SAN DIEGO -- When Hunter Renfroe truly squares up a baseball -- as he did against Giants reliever Cory Gearrin with the Padres trailing by a run in the seventh inning on Saturday night -- it tends to carry. And carry. And carry some more.
For a moment, the ball looked destined for the glove of left fielder Gregor Blanco. Then it looked like it might clear Blanco for a double. Instead, Renfroe's 109-mph shot landed in the first row of seats for a go-ahead two-run homer. It put the Padres on top for good in a back-and-forth 5-4 victory over the Giants before a sellout crowd at Petco Park.