SAN DIEGO_Two years removed from their offseason crowning, the San Diego Padres' rebuild _ wait, "build" _ is in full swing as the end of summer nears. Whatever comes of the Arizona Diamondbacks' unwitting attempt to win an offseason, they aren't at that point.
Not yet, anyway.
Thursday's 9-8 win allowed the Padres to avoid a season-worst sixth straight loss as Alex Dickerson's three-run, eighth-inning double again placing the Diamondbacks by themselves in the NL West cellar amid calls for an Arizona front office shakeup.
The scrutiny is deserved.
Sound a little familiar?
It should.
The Padres, too, were offseason darlings a year ago only to fire their manager before the season's midpoint. Much of the fruit of A.J. Preller's first winter as a general manager jettisoned this summer, they limped home Wednesday following a 2-7 road trip in which they were outscored by the lowly Tampa Bay Rays, 25-3, over the final three games.
Their slumbering offense matched that total in the eighth inning alone when Dickerson greeted reliever Enrique Burgos with a bases-clearing double to left-center. The opportunity arrived when Travis Jankowski collected his fourth hit of the game to spark a two-out rally.
Wil Myers singled, Yangervis Solarte walked and beleaguered D-backs manager Chip Hale fetched the right-handed Burgos to face the Padres' rookie left fielder with the bases loaded.
Dickerson won the matchup, his opposite-field drive splitting the left-center alley as all three runs crossed the plate to give the Padres' bullpen yet another lead.
Brandon Maurer protected this one _ but not without drama.
He walked the leadoff hitter, got a pick-me-up when Jabari Blash _ a defensive replacement in right field _ made an over-the-shoulder catch against the wall _ and allowed a run-scoring single before escaping the inning with his sixth save.
The Padres' bullpen stumbled after Paul Clemens exited after five workmanlike innings, the Diamondbacks' go-ahead run crossing the plate in the eighth when left-hander Ryan Buchter walked the leadoff hitter, allowed him to swipe second and eventually score on Michael Bourn's single to center.
Earlier, Jean Segura greeted reliever Jose Dominguez with a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-5 in the sixth. Then when the Padres retook the lead on when Edwin Jackson _ on base via a pinch-hit walk _ scored on a passed ball in the sixth after Jankowski's two-out double, Mitch Haniger's run-scoring double off Brad Hand re-tied the game at 6-6 in the seventh.
Two innings after scoring the first run on Solarte's run-scoring groundout, Jankowski singled with one out in the third, swiped second base and scored on Myers' single to right-center.
Another run scored when Segura couldn't handle a ball off the bat of Dickerson and two more crossed the plate when Christian Bethancourt _ playing right field again as Blash contends with a hand injury _ singled sharply to center field to open a 5-2 lead that the Padres' bullpen couldn't hold.
A waiver-wire pick-up forced into the rotation due to trades and injuries in San Diego, Clemens dug the Padres into an early hole.
Segura doubled off the center-field wall to open the game and scored on a wild pitch, the first of three hits yielded in the opening frame alone. Paul Goldschmidt also walked in the inning and came around to score on Welington Castillo's two-out single to center.
Castillo's third hit of the game shaved a run off that advantage in fifth, the last inning of work for Clemens. He struck out three, allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks and has a 4.94 ERA, 18 strikeouts and nine walks in 23 2/3 innings in the rotation.
Diamondbacks starter Archie Bradley allowed five runs _ four earned _ on seven hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
