Pitching isn't the problem with the San Diego Padres, so when they actually score some runs, opposing teams are in big trouble.
The Marlins found that to be the case Saturday night.
The Padres scored three runs in the fifth inning, giving reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy plenty of cushion to beat the Marlins 7-2 in front of an announced crowd of 37,689 at Dolphin Stadium.
''It wasn't a combination of things, it was all Peavy,'' Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``We just couldn't get anything going offensively. He was good tonight. You get him on the ropes, or at least think you do, and he gets away from you. It's an uphill battle the rest of the night.''
Florida has lost four of the first five games of its nine-game homestand but still remains tied for the NL East lead. Both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies lost Saturday.
San Diego, last in the NL West, came into the game with losses in four of five and 13 of 16, thanks in great part to an anemic offense ranked last in most statistical categories. On Saturday, the Padres' lineup had 14 hits and got what they needed against Ricky Nolasco, scoring three runs in the first two innings before opening things up in a disastrous fifth.
Nolasco (1-3) was pulled after catcher Josh Bard (batting .209 coming in) singled in a run to give the visitors a 6-2 lead. Adrian Gonzalez gave the Padres their final run, a solo homer to left coming with one out in the ninth.
''I had to make some pitches and really wasn't able to do so,'' said Nolasco, who has lost three of his past four starts with a no decision. ``I just have to learn from this, take the positives away from it.''
In the fifth, San Diego had the bases loaded with one out when Khalil Greene grounded to Dan Uggla at second. Uggla made the toss to Hanley Ramirez covering second for the first out, but a sliding Jim Edmonds disrupted Ramirez as the ball headed into the outfield.
Edmonds was ruled out, but since Ramirez couldn't turn the double play and instead lost the ball, two runs came home for the Padres. Bard's single brought home Greene and a call to the bullpen for Doug Waechter.
HEADS-UP PLAY
Ramirez's error overshadowed a great play made in the previous inning, when his awareness and hustle pulled Nolasco out of a jam. With one out and Paul McAnulty at second, Brian Giles pulled a popup wide of third. Jorge Cantu raced back to the founder's club seats next to the Padres dugout, making a great stab at the waist-high wall.
Seeing no one covering third, McAnulty tagged up. Ramirez took off and beat McAnulty to the bag and made the play off Cantu's throw to end the inning.
''That's just instincts, part of the game,'' Cantu said. ``We're going all-out every game, leaving it on the field. [Ramirez] was right there, backing me up.''
San Diego got off to a 1-0 lead in the first. Giles walked to lead off the game and Tadahito Iguchi singled. Giles moved to third when Adrian Gonzalez hit into a double play, then scored on a Kevin Kouzmanoff single.
The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, when Mike Jacobs homered to left with Jeremy Hermida on base. The Marlins' lead didn't have much of a shelf life as the Padres took lead with a two-run double off the scoreboard in left by Iguchi in the second.
Peavy, a unanimous choice for the 2007 NL Cy Young Award, didn't face too many roadblocks after that. Florida loaded the bases in the third but didn't push anything across.
Alfredo Amezaga and Hermida led off with singles. Peavy then struck out Ramirez and Jacobs, and struck out Cantu as well. Problem was, Peavy's pitch got away from Bard, so much so, Cantu advanced to first without a throw.
The Marlins failed to cash in, however, when Dan Uggla ended the threat with a soft fly to center.
Peavy (4-1) went 5 2/3 innings and pulled after walking Luis Gonzalez in the bottom of the sixth. Peavy, who has admitted it's hard to go deep in games because the Padres' bullpen is so strong, was visibly upset about being replaced by Cla Merideth -- who ended the inning on a groundout.
QUICK STINT
It was the shortest outing of the season for Peavy, and his quickest stint dating to last September when he went four innings off three days' rest in a loss at Arizona.
Peavy's final pitch of the night was No. 112. He gave up five hits and struck out eight.
''He pounds the zone, inside and outside,'' Cantu said. 'You know what kind of pitcher he is. He battled out there and got the `W.' ''
