NL East: McKeon rips Marlins after sweep to Pads

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SAN DIEGO -- Manager Jack McKeon had some harsh words for his staggering Florida Marlins.

"You have to start using your brain and figuring out how to get hitters out," McKeon said after the Marlins lost 4-3 on Sunday as the San Diego Padres completed a four-game sweep.

Nick Hundley tripled leading off the bottom of the ninth and scored on Will Venable's bases-loaded single.

The Padres swept the seven-game season series. Overall, San Diego has won eight straight against the Marlins.

The Marlins have lost 15 of 17 games.

"Some of these guys had better wake up," McKeon said. "This is the time of the year where you'd better be a salesman and show your wares and how good you are. How bad do you want to be a major league player? This is not a picnic. You're not on scholarship. Sometimes we treat them that way."

On the day the Padres honored all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman by retiring his No. 51, Heath Bell blew (3-4) the save by allowing Mike Cameron's solo homer with two outs in the ninth.

Hundley started the winning rally in the bottom of the inning with a triple off the bottom of the center field wall against Edward Mujica (8-5). It was the fourth triple in the last six games for Hundley, the Padres' catcher. The Marlins then intentionally walked Logan Forsythe and Alberto Gonzalez before Mike Dunn relieved Mujica. The Marlins deployed a five-man infield, with center fielder Cameron playing just to the right of second base. It didn't help, though, as Venable lofted a single over the head of right fielder Mike Stanton.

Trying for a four-out save, Bell retired the first two batters in the ninth before Cameron, a former Padres player, homered into the balcony on the third level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner. It was his fourth.

Cory Luebke struck out eight in six innings for the Padres.

The Padres handed Luebke a 3-0 lead in the first. Venable homered to right on a 2-0 pitch from Anibal Sanchez. It was his fifth of the season and third leadoff homer of his career. Cameron Maybin walked with one out, Orlando Hudson doubled with two outs and both scored on Kyle Blanks' double to left-center.

Stanton hit his 30th homer, a solo shot with two outs in the fourth. Stanton had homered in four straight games coming into this series. John Buck hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to score Greg Dobbs, who reached on a pinch single and advanced on two wild pitches by Luke Gregerson.

Asked about Stanton's homer, McKeon continued to rip on the Marlins' pitching staff. "I'm sure he'd sure as hell hit against our staff, because they get behind and lay it in there. Ridiculous. I'm embarrassed and they should be, too. They're better than that.

"You come into this ballpark and they say this is the toughest park in America to hit home runs in and they just wore us out on home runs," McKeon said.

Luebke held the Marlins to one run and three hits in six innings. He walked none.

Sanchez allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, struck out three and walked two.

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