Padres Heading Toward Runaway

The San Diego Padres have extended their lead in the NL West by winning even when they’re not at their best.

The Padres blew a six-run lead on Sunday--Greg Vaughn’s fourth homer of the series provided the early cushion--then rallied with Tony Gwynn’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for 7-6 victory and three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

The ragged victory completed a 7-3 road trip that began with a pair of losses in Los Angeles and ended with a double-digit lead of 11 games over San Francisco. The Padres’ biggest lead ever was in 1984, when they finished 12 games ahead of Houston and Atlanta.

“You can’t help but notice it,” said Gwynn, whose fly ball in the eighth against John Hudek (2-5) set up the win. “We started the trip up 5 1/2 and we’re going home up by [double digits]. But we’ve got to put that aside.

“That’s the luxury you have when you’re in first place. You’ve just got to take care of yourselves.”

The Reds have been helpless against the Padres all season. They took a 10-game winning streak into the series, but have lost nine in a row against San Diego. It was the Padres’ first three-game sweep in Cincinnati since September 1990.

In all, the Padres won 11 of 12 from the Reds this season, matching their best one-year record against any team.

“They’ve got a good team, but you can’t just give it to them,” Red Manager Jack McKeon said. “You can’t walk them. You don’t give yourself a chance.”

Vaughn’s 34th homer put the Padres ahead, 6-0, in the second inning, but the Reds hit three homers against Sterling Hitchcock and got Barry Larkin’s run-scoring single to tie it in the seventh.

Hudek then walked two batters in the eighth and second baseman Bret Boone made an errant throw while trying to turn a double play, leaving the bases loaded for Gwynn. Hudek went to a 3-1 count and Gwynn put the Padres ahead again with a fly ball to center for his second RBI of the game.

“My whole idea is just to go up there and get a good pitch I can hit in the air, and not try to be a hero and hit a grand slam,” Gwynn said.

Donne Wall (3-2) got the victory despite giving up Larkin’s game-tying single in the seventh, and Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth to remain perfect in 30 save opportunities this season.

Vaughn was the Padres’ offensive catalyst, going six-for-13 while moving closer to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa for the NL home run lead. Each of Vaughn’s homers in the series traveled at least 400 feet. The Padres hit eight homers in the three-game series against the Reds.

“That’s the name of the game: Doing whatever it takes to get the job done,” Vaughn said. “It was a big weekend but it’s over now.

“After we lost a couple of tough ones in Los Angeles, we kept our composure, kept our focus and kept going.”