SAN DIEGO -AP- Robbie Erlin pitched six strong innings, Alexi Amarista and Will Venable homered and the San Diego defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 on Thursday night.Erlin (4-4), slowed by a sore elbow this season, allowed a run on five hits in his first start since May 17. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter.Four relievers finished off the Phillies as the Padres took three of four in the series.With no outs in the eighth, Philadelphia brought the tying run to the plate before Dale Thayer struck out the side. 
The Phillies scored twice in the ninth.Kyle Kendrick (9-13) struggled in his five innings. He gave up three runs on six hits, five walks and a hit batter.Amarista homered in the second, lifting a changeup just into the right-field seats for a 1-0 lead.Domonic Brown tied it with an RBI single in the fourth. The Padres scored in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Amarista.Seth Smith had an RBI single in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. He drove in Jedd Gyorko, who singled with two outs and moved up when Yasmani Grandal walked, Kendrick's third base on balls in 10 batters.The Padres extended their lead to 4-1 in the sixth after Cameron Maybin opened with a double and scored on Cory Spangenberg's single.
The Phillies scored twice in the ninth.Kyle Kendrick (9-13) struggled in his five innings. He gave up three runs on six hits, five walks and a hit batter.Amarista homered in the second, lifting a changeup just into the right-field seats for a 1-0 lead.Domonic Brown tied it with an RBI single in the fourth. The Padres scored in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Amarista.Seth Smith had an RBI single in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. He drove in Jedd Gyorko, who singled with two outs and moved up when Yasmani Grandal walked, Kendrick's third base on balls in 10 batters.The Padres extended their lead to 4-1 in the sixth after Cameron Maybin opened with a double and scored on Cory Spangenberg's single.
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