Nick Hundley

Pinch-hitter Nick Hundley drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the 10th inning and the Padres beat National League wild-card-leading Rockies, 3-2, Saturday night, ending Colorado's winning streak at eight games. Colorado has a 5 1/2 -game lead in the wild-card race over San Francisco and Florida. Yorvit Torrealba's run-scoring single in the ninth inning had pulled the Rockies even, 2-2. -- associated press

"In high school, report cards came out and our entire infield failed, so I had to go play short. That's a true story. " - Vernon Wells, 34, on his last infield appearance before playing third base for the New York Yankees last Wednesday. "You want to talk about a guy who is unproven and had a good couple months on steroids, go ahead. " - San Diego Padres catcher Nick Hundley, to UT San Diego, on fellow Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal, expected to return later this month from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.

"In high school, report cards came out and our entire infield failed, so I had to go play short. That's a true story. " - Vernon Wells, 34, on his last infield appearance before playing third base for the New York Yankees last Wednesday. "You want to talk about a guy who is unproven and had a good couple months on steroids, go ahead. " - San Diego Padres catcher Nick Hundley, to UT San Diego, on fellow Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal, expected to return later this month from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.

Reporting from Peoria, Ariz. ? Pitching inside is something Jonathan Broxton admits he has avoided for most of his career. "You miss just a little bit, the ball goes a long way," Broxton said. The Dodgers' 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres introduced him to another potential consequence, as his fifth-inning plunking of Ryan Ludwick started a sequence that ended with both benches clearing. "Mine wasn't on purpose," Broxton said. L.A. Times Dodgers blog No matter.

San Diego 2, at Atlanta 1 (12 innings): David Eckstein's 12th-inning double drove in Nick Hundley. at Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 4: Andrew McCutchen hit a game-ending two-run homer off closer Brad Lidge. at St. Louis 1, Houston 0: Adam Wainwright became the league's first 15-game winner. Cincinnati 8, at Milwaukee 6 (13 innings): Joey Votto and Laynce Nix hit solo home runs in the top of the 13th inning to give the Reds the win. at San Francisco 5, Arizona 4: Travis Ishikawa hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning.

San Diego 5, at Milwaukee 2: Will Venable hit the first home run of his career for the Padres. Nick Hundley and Luis Rodriguez each drove in two runs for San Diego, which had lost nine straight on the road and is tied with Washington and Seattle for the fewest wins in the majors. The Brewers lost their fourth game in a row. at Atlanta 2, Washington 0: James Parr tossed six sharp innings for the Braves in his major league debut. Mike Gonzalez, who completed the five-hitter, has converted all nine of his save opportunities this season and 39 in a row overall, the longest current streak in the major leagues, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Philadelphia Manager Charlie Manuel never considered taking the ball out of Roy Halladay's hand Monday. Which is probably a good thing since it's unlikely Halladay would have given it up. After waiting 13 big league seasons to play for a winner, Halladay wasn't about to watch his team clinch a pennant from the bench. He dominated Washington, 8-0, with a two-hitter to give the Phillies their fourth consecutive National League East title. "I wanted him out there," Manuel said.

For the pitcher and his new team, victory felt like something from the distant past. "It's been a long time," said the pitcher, Ted Lilly. "We definitely needed this win," catcher Russell Martin said. The 2-1 victory over the National League West-leading San Diego Padres on Tuesday night was the Dodgers' first victory in a week and Lilly's first in more than a month. The Dodgers remained in an offensive malaise, but their newly acquired left-hander was used to pitching under such conditions with the Chicago Cubs, who gave him with the second-worst run support of any starting pitcher in the majors.

Reporting from San Diego — And here to jumpstart the Dodgers offense … Scott Podsednik? Their once high-scoring lineup mired in a two-week slump and Manny Ramirez's return date unknown, the Dodgers weren't about to sit around and wait for something to suddenly change. So General Manager Ned Colletti did what he does at this time of the year and Wednesday sent two minor players to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Podsednik, a fleet-footed .310 hitter. As if on cue, Colletti's team promptly offered a nine-inning explanation as to why the deal might have been a necessity instead of a luxury, falling to the first-place San Diego Padres, 6-1, to drop six games back in the National League West.

Reporting from Peoria, Ariz. ? Pitching inside is something Jonathan Broxton admits he has avoided for most of his career. "You miss just a little bit, the ball goes a long way," Broxton said. The Dodgers' 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres introduced him to another potential consequence, as his fifth-inning plunking of Ryan Ludwick started a sequence that ended with both benches clearing. "Mine wasn't on purpose," Broxton said. L.A. Times Dodgers blog No matter.

Philadelphia Manager Charlie Manuel never considered taking the ball out of Roy Halladay's hand Monday. Which is probably a good thing since it's unlikely Halladay would have given it up. After waiting 13 big league seasons to play for a winner, Halladay wasn't about to watch his team clinch a pennant from the bench. He dominated Washington, 8-0, with a two-hitter to give the Phillies their fourth consecutive National League East title. "I wanted him out there," Manuel said.

For the pitcher and his new team, victory felt like something from the distant past. "It's been a long time," said the pitcher, Ted Lilly. "We definitely needed this win," catcher Russell Martin said. The 2-1 victory over the National League West-leading San Diego Padres on Tuesday night was the Dodgers' first victory in a week and Lilly's first in more than a month. The Dodgers remained in an offensive malaise, but their newly acquired left-hander was used to pitching under such conditions with the Chicago Cubs, who gave him with the second-worst run support of any starting pitcher in the majors.

Reporting from San Diego — And here to jumpstart the Dodgers offense … Scott Podsednik? Their once high-scoring lineup mired in a two-week slump and Manny Ramirez's return date unknown, the Dodgers weren't about to sit around and wait for something to suddenly change. So General Manager Ned Colletti did what he does at this time of the year and Wednesday sent two minor players to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Podsednik, a fleet-footed .310 hitter. As if on cue, Colletti's team promptly offered a nine-inning explanation as to why the deal might have been a necessity instead of a luxury, falling to the first-place San Diego Padres, 6-1, to drop six games back in the National League West.

Pinch-hitter Nick Hundley drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the 10th inning and the Padres beat National League wild-card-leading Rockies, 3-2, Saturday night, ending Colorado's winning streak at eight games. Colorado has a 5 1/2 -game lead in the wild-card race over San Francisco and Florida. Yorvit Torrealba's run-scoring single in the ninth inning had pulled the Rockies even, 2-2. -- associated press

San Diego 2, at Atlanta 1 (12 innings): David Eckstein's 12th-inning double drove in Nick Hundley. at Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 4: Andrew McCutchen hit a game-ending two-run homer off closer Brad Lidge. at St. Louis 1, Houston 0: Adam Wainwright became the league's first 15-game winner. Cincinnati 8, at Milwaukee 6 (13 innings): Joey Votto and Laynce Nix hit solo home runs in the top of the 13th inning to give the Reds the win. at San Francisco 5, Arizona 4: Travis Ishikawa hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning.

San Diego 5, at Milwaukee 2: Will Venable hit the first home run of his career for the Padres. Nick Hundley and Luis Rodriguez each drove in two runs for San Diego, which had lost nine straight on the road and is tied with Washington and Seattle for the fewest wins in the majors. The Brewers lost their fourth game in a row. at Atlanta 2, Washington 0: James Parr tossed six sharp innings for the Braves in his major league debut. Mike Gonzalez, who completed the five-hitter, has converted all nine of his save opportunities this season and 39 in a row overall, the longest current streak in the major leagues, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward retired Tuesday rather than try extending his career with another team. The decision comes three weeks after Ward was released by the Steelers in a salary-cap maneuver. The 36-year-old Ward is the franchise's all-time leader in every major receiving category, including receptions, yards and touchdowns. Ward said following his release he believed he "still had some football in him," but changed his mind. Ward, a four-time Pro Bowler, saw his playing time decrease last season behind Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown . He finished with 46 receptions, the fewest since his rookie year in 1998.