Padres skipper Green tired of praising opposing pitchers
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Rookie manager Andy Green of the San Diego Padres feels he's been nice enough in his postgame comments about opposing pitchers.
After watching Jeff Samardzija throw eight strong innings in the San Francisco Giants' 3-1 win Thursday night, Green kept his praise short while calling out his team's anemic offense.
"He did a good job. Honestly I'm at the point where I'm pretty much done tipping my hat to other pitchers," Green said. "We have to have better at-bats."
Samardzija (6-2) held San Diego to three hits and one run, struck out eight and walked none. He retired his final 19 batters after giving up an RBI double to Alexi Amarista with two outs in the second.
Samardzija was trying to become the third straight Giants pitcher to get a complete game, after Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto went the distance in the first two games of the series. Samardzija threw 105 pitches.
Joe Panik had four hits and Brandon Crawford homered for the NL West-leading Giants, who won their season-high eighth straight game.
The Giants went 7-0 on a swing through Arizona and San Diego. They head home to open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs, who at 28-11 have the best record in the majors.
San Francisco swept San Diego for the second time this season. The Padres have lost five of six. They scored only three runs in the series.
Samardzija also beat the Padres 13-9 at San Francisco on April 27.
"Our offense didn't really do much but that is the way it goes sometimes," Wil Myers said. "You run into guys like that that throw the ball really well. But I think there are situations where we could have better at-bats, me as well."
Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 13 chances.
Crawford homered to right field off James Shields leading off the seventh, his sixth. In the series opener Tuesday night, Crawford had a three-run homer and drove in five runs.
Panik went 4 for 4 against Shields. He was thrown out at third base to end the first and third innings. In the first, he hesitated on Buster Posey's sacrifice fly before breaking for third, and was thrown out by right fielder Matt Kemp. In the third, he tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt and was thrown out by Christian Bethancourt.
The Giants scored an unearned run in the fourth when Matt Duffy reached on a two-base fielding error by Kemp and scored on Hunter Pence's single.
Shields (2-6) allowed three runs, two earned, and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
"Our guys are pitching, throwing well," Green said. "James Shields was very good again today."
And the two earned runs Shields allowed? "That was all the blood that was drawn on him today," Green said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: 3B Yangervis Solarte, on the DL with a strained right hamstring, began a two-game rehab stint with Triple-A El Paso. ... Green said RHP Andrew Cashner (right hamstring strain), who is scheduled to come off the DL on Tuesday, will start either that day or Wednesday, at San Francisco.
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Jake Peavy (1-4, 7.43) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game home series against the Cubs. RHP Jake Arrieta (7-0, 1.29) is scheduled to start for the Cubs.
Padres: LHP Christian Friedrich (0-1, 1.50) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will counter with LHP Scott Kazmir (3-3, 4.89).
