Padres 6, White Sox 3: Skid hits six

Miguel Gonzalez was off his game and Leury Garcia was the offense. That’s a pretty simple recipe for a sixth straight loss.

And that’s no knock on Garcia, who had a multi-homer game to drive in all three of the White Sox’ runs.

Gonzalez, though, gave up a homer on the first pitch of the game to set the tone for a rough night on the mound. The Padres had a way of kicking the lead out of reach every time it seemed like the White Sox — OK, Garcia — was poised to make a move.

Adding insult to injury, the Padres did most of their damage with two outs.

For instance, in the half-inning before Garcia turned on an unremarkable Jhoulys Chacin slider for a two-run shot in the bottom of the third, Austin Hedges came through by smashing a hanging changeup over third base for a two-run double. It scored two because the security guard’s stool stopped it, rather than Melky Cabrera meeting it halfway, but Gonzalez couldn’t blame bad luck for his performance his evening.

Likewise, the Padres had erased the effects of Garcia’s first homer with more two-out magic. After Gonzalez retired the first two batters of the fifth inning, Austin Hedges pulled an outer-half cutter over the left-field wall for a solo shot, and Gonzalez couldn’t shut the door. Eric Aybar singled, Hunter Renfroe walked, and Allen Cordoba lined a single to left for another run before Gonzalez found the third out.

Gonzalez ended up allowing five runs on eight hits (two homers) and four walks over his five inning. Had he been able to limit the damage, Garcia’s second homer -- a raked solo shot to right center -- might’ve been more than merely a neat feat by somebody who’s been a pleasant surprise.

Indeed, Garcia had a great night from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with an HBP in the place of Tim Anderson, who is out this weekend attending the funeral of a friend.

The problem was a lack of help. Avisail Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez had multi-hit games, sure, but they batted first, fourth and seventh. In between them? 0-fers abound. Chacin scattered seven hits and a walk over his 6¹⁄₃ innings. and San Diego’s bullpen limited the Sox offense to a Sanchez single in the ninth.

Record: 15-18 | Box score | Highlights