SAN DIEGO _ Unsure at precisely what hour his monthlong suspension began, General Manager A.J. Preller vacated his San Diego office before the stroke of midnight Monday morning _ well before Wil Myers' Petco Park-record 16th homer at home got the Padres started on a 3-2 win over Arizona to start the final homestand of the season.
Preller's presence wouldn't have counted toward the 20,250 in attendance, the sixth lowest this season at Petco Park as the Padres look to avoid just the second sub-70 win season since moving into their downtown locale.
Monday's effort provided a good start.
Myers reached base three times to continue his second-half resurgence, Alexi Amarista drove in two runs on two hits and left-hander Clayton Richard turned in another solid start, allowing the Padres (63-87) move into a tie with the Diamondbacks (63-87) in the NL West cellar.
Myers' solo shot opened the scoring in a three-run fourth, the low liner leaving the bat at 102 mph and clearing the fence in right for his first Petco Park homer since Aug. 5 and just his seventh of the second half.
The previous Petco Park record _ 15 _ was shared by Justin Upton (2015) and Wil Venable (2013).
Two more singles and an error in the fourth inning set the table for Amarista's two-run single to center, closing the book on Braden Shipley.
The Diamondbacks rookie allowed three runs _ two earned _ on six hits and a walk in four innings.
Richard lasted a bit longer, scattering six hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings and not allowing either of his two runs until the seventh.
The Diamondbacks' lone rally began with a walk to Yasmany Tomas.
Kyle Jensen tripled to center field with one out to get Arizona on the board and Phil Gosselin chased Richard with a run-scoring single only to have left-hander Brad Hand immediately fetch an inning-ending double play ball to third baseman Ryan Schimpf.
Schimpf also turned a 5-6-3 double play to end the second inning with runners on the corners against Richard, who threw 58 of his 92 pitches for strikes and retired 12 of his 19 outs on the ground.
Hand sat down the side in order in the eighth and Brandon Maurer turned in a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.
