SAN DIEGO _ The San Diego Padres' Ian Kinsler showed he could still hit during the first week of May.
In almost every other portion of the season, the 36-year-old made it appear it might be time to let the kids play.
"I know what I can do," Kinsler said Thursday afternoon. "And the goal now is to get consistent, where I'm not flashing those moments, where it's not a series in Atlanta and that's it."
Kinsler, who since going 9-for-27 in his first six games this month, a stretch that included a homer and two doubles against the Braves, was 2-for-17 entering Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park.
But his three-run homer in the sixth inning erased a deficit and provided the winning margin in a 4-3 victory.
Franmil Reyes' team-leading 13th home run gave the Padres a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
But a night after the Los Angeles Dodgers scored both their runs in a 2-0 victory over the Padres on a bloop single and two singles that didn't leave the infield, the Pirates scored two runs off Padres starter Eric Lauer with really just one well-hit ball.
A bloop double by Kevin Newman leading off the fifth fell between three Padres defenders. Pitcher Francisco Liriano followed by reaching on a slow roller up the third base line that moved Newman to third. Newman just beat a throw home from Lauer, who had fielded a grounder by Adam Frazier.
After a single to left and an infield single accompanied by Greg Garcia's throwing error put runners on second and third with two out in the sixth, Adam Warren replaced Lauer and allowed the go-ahead run to score a wild pitch.
Pirates starter Trevor Williams departed with two outs in the fourth inning with what was termed discomfort in his right side.
