Gwynn Goes Out, but Adds a Hit

Tony Gwynn wants to reach 3,000 hits. His body, however, is making that an increasingly painstaking task.

Gwynn singled for career hit No. 2,982 in the third inning and scored the tying run, but left after five innings as a precaution after feeling tightness in his left calf.

His replacement, Eric Owens, scored the winning run as Dave Magadan singled him home in the seventh and the Padres defeated Pittsburgh, 5-4, Saturday night for their second consecutive victory.

Gwynn was playing his seventh game since missing 19 games because of the strained calf. His status was listed as day to day.

Owens doubled to right-center field with one out in the seventh to chase Jason Schmidt (6-5), took third on reliever Jeff Wallace’s wild pitch and scored on Magadan’s hit. Magadan went two for two and also had a sacrifice fly.

Heath Murray, Will Cunnane and Trevor Hoffman combined on a five-hitter for San Diego, retiring 19 of the final 20 batters. Cunnane (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for the win and Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 14th save.

San Diego, which still hasn’t managed to win three straight games this year, trailed, 4-2, going into the third.

Quilvio Veras drew a leadoff walk, took third on Gwynn’s single to right and scored on John Vander Wal’s single to right-center. After pitching coach Pete Vuckovich’s mound visit, Magadan walked on four pitches to load the bases. Jim Leyritz hit a chopper to third baseman Ed Sprague, who threw out Leyritz instead of trying to get Gwynn at home.

San Diego took a 2-0 lead in the first on Vander Wal’s RBI double and Magadan’s sacrifice fly. Pittsburgh’s Jason Kendall scored on shortstop Damian Jackson’s throwing error on Jose Guillen’s infield single in the second.

The Pirates scored three runs in the third to take a 4-2 lead, with Jackson again having a rough inning.

With runners on first and second and one out, he didn’t get his glove down on Kevin Young’s RBI single. Kendall followed with a sacrifice fly, and Guillen an RBI single. Jackson missed Freddy Garcia’s grounder for an error to move Guillen to second, but Abraham Nunez forced Garcia.

The Padres squandered plenty of scoring chances. Ruben Rivera, who homered twice in Friday night’s 4-2 win, struck out to end the third and fifth innings, leaving three runners in scoring position.

Jackson tripled to right leading off the sixth but was thrown out at home on a one-hopper by right fielder Guillen on pinch-hitter David Newhan’s fly ball.

Murray gave up four runs and five hits in six innings. Schmidt gave up five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.

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TONY GWYNN WATCH

Tony Gwynn is looking to become the 22nd member of the 3,000-hit club. The Padre’s status:

HITS: 2,982

HITS TO 3,000: 18

LAST GAME: One for three against Pittsburgh

NEXT GAME: Today vs. Pittsburgh, but Gwynn is day-to-day because of sore calf.