The Padres bookended victories in the first series of their road trip against the second place Giants and extended their lead to 3.5 games. Though it is still only August, the Padres put some much needed distance against their closest competition before heading to Chicago to start a four game series against the Cubs on Monday. Here is how they fared this weekend in the Bay Area.

August 13^th, 2010 Padres 3 Giants 2

WP Clayton Richard (10-5) 6IP 6H 2R 2ER 2BB 1K 0HR

LP Jonathon Sanchez (8-8) 5.33IP 5H 3R 3ER 2BB 4K 0HR

S Heath Bell (35) 1IP 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 1K 0HR

Jonathon Sanchez guaranteed a sweep by the Giants in a series pitting the top two teams in the National League West. But after the only game he could control, he took the loss to put his team 3.5 games behind the Padres and destroyed his chances of becoming the next Nostradamus after he decides to hang up the cleats.

The Friday the 13^th game was not without its quirks as the Padres played out the remainder of the evening’s contest under protest. Scott Hairston was called out for interference for impeding Chris Denorfia’s grounder that ricocheted of Sanchez’s leg. Black argued that Hairston had made sufficient effort to avoid Sanchez but after the umpire crew met for several minutes the call on the field remained. The out negated a go-ahead run for San with the score tied 2-2.

The Padres took the lead when Ryan Ludwick slid in just past catcher Buster Posey’s tag in the sixth inning on a ground ball by Chase Headley. Ludwick had advanced to third when Pablo Sandoval made a diving tag on Adrian Gonzalez backside as he belly-flopped a few feet from home. He hit his face on the dirt and was down for several minutes before returning to the game.

The Giants, decked out in orange tops as part of their “Orange Fridays” marketing campaign, took an early lead in the bottom of the first when Aubrey Huff doubled in Andres Torres with one out. Huff advanced to third on Posey’s single and scored when Pat Burell grounded into a fielder’s choice forcing Posey out at second. Sandoval flied out to end the inning with a 2-0 lead.

But the Padres answered back immediately when Chase Headley tripled to deep centerfield after Yorvit Torealba was hit by a pitch. Headley scored on Scott Hairston’s sacrifice fly to tie the game up.

The Padres big three of Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams, and Heath Bell shut the Giants down the last three innings allowing just one hit between the three of them. Bell walked Sandoval with one out but retired the next two Giants. He struck out Aaron Rowand swinging to earn his Major League leading 35^th save of the season. The victory nullified the Padres protest with the league office.

August 14^th, 2010 Padres 2 Giants 3 (F-11)

WP Santiago Casillas (4-2) 1IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 1K 0HR

LP Tim Stauffer (3-2) 0IP 2H 1R 1ER 1BB 0K 0HR

The San Francisco Giants were able to do what most teams in the National League have not been able to do this season. The Giants scored twice off the Padres league leading bullpen for a 3-2 come from behind victory.

Buster Posey lead off the eleventh with a double hitting a bouncer up the middle that bounced off the glove of a diving Jerry Hairston Jr. The ball ricocheted to shallow left center and Posey beat the charging Tony Gwynn’s off balance throw sliding safely into second. The Padres intentionally walked Pablo Sandoval to bring up Juan Uribe. Uribe single to right bringing home Posey from second past Ryan Ludwick’s wide throw to the plate.

Mat Latos was having a career outing in a nationally televised game tying his career high with nine strikeouts. But with none out in the bottom of the seventh, Sandoval deposited a high fastball into McCovey Cove to chase Latos and cut the lead in half, 2-1. Ernesto Frieri relieved Latos allowing just a walk.

The Padres had a great chance to extend the lead with the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth. But reliever Javier Lopez induced an inning-ending groundout by the pinch-hitting Will Venable to end the Friars threat. The Padres would leave 14 runners on base in the game.

The Padres scored first when Chase Headley doubled in Hairston Jr. in the bottom of the first before leving the bases full for the first time that inning. They scored again in the fifth with back to back doubles by Miguel Tejada and Adrian Gonzalez.

The loss dropped the Padres to 2-8 against the Giants on the season, but 1-2 in the last three contests after winning the first seven.

August 15^th, 2010 Padres 8 Giants 2

WP Wade LeBlanc (7-10) 7IP 4H 2R 2ER 2BB 7K 1HR

LP Tim Lincecum (11-7) 3.67IP 8H 6R 5ER 3BB 6K 0HR

Wade LeBlanc shut down the Giants and gave the Padres bullpen a much needed rest in a big matchup against the Giants’ Ace and two-time defending Cy Young Award winner. The Padres faced Tim Lincecum for the first time this season and after the first inning it did not look good for the Friars. “The Freak” struck out the side, giving up only a single from Miguel Tejada. But after that, it was a different ball game.

The Padres began the second with a walk by Chase Headley. The Padres followed with three straight singles by Yorvit Torealba, Tony Gwynn, and Everth Cabrea with Gwynn and Cabrera picking up RBI’s. LeBlanc loaded the bases reaching on a fielder’s choice that saw everyone safe on a comebacker to Lincecum who couldn’t get a sliding Gwynn at third. The rally was put on hold when Will Venable grounded into a third to home to first double play, moving runners to second and third. But Miguel Tejada blooped a two out single scoring two more for a 4-0 lead.

The Padres would add another when Venable scored from first when Pablo Sandoval’s throw went wide after tagging third and throwing to first in an attempted double play in the top of the third.

The Giants would get two in the bottom half of of the inning when Buster Posey hit a two run shot to center to inch put the Giants on the board, 5-2.

Ryan Ludwick would add another with a RBI single in the fourth and Torrealba’s fifth homer of the season would make it 7-0 in the middle of the fifth. Headley would add another in the sixth with a RBI single off Guillermo Mota.

Adrian Gonzalez earned the Golden Sombrero going 0-5 with four strikeouts.