Kennedy Hits Help Padres Defeat Giants

Terry Kennedy homered and drove in four runs, two with a double during a three-run rally in the eighth inning Thursday that carried the Padres past the San Francisco Giants, 6-5, at San Diego.

LaMarr Hoyt, 9-4, won his seventh straight game despite allowing two home runs to Jeff Leonard. Hoyt allowed nine hits in eight innings, walked one and struck out six. Rich Gossage pitched the ninth for his 16th save.

The Padres entered the eighth trailing, 5-3, but scored three times. Pinch-hitter Al Bumbry drew a leadoff walk from Giants starter Mike Krukow. Reliever Mark Davis, 3-4, and walked pinch-hitter Jerry Royster. Tony Gwynn then lined a single to center to score Bumbry and after Steve Gravey struck out, Kennedy drilled his two-run double.

The right-hand hitting Leonard went the opposite way on Hoyt’s first pitch in the second inning, lining the ball over the fence in right-center field for his sixth homer of the year and a 1-0 lead.

Tim Flannery led off the San Diego fourth with a single and scored two outs later ahead of Kennedy’s seventh homer of the season and first since May 22.

The Padres took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when Kevin McReynolds tripled and scored on Garry Templeton’s single.

The Giants took a 4-3 lead on Leonard’s three-run homer and added a run in the eighth on Chris Brown’s RBI double.

At New York, a single swing by George Foster helped erase several bad memories.

Foster stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning with one hit in his previous 18 at-bats. His opposite-field grand slam broke his slump in dramatic fashion and lifted the Mets to a 5-3 victory over the Cubs, giving the Mets a four-game sweep of the series.

In July and August of last season, the Cubss beat the Mets in seven straight meetings and went on to beat out New York for the NL East title by six and a half games.

“This takes away the psychological domination they had over us last year,” said Mets Manager Davey Johnson of the Cubs, who had lost nine straaight. “To come off a 1-6 road trip and bounce back like this is a big shot in the arm.”

Foster’s 12th career grand slam supported Sid Fernandez’ career-high 10 strikeouts for the Mets.