PHOENIX (AP) - For their 46 years, the San Diego Padres never have had a player hit for the cycle.
Tommy Medica came oh so close on an otherwise dismal night for the Padres.
Five days after being recalled from Triple-A El Paso, Medica homered, tripled and doubled in San Diego’s 12-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
He would have had the single, too, had his screaming line drive dropped by third baseman Martin Prado not been ruled an error.
“That would have been neat,” he said when told what he nearly accomplished.
Medica said it “definitely” could have been ruled a hit.
“Prado is great player,” he said. “I don’t know if they are thinking it might be routine for him.”
Medica had one last chance in the ninth, but he flied out to center.
Chase Anderson became the first Arizona pitcher to win his first three starts and he got plenty of help early with an eight-run first inning, a Diamondbacks’ franchise record.
Prado and Paul Goldschmidt both hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for Arizona. Diamondbacks rookie Chris Owings had his first big-league four-hit game.
Goldschmidt’s homer traveled an estimated 470 feet, the farthest he can remember hitting one.
Arizona, taking two of three from the Padres, chased starter Tim Stauffer (2-1) after just one-third of an inning.
Anderson (3-0) got big support for the second straight outing. The Diamondbacks scored 18 runs for him in his previous start.
Medica tripled in the third, doubled in fifth and homered in the eighth - one night after getting three hits, including a two-run homer, in the Padres’ 4-3 win.
“Tommy is definitely running hot right now,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “And he’s hitting the ball hard. Those aren’t cheap ones.”
Anderson allowed four runs, just one earned, and eight hits in five innings to help Arizona win its second straight home series after losing its first seven.
Arizona sent five batters to the plate in the opening inning before the first out. A.J. Pollock and Gerardo Parra opened the game with singles, then Goldschmidt doubled home Pollock. Miguel Montero walked to load the bases and Prado singled in a run.
“Baseball at times is a very cruel game,” Black said. “Pollock’s was just a bounding groundball that was hit in the right spot. Parra, a bounding ball hit in the right spot and not hit hard. Goldschmidt just a blooper down the right field line. Not hit hard. You look up and it is guys on second and third and one run in and they haven’t hit the ball hard.”
Aaron Hill struck out - the only out for Stauffer who was making his second start after moving from the bullpen. Owings singled in a run, then Ender Inciarte singled in two more and it was 5-0 with two runners on base when Donn Roach replaced Stauffer. Pollock promptly doubled home both runners, then Arizona wrapped up the eight-run frame with Parra’s RBI double.
In the Arizona second, Montero singled, then Prado smashed a line drive two-run shot into the Diamondbacks’ bullpen down the left field line, his second home run in as many games, and it was 10-0.
Medica led off the fourth with a triple and scored on Jedd Gyorko’s groundout.
San Diego scored three unearned runs in the fifth. Everth Cabrera singled, then with the shift on for Seth Smith, Prado dropped a grounder to the right of second base, his second error of the game. Yonder Alonso singled in a run, then Medica’s two-run double cut it to 10-4.
Pollock opened the seventh with a double, then scored on Goldschmidt’s soaring home run to center off Troy Patton to make it 12-4.
The first-inning outburst was well off a franchise record for a San Diego opponent. The Padres gave up 11 runs in the first to St. Louis in 2005.
NOTES: Arizona manager Kirk Gibson turned 57 on Wednesday. …The Padres announced that RHP Ronald Herrera is the player to be named in the deal that sent Kyle Banks to Oakland. … The Diamondbacks called up Nick Evans from Triple-A Reno and optioned OF Alfredo Marte to Reno. Evans replaced Goldschmidt at first base in the eighth. … The Padres have Thursday off and open a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox on Friday … The Reds begin a 4-game series in Arizona on Thursday with Cincinnati sending LHP Tony Cingrani (2-4, 4.06 ERA) against Arizona RHP Josh Collmenter (3-2, 3.91).
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