Sunday. In major league history, only two other players have hit as many home runs over a team's first 50 games: Bonds had 26 home runs through the Giants' first 50 games in 2001 and Mark McGwire had 25 in the Cardinals' first 50 games in 1998. • For more Elias Says, Click here |
Mark Bellhorn hit the longest home run in Petco's three-year
history and drove in four runs, Josh Bard connected twice and had
three RBI, and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-8
Sunday. San Diego rallied for eight runs in the fifth inning -- all
coming with one out -- to get ace Jake Peavy off the hook. Peavy
(4-5) had fallen behind 6-2 after the five-run St. Louis fifth,
when Albert Pujols hit a three-run drive for his major
league-leading 24th homer. Bard hit a two-run homer in the fifth, just after Bellhorn's
three-run double. Bellhorn and Bard homered on consecutive pitches
in the fourth. Bard, Mike Cameron and rookie Josh Bard had three
hits apiece. Each team had 16 hits, setting a Petco record for total hits in
a game. Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his ninth save in as many
chances. He's second on the career list with 445, 33 behind Lee
Smith. San Diego took two of three from the Cardinals, who swept the
Padres in the NL division series in October. Overall, the Padres
won for just the fourth time in 12 games. Petco Park, which opened in 2004, surrendered its two longest
homers, and three of its longest four. The teams combined for six
homers. Sammy Sosa's old record of 434 feet set in 2004 was eclipsed
twice in a matter of minutes. Bellhorn hit a 1-0 pitch from Mark Mulder (5-3) an estimated 438
feet into the bleachers beyond the fence in right-center to tie the
game at 1 with one out in the fourth. Bard hit Mulder's next pitch
an estimated 434 feet off the railing of the balcony on the fourth
floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building just beyond the
left-field corner. Pujols capped the Cardinals' fifth with a 436-foot shot to
straightaway center field on a 1-1 pitch from Peavy, giving the
Cardinals a 6-2 lead. David Eckstein singled in a run and John
Rodriguez hit an RBI double. Ten of San Diego's first 11 batters reached in the fifth, and
Cameron singled twice in the inning. Eric Young, Cameron and Brian
Giles opened with singles to load the bases. With one out, Khalil
Greene walked to force in the first run. Bellhorn cleared the bases
with a double to right-center to tie it at 6, and Bard chased
Mulder with his two-run shot into the second deck in left to put
the Padres ahead. Bard was starting for the second straight day in place of
37-year-old catcher Mike Piazza. Pinch-hitter Geoff Blum and Cameron finished off the scoring in
the fifth with RBI singles. Peavy went five innings in his first start since setting the
Padres record with 16 strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday
night. He allowed six runs and nine hits, struck out six and walked
none. Mulder allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, struck
out three and walked one. Juan Encarnacion led off the second with his sixth homer for the
Cardinals, and Scott Rolen also hit a solo drive in the ninth. It
was Rolen's fifth of the season. Game notes
Bard has five homers and Bellhorn four. ... The Padres hit
eight homers in the series. ... It was Bard's first multihomer
game. ... The Padres have hit back-to-back homers twice this
season. Barfield and Blum did it May 3 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
... The old record for combined hits in a game at Petco was 29 by
the Cubs and Padres last June 4. ... 2B Barfield made a nice play
on Mulder's grounder to shallow right in the second, gloving it and
throwing him out at first while rolling over on his back. ...
Backup catcher Rob Bowen was activated from the 15-day disabled
list and 1B-OF Paul McAnulty was optioned to Triple-A Portland.
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