The Padres swept their second series since the All-Star break and have won eight of their last 10. They finished their six-game road trip with four wins. San Diego will enter a big divisional series hosting the Dodgers with a record of 58-39, a season high 19 games over .500. They are three games ahead of the Giants in the NL West and have the best record in the National League. Here is how they fared in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

July 23^rd, 2010 Padres 5 Pirates 3

WP Kevin Correia (7-6) 6IP 6H 3R 2ER 3BB 0K 0HR

LP Paul Maholm (6-8) 6IP 9H 4R 4ER 2BB 2K 0HR

S Heath Bell (28) 1IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR

The Padres took the lead with a four-run second and never looked back to win 5-3 Friday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Kevin Correia won his second straight start and helped his own cause in the top of the second.

Aaron Cunningham led off the second with a triple followed by an Oscar Salazar single and Everth Cabrera walk to load the bases. Correia singled to shallow left scoring Cunningham to jump ot to a 1-0 lead. Jerry Hairston Jr. had a sacrifice fly to go up 2-0. Chris Denorfia doubled in Cabrera followed by Adrian Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly to bring in Correia for a 4-0 lead.

Lastings Milledge knocked in two batters with a single in the fourth to make it 4-2. They moved within one run when Rger Cedeno scored on a fielder’s choice an inning later.

But the Padres added another run in the top of the seventh inning when Aaron Cunningham hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Adrian Gonzalez.

Andtheir bullpen held on from there with scoreless innings from Ernesto Frieri an Luke Gregerson. Heath Bell pitched a scoreless ninth for his 28^th save.

July 24^th, 2010 Padres 9 Pirates 2

WP Mat Latos (11-4) 6IP 7H 2R 2ER 2BB 7K 2HR

LP Jeff Karstens (2-6) 6IP 7H 4R 2ER 2BB 5K 0HR

Mat Latos returned to the Padres rotation after a short stint on the disabled list pitching well enough to win his sixth straight start with a 9-2 Padres victory on Saturday. In his first start since July 8^th, Latos struck out seven Pirates while walking only two. He gave up two runs on solo homers hit by Jose Tabata and Delmon Young in the third and fifth, respectively.

Down 2-1 in the third the Padres tied it up with Adrian Gonzalez’s single to right, scoring Jerry Hairston Jr. and moving Chris Denorfia to third. Chase Headly then singled in “the Norf” while Gonzalez put on the brakes at third. Gonzo would score on Nick Hundley’s sac fly to cap a three-run sixth.

The Padres would add five more in the eight highlighted by Oscar Salazar’s two run double. Everth Cabrera and Denorfia batted in runs with the first run of the inning coming in on a balk.

Ernesto Frieri, Joe Thatcher, and Tim Stauffer finished off the final three innings surrendering no runs and just one hit.

July 25^th, 2010 Padres 6 Pirates 3

WP Wade LeBlanc (5-8) 6IP 8H 3R 3ER 0BB 2K 1HR

LP Brad Lincoln (1-4) 6.33IP 8H 6R 6ER 2BB 3K 2HR

S Heath Bell (29) 1IP 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 1K 0HR

The Padres swept the Pirates for the first time since 1998 to go 19 games above .500 for the first time this season. It was their first sweep in PNC Park since its opening in 2001. They have won all 10 series.

Wade LeBlanc won for the first time since June 12^th six starts ago. He has gone 0-4 in that stretch. He pitched six innings without a walk. He got down early giving up a two-run long ball to Roger Cedeno.

The Padres got home runs from Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Denorfia. Down 2-0 in the third, Denorfia lined a double to the left-center gap well over the head of the left fielder to tie the game, scoring a pair. Gonzalez deposited Brad Lincoln’s next offering beyond the right field wall to put the Friars ahead, 4-2. Yorvit Torealba walked and then stole his fifth base of the season before he scored on Will Venable’s single.

Lincoln brought it within two scoring Cedeno with a base knock in the fourth. Denorfia finished the scoring for both teams with his solo shot in the seventh.

The Padres bullpen had three scoreless innings again supplied by Ryan Webb, Luke Gregerson, and Heath Bell. Bell allowed the only baserunner by the bullpen when he walked Cedeno with two outs before getting Bobby Crosby to ground out for his 29^th save in 32 tries.