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Red-hot Eric Thames' blast sends Milwaukee Brewers past San Diego Padres

By Andrew Wagner, The Sports Xchange
Milwaukee Brewers' Eric Thames (7) is congratulated by Eric Sogard (18) at home plate after hitting a home run. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Milwaukee Brewers' Eric Thames (7) is congratulated by Eric Sogard (18) at home plate after hitting a home run. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

MILWAUKEE -- Six of the first seven home runs hit Friday night at Miller Park were of the no-doubt-about-it variety -- mammoth shots that bounced off the scoreboard or deep into the stands.

The seventh, though, may have been a wall scraper, but it was still enough for the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Eric Thames' solo shot to lead off the 10th inning bounced off the top of the wall in center field and gave the Brewers a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

"That was about as close as it gets," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

Thames gave Milwaukee its fourth straight win when he got just enough of a 1-1 fastball by Ryan Buchter (3-3) for his 19th homer and was mobbed by his teammates as he crossed the plate.

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"I hit it and was like 'I got under it.' Hopefully the wind is blowing out," Thames said. "I saw it hit (the wall) and I saw the outfielder. I was kind of blowing a little bit and I guess it worked."

Travis Shaw, Keon Broxton and Manny Pina also homered for Milwaukee, which has outscored its opponents 62-24 in the first inning this season.

This time, Milwaukee found itself in a 4-0 hole after Junior Guerra allowed a three-run homer to Wil Myers and a solo shot to Hunter Renfroe in the opening inning.

He settled in from there, holding the Padres without a hit over his final five innings and finished with just two hits and four walks while striking out three.

"Junior really settled down after the first inning," Counsell said. "The command was a little off with his fastball and he fell behind in some counts. The pitch to Meyers was just a middle fastball really. They took advantage of some balls in the middle of the late."

Shaw put the Brewers on the board with a leadoff homer in the second and with two on in the fourth, Broxton tied the game with his ninth of the season and fourth in the last six games.

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Starter Miguel Diaz, who the Padres plucked out of the Brewers' system last winter in the Rule 5 draft, didn't make it out of the fourth. He allowed four runs on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts in his second big league start.

"He was much better today," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He was in the strike zone. Times like the home run to Broxton, you just don't want to miss there. It was just a bad spot to miss to him. He wasn't set up there. He was looking for a fastball up and out over. He just missed his spot and he paid the price for that missed spot.

The Brewers had a golden chance to pull ahead in the seventh, putting two on with one out only for Domingo Santana to end the threat by bouncing into a double play.

San Diego pulled ahead in the eighth on a solo home run from Yangervis Solarte but the Brewers answered in the bottom of the frame when Pina hit his third of the season, tying the game at 5.

The bullpens took over from there.

Jacob Barnes got out of the eighth without further damage, Corey Knebel struck out a pair in a scoreless ninth while Jared Hughes worked a perfect 10th for Milwaukee.

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The Padres' bullpen had held its own before Thames homered.

NOTES: Padres RHP Jered Weaver threw a three-inning simulated game Friday as he works his way back from hip inflammation that's sidelined him since May 20. ... Padres manager Andy Green said that RHP Trevor Cahill (lower back strain) and CF Manuel Margot (right calf) have made progress in their rehab processes and could see game action in the near future. ... Brewers LF Ryan Braun went through a full pregame workout Friday but starting a rehab assignment is complicated because of the upcoming minor league all-star breaks. ... Brewers 2B Jonathan Villar has been playing catch at taking light batting practice in the cage, but manager Craig Counsell said he doesn't have a timetable for returning from a strained lower back. ... Brewers RHP Corey Knebel struck out two batters Friday and now has at least one in each of his 35 appearances this season, the second-longest streak, exclusively for a reliever, to begin a season since 1900.

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