Padres Snap Cubs’ Home Win Streak at Seven

The San Diego Padres Friday picked up where they left off last fall with the Chicago Cubs.

The defending National League champions got a two-run triple from Steve Garvey in a three-run first and home runs by Graig Nettles and Garry Templeton in the eighth for a 6-5 victory over the Cubs.

The Padres, who beat the Cubs three games to two in last year’s NL championship series, ended the Cubs’ seven-game winning streak at home.

“It wasn’t anything special as far as this game was concerned,” said Templeton, whose two-run shot off Rick Sutcliffe, 3-3, in the eighth proved to be the game-winner. “We have been struggling lately. We haven’t been scoring a lot and today we did.”

Andy Hawkins, 5-0, pitched the first 6 innings to stay unbeaten while Goose Gossage earned his seventh save despite giving up a three-run homer to Leon Durham in the eighth that closed the gap to 6-5.

“What the heck, we won,” Gossage said. “I was rushing a little bit there in the late innings. But we won the game.”

Gossage also walked three, including two in the ninth. But he got Bob Dernier to bounce out to end the rally.

“Hawkins did an exceptional job for us,” San Diego manager Dick Williams said. “With a bullpen like ours, we only need to get a guy into the seventh inning.”

Garvey’s triple gave Hawkins some working room and droppedSutcliffe’s record to .500 after he was 16-1 in winning the Cy Young Award for the Cubs last year.

“I made a mistake to Garvey on a slider and on two fastballs in the eighth,” Sutcliffe said. “On Templeton’s homer, he made some adjustments with me to pull the ball and I just adjusted too late.”

Chicago manager Jim Frey, whose team is 13-7 this season, said his club’s falling behind has hurt Sutcliffe.

“Rick also hasn’t had solid defense played behind him,” Frey said. “Last year, we’d score a lot early. We just need to break out, kind of like we did in the late innings today.”

Tim Flannery led off the first with a single to left. Tony Gwynn then bounced to first but shortstop Shawon Dunston was off the bag for Durham’s throw to second, allowing Gwynn to reach the base on the error. Garvey then followed with a triple to right center, scoring Flannery and Gwynn.

One out later, Kevin McReynolds walked and Terry Kennedy followed with a run-scoring single to center, scoring Garvey.

The Cubs knocked out Hawkins in the sixth. Keith Moreland singled to left with one out and Jody Davis hit a 2-0 pitch into the left-center field bleachers for his third homer of the year.

The Padres added three runs in the eighth. Nettles led off with his second homer of the season, an opposite field shot to left. Two outs later, Carmelo Martinez singled and Templeton lined his first homer of the season on the first pitch.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ryne Sandberg singled with one out and Thad Bosley walked. Durham followed with his third homer of the year, a three-run shot to right field on a 2-1 pitch. It was Durham’s first homer at Wrigley Field this year.