The Padres avoided getting swept by their arch-rivals by winning the final game of the three-game series on Wednesday, 3-1. They were able to hold the Giants to one run after giving up seven and five the two previous games. The win will place the Giants at least six games out of first place with only 19 remaining.

Winning the first two games guaranteed the Giants their first series victory since taking the final game against the Marlins on August 14^th. The Padres haven’t won a series themselves since sweeping those same at home in a four-game series ending a week later on August 21^st.

The Padres will fly tonight to Arizona to begin a four-game series at Chase Field against the division leading Diamondbacks. Here is a game by game breakdown of the series versus the Giants.

September 5^th, 2011 Giants 7, Padres 2

WP Madison Bumgarner (10-12) 8.1IP 7H 2R 2ER 1BB 13K 1HR

LP Tim Stauffer (8-12) 6IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 1K 2HR

Tim Stauffer’s woes continued Monday, as he labored through six innings allowing four runs on seven hits. He also surrendered a pair of mammoth homers to Pablo Sandoval that helped pace the Giants to a 7-2 victory.

Madison Bumgarner fell two outs short of his first complete game, though he did achieve a career high in punch-outs with 13 Friars fanned.

Sandoval’s first blast came on a 2-0 slider with two outs in the first inning. The ball traveled well over the fence in the “beachers” section, 436 feet from home plate to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Padres answered back in the bottom of the first when Jesus Guzman knocked in Jason Bartlett from second base to tie the game. Bartlett’s one-out double (18) set the table for Guzman’s 38^th run batted in this season.

The Padres conceded a run in the second when they opted for the 6-4-3 double-play off the bat of Brandon Crawford. The grounder hit by the Giants shortstop with no-out and runners on the corners easily scored Cody Ross from third base.

Sandoval’s second blast, this time a 380 ft shot pulled to right field to lead off the fourth, put the Giants up 3-1.

Crawford drove in Ross again later that inning, this time with an RBI single to right field, scoring Ross from second base.

The Giants blew it open in the eighth when Ross doubled off the top of the fence in front of the Western Metal Supply Building, missing a grand slam by a couple feet, scoring Jeff Keppinger and Sandoval.

After reliever Josh Spence walked Brandon Belt to reload the bases, Buddy Black brought in Brad Bach. Bach walked Mark DeRosa to put the Giants up 7-1 before escaping the inning without allowing another run.

Nick Hundley hit a one-out solo homerun (6) in the ninth prompting Bruce Bochy to pull Bumgarner and bring in interim closer Santiago Casilla in a non-save situation. Casilla struck out Chris Denorfia and Alberto Gonzalez to end the game with the Padres trailing, 7-2.

September 6^th, 2011 Giants 6, Padres 4

WP Eric Surkamp (1-0) 5IP 5H 3R 3ER 1BB 2K 1HR

LP Wade LeBlanc (2-5) 5IP 8H 4R 4ER 0BB 1K 1HR

S Ramon Ramirez (4) 0.1IP 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR

The Padres kept pace with the Giants for four innings and nearly overcame a three run deficit before ultimately falling to their hated rivals, 6-4 on Tuesday night.

Bud Black and Bruce Bochy used a combined 35 players as the last two innings became a chess match between the two, both matching reliever for pinch hitter before Jesus Guzman struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

After a quiet first inning by both teams, each scored two runs in the second. Giants’ rookie first baseman Brett Pill hit the second pitch of his big league career over the fence in left field for his first career hit. The homerun came after Mark Derosa’s leadoff single, putting the Giants ahead, 2-0.

Nick Hundley led off the bottom of the second with a homerun to centerfield. It was his seventh big fly on the season and his second in as many games.

Chris Denorfia doubled (12) and then advanced to third on a groundout by James Darnell. He then came in and tied the game on Any Parrino’s sacrifice fly.

Carlos Beltran dropped a single in front of Kyle Blanks, scoring Jeff Keppinger from second to put the Giants up one. But Blanks would tie the game up with a sac fly to center, scoring Jason Bartlett from third in the bottom of the third.

The Giant scored again in the fifth on a pair of doubles by Justin Christian (1) and Beltran (34). Beltran also scored from second in the eighth inning on a ground ball to center fielder Cam Maybin. Maybin’s throw to home beat Beltran, but the Giants’ right fielder slide wide right of the plate and snuck his left hand on the corner of the plate while evading Hundley’s swipe tag.

Even when Beltran wasn’t hitting he was scoring runs, knocking in Pablo Sandoval from third on a groundout in the ninth, giving his team a 6-3 lead.

Bochy then brought in Javier Lopez to start the ninth. Lopez walked pinch-hitter Orlando Hudson on four pitches prompting Bochy to bring in Santago Cassilla. Jeremy Hermidia, pinch-hitting for James Darnell, then swung through three fastballs, striking out.

Andy Parrino then lined out for out number two.

Anthony Rizzo then pinch-hit for pitcher Erik Hamren. Rizzo roped an 80 mph curveball off the top of the wall in right-center, scoring Hudson from first with an RBI double (8).

Casilla then hit Cam Maybin with a 96 mph fastball on a full count, prompting a visit from Pitching Coach Dave Righetti. Two pitches later, Casilla plunked Jason Bartlett to load the bases for Jesus Guzman, forcing Bochy to bring in Ramon Ramirez.

Guzman had a great look on the 2-1 action pitch, but fouled the 94 mph fastball straight back, just missing a possible game winning hit. Ramirez then blew the next one by Jesus, striking out with the bases loaded to end the game.

September 7^th, 2011 Padres 3, Giants 1

WP Aaron Harang (13-5) 7IP 4H 1R 1ER 3BB 3K 1HR

LP Matt Cain (11-10) 7IP 4H 2R 2ER 3BB 7K 1HR

S Heath Bell (36) 1.1IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 0K 0HR

The Padres answered back after dropping to games to the Giants with a solid 3-1 victory on Wednesday. Third time was indeed the charm for Aaron Harang to get his 13^th victory of the year, leading the team.

Giants leadoff hitter Justin Christian launched the ball to the deepest part in left center where Cam Maybin caught the ball on a dead run and took one step before crashing face first into the fence, knocking him to the ground. Maybin amazingly held onto the ball and remained in the game after a minute to recollect his thoughts.

Will Venable started the game off with a leadoff homer to deep right field. It was his fifth leadoff homer of the season and seventh overall.

Brett Pill homered (2) for the second straight game, this time tying the game at one all in the fifth. The Giants rookie first baseman only hit 25 big-flies in Triple A Fresno this season.

Maybin started a two-out rally with a double in the sixth. Jesus Guzman then singled to shallow left, scoring Maybin to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.

With runners on the corners with one out after a fielding error by rookie first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Pat Burrell hit a shallow fly to right field. Will Venable caught the ball and then fired a strike home, nailing the tagging Pill by a few steps before Hundley tagged him out.

Aubrey Huff beat out an infield single fielded by Orlando Hudson shallow right by 1/8 a step to start the eighth. Darren Ford then pinch ran for Huff only to be thrown out on a pitchout. Andres Torres then popped up for the second out. Mike Fontenot then singled, prompting Buddy Black to bring in Heath Bell to face Carlos Beltran. Beltran hit Bell’s first pitch on the screws but right at Venable for the third out.

Venable popped the ball up in the infield to begin the bottom of the eighth, but ended up safe at first after the ball was dropped by shortstop Orlando Cabrera. Two outs later he’s scoring on Maybin’s triple to right field, giving the Padres an insurance run heading into the ninth.

Though he gave up a single to Pablo Sandoval, Bell retired the next three batters to complete his 36^th save with the Padres winning 3-1.