The saying goes that bad things come in threes. For the San Diego Padres, lately, they come in fours. The Padres lost four straight games for the first time this season. They scored just four runs over the four-game losing streak. The lost the fourth on Sunday, committing four errors in the sweep clinching loss to Philadelphia. The loss puts them at least five games ahead of the Giants with San Francisco still playing Arizona at press time. A Giants loss would give the Padres a six game advantage heading to Arizona for three games on Monday.

August 27^th, 2010 Padres 2 Phillies 3

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

LP Ernesto Frieri (0-1) 1IP 2H 1R 1ER 1BB 1K 0HR

Jimmy Rollins scored on an amazing slide just past Yorvit Torrealba’s tag to put the Phillies ahead for the victory Friday night. Rollins led off the 12^th with a double off the wall in right field. Placido Polanco singled to center sending Rollins home. Luis Durango scooped up the ball and threw a strike to Torealba but Rollins slide wide past Torealba and swiped the plate with his left hand safely on what seemed a sure out.

Mat Latos received a no decision on yet another strong performance striking out six in seven innings. He gave up five hits and two walks, allowing just one run.

The game was tied at one all through the seventh with a RBI single by Chase Utley in the third followed by a solo shot by Torealba, both in the third inning.

But Mike Adams gave up a single and two walks in the eighth to load the bases before he was pulled for Joe Thatcher. Raul Ibanez single to shallow right to score Utley for a 2-1 advantage.

The Padres rallied in the ninth with a leadoff single by Matt Stairs. Jerry Hairston Jr. pinch ran for Stairs and was sacrificed over to second by David Eckstein’s bunt. After a Miguel Tejada groundout, Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked. But closer Brad Lidge hit Ryan Ludwick to load the bases for Chase Headley with two outs. One strike away from 18^th save, Lidge balked in the tying run, scoring Hairston to tie the game. Headley grounded out to end the inning.

Neither team would score until the 12^th inning by Rollins.

August 28^th, 2010 Padres 1 Phillies 3

WP Joe Blanton (6-6) 6IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K 0HR

LP Jon Garland (13-9) 6.33IP 3H 3R 3ER 3BB 2K 0HR

S Brad Lidge (18) 1IP 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR

The Padres lost their third straight for only the second time this season as they were bested by the Phillies 3-1 on national television Saturday. The win gave the Phillies the series win with one to play on Sunday.

The Phils scored first in the fifth when Jayson Werth scored from second base on Shane Victorino’s one-out single.

Jon Garland’s two out single the next half inning scored Chris Denorfia to tie the game with runners at first and second. David Eckstein followed with a single of his own but Nick Hundley was thrown out at home with the game tied.

Victorino would knock in Werth yet again, this time tripling to left-center field in the seventh inning past a diving Denorfia. The “Flyin’ Hawaiian” would then score when Mike Sweeney beat out the relay throw to first on what would have been an inning-ending double-play. A hard slide by Carlos Ruiz brought Eckstein’s throw high, buying time for Sweeney to reach first.

Brad Lidge would pitch the ninth inning, facing the minimum three batters for his eighteenth save of the season.

August 28^th, 2010 Padres 0 Phillies 5

WP Cole Hamels (8-10) 8IP 4H 0R 0ER 0BB 6K 0HR

LP Clayton Richard (12-6) 7.67IP 4H 4R 2ER 1BB 5K 1HR

Cole Hamels dominated the Padres for eight strong innings allowing zero runs and just four hits. He struck out six Friars while walking none. San Diego put out an uncharacteristic error-riddled effort, committing four in a game for the first time this season.

The Phillies scored first in the third when Jimmy Rollins single to right field, scoring catcher Carlos Ruiz. They would add two more in the seventh with Mike Sweeey’s two-run homer off the Western Metal Supply building just fair in left field.

They would score again in the eighth when Ryan Ludwick would try to double up Cole Hamels off first base after a diving catch. But his thro would sail high and wide into the Padres dugout, awarding the Phillies base-runners two bases and scoring Ruiz from second.

Jayson Werth ripped a solo homer to left field to finish the scoring at 5-0.

Adrian Gonzalez had three of the team’s five hits. The Padres left five runners on base to the Phillies two.