After getting swept by Minnesota, it appeared the worst of this road trip was yet to come. The Padres, having lost five straight, were about to face baseball’s best team with baseball’s best player, Adrian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was a guest on most of San Diego’s sports talk radio shows, expressing how happy he was in Boston, playing in front of a packed house with a loaded lineup for a team willing to spend money to compete.

While he was not directly criticizing Padres management, the comparison left little for interpretation. Another thing he mentioned was his expectation of a sweep by the Red Sox over the Padres.

His prediction looked spot on after the Sox embarrassed the Friars with a 10-run seventh inning, breaking a three all tie in game one. But the Padres did what few around baseball world thought they would.

They fought back. And they beat baseball’s best in their house showing the rest of the league that they can not only compete with the best in the sport, but that they can beat them also.

June 20^th, 2011 Red Sox 14, Padres 5

WP Matt Albers (2-3) 1.1IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 1K 0HR

LP Corey Luebke (1-2) 3.1IP 1H 2R 2ER 2BB 6K 0HR

After holding baseball’s best offense to just three runs for over five innings, the Padres silenced the Fenway Park crowd when Orlando Hudson knocked one into the stands above the Green Monster to tie the game with one out in the top of the sixth.

After Cameron Maybin flew out, Anthony Rizzo doubled to the deepest part of the park, just missing a home run by a couple feet. Nick Hundley then walked before Chris Denorfia’s groundout to second base.

Corey Luebke then retired the Red Sox in order for the second inning in a row. He first got the Padres out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth with no outs when he induced a double-play from Jacoby Elsbury.

He then struck Adrian Gonzalez looking to end the inning. Luebke at one point struck out six of seven batters faced before walking Elsbury to start the seventh. After Dustin Pedroia reached first on a fielder’s that forced Elsbury out at secO.D. Gonzalez doubled him home from first to break the tie and bring Buddy Black to the mound to call in Ernesto Frieri.

Frieri then got Kevin Youklis to hit a pop fly to left for the second out. Black then had Frieri walk David Ortiz to bring up pinch-hitter J.D. Drew who drew a walk. Frieri then hit the next two batters, scoring two runs to put the Sox up 6-3. Black then tasked Evan Scribner to get the final out.

Pinch-hitter Josh Reddick then hit a two run single. After an Elsbury single reloaded the bases, Scribner walked in another run. Gonzalez then hit a two-run single to but the Sox up eight. Youklis then doubled in Pedroia and Adrian to put the Sox up 13-3. Pat Neshek then came in and struck out David Ortiz, stopping the bleeding at 10 runs in the inning.

The Padres did add two more runs with RBI singles in the seventh and ninth by Denorfia and Jesus Guzman. Guzman’s single scored Chase Headley who doubled to start the inning. Headley went 4-5 with two runs. He and Hudson’s three hits were a couple of bright spots in a dreary night in Boston.

June 2^1st, 2011 Padres 5, Red Sox 4

WP Chad Qualls (4-3) 1.1IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 0K 0HR

LP Dan Wheeler (0-1) 1.1IP 2H 1R 1ER 0BB 1K 0HR

S Heath Bell (19) 1IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR

Anthony Rizzo’s bases loaded groundout to first base proved to be the go ahead run enabling the Padres to beat the team that drafted him. Rizzo’s slow grounder was bobbled by former Padre and current AL MVP favorite Adrian Gonzalez, who appeared like he had designs to get the lead runner at home. But he bobbled the ball on the transfer but recovered in time to toss the ball to the pitcher at first base to beat Rizzo by a half step.

Mat Latos Continually pitched his way out of trouble having struck out eight Boston batters including Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

But Latos had also allowed 10 hits and walked four. Bud Black pulled him in the sixth with two out when he walked Dustin Pedroia on a full count with his 120^th pitch to bring up slugger Adrian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez then singled off Chad Qualls to tie the game before Qualls got Kevin Youlis to pop-out to left center to end the inning.

The Padres took their first lead in the second inning with back to back bases-loaded walks drawn by Jason Bartlett and Chase Headley, putting them up 2-1.

Rizzo doubled to start a two-out rally in the third inning. He scored on a single by Cam Maybin to shallow centerfield. Maybin then scored on a double by Nick Hundley to put the Padres up 4-1.

Jason Reddick tripled to start the bottom of the third before scoring on Jacoby Elsbury’s single. Reddick also hit a RBI double the next inning to cut the Friar lead to one.

Latos then pitched out of trouble in the fifth before being relieved in the sixth.

Heath Bell then gave up a leadoff single when Kevin Youklis roped a breaking ball in front of left-fielder Chris Denorfia to start the ninth. With the left-hander shift in effect, Heater induced a groundball double-play Headley to Bartlett to Rizzo to clear the bases. Bell then struck out Ortiz looking to give the Padres their first win after losing six straight.

June 22^nd, 2011 Padres 5, Red Sox 1

WP Clayton Richard (3-9) 5IP 8H 1R 1ER 2BB 2K 0HR

LP John Lackey (5-6) 3.1IP 4H 5R 5ER 4BB 4K 1HR

Clayton Richard got his first win in his last six starts, going five innings and allowing only one run, despite three rain delays before the game was called in the eighth.

After an in initial rain delay that had the game starting 35 minutes late, Will Venable took advantage of a start in right field with a leadoff home run putting the Padres ahead, 1-0.

With play resuming after another stoppage in the third inning, the Padres then piled on four runs in the fourth starting with Venable walking with the bases loaded. Jason Bartlett then was hit by a pitch, bringing in another San Diego baserunner. All batters then advanced on a wild pitch by starter John Lackey. Chase Headley then singled to shallow right to put the Padres up 5-0.

Adrian Gonzalez singled in a runner in the bottom of the fifth to put the Red Sox on the board. Gonzalez went 4-4 on the day.

The game was called after the Padres took the field in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Padres a great team victory on the final game of their trip.