JAY PARIS
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Padres’ Eric Stults joined the Phillies’ A.J. Burnett with a distinction that neither of them want: leading the majors in losses.
One night after Burnett notched his 17th loss, Stults followed suit on Wednesday.
Stults (7-17) was rocked for four runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings as the Padres fell to the Phillies, 5-2.
“Wins and losses are tough,” Stults said. “It’s tough to judge your season on wins and losses.”
Cole Hamels (9-7) dominated San Diego again. He struck out nine in seven innings and allowed a run as he scattered seven hits and a walk. It marked Hamel’s 21st straight start in which he was charged with three runs or less.
Over that span he is 8-4 with a 1.86 ERA. Only the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (1.26) has a better ERA.
“You look at Cole Hamels and he has a 2.47 (ERA) and he only has nine wins on the year,” Stults said. “It’s obviously not fun to look at your win-loss record and see those 17 losses. But I feel like I’m not going to dictate the season on those losses.”
Hamels, who attended nearby Rancho Bernardo High and grew up a Padres fan, is 9-2 against San Diego.
Ben Revere had two RBIs and two hits to pace the Phillies.
Yangervis Solarte, Tommy Medica and Cameron Maybin each had two hits for the Padres.
Stults retired 12 straight before the Phillies opened the fifth with four consecutive singles. The fourth one, by Freddy Galvis, drove in Darin Ruf and
Domonic Brown for a 2-1 lead. After Hamels’ sacrifice bunt, Revere’s two-run double chased Stults and pushed the Phillies ahead 4-1.
“You look at the line and it’s going to say four runs in 4 1-3 innings,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “But I thought he threw the ball well.”
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg agreed.
“We were able to put some hits together in the big inning against a guy that was a little bit crafty during the early part of the game,” he said.
Stults, who has taken the loss in four of his last five outings, said his game unraveled quickly.
“The balls hit in the ground just found some holes,” Stults said. “The first few innings, the balls were hit at us. It was just one of those innings where I probably didn’t execute the pitches quite as well.”
In the fifth, Carlos Ruiz’s sacrifice fly scored Ruf for a 5-1 cushion, after Ruf doubled and advanced to third.
The Padres struck first in the fourth when Maybin’s second hit drove in Medica. After leading off the inning with his second single, Medica stole second base and scored easily on Maybin’s single.
In the previous inning the Padres loaded the based when Hamels walked Stults, which followed Medica and Maybin hits. But Solarte flied out to right to end the threat.
Despite the loss the Padres are 23-9 in their last 32 games at Petco Park, dating to June 29.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Joaquin Benoit threw another bullpen session on Wednesday and manager Bud Black said Benoit could be available to pitch on Friday, when the Padres open a three-game series against the visiting Giants. Benoit hasn’t worked since Aug. 26 because of a sore right shoulder. . Black said there was no update on RHP Tyson Ross and when he might pitch again. Ross is skipping his Thursday start because of soreness in his right arm.
Phillies: SS Jimmy Rollins, out of the lineup since Sept. 8 with a strained left hamstring, is increasing his baseball activities. Rollins took ground balls during batting practice.
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick (9-12, 4.72 ERA), who pitched six strong innings to beat San Diego on June 12, will face Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (3-4, 4.89). Erlin is making his first start since May 17 at Colorado after battling left elbow soreness.
MW NAMES TROPHY FOR GWYNN
Padres icon Tony Gwynn, who died in June, will be honored by the Mountain West Conference next season. Its player of the year baseball award will be named for Gwynn, who was a two-time All-America at San Diego State and also served as its baseball coach. All MW baseball teams will wear a “TG” logo on their uniforms next season.
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