San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Nick Hundley hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and the San Diego Padres held on for a 4-2 win against the Washington Nationals in the second of three games at Petco Park.
Hundley also tripled and scored twice for the Padres, who have won five of seven overall and 32 of 42 against the Nationals/Expos since August, 2003. Chris Denorfia also drove in a run for San Diego, which dropped the first game of this series.
Mat Latos (5-3) won his fourth straight decision, allowing only two runs, four hits and three walks while fanning eight in six innings. Heath Bell notched his 14th save with a scoreless ninth.
Adam Kennedy and Wil Nieves each drove in a run for Washington, which has lost three of five. J.D. Martin (0-1), making his first start of the season, yielded four ones -- only one earned -- on four hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter in six innings.
Hundley staked the Padres to a lead with a big blast in the first.
Martin retired the first two hitters, but Adrian Gonzalez reached on an error by the second baseman Kennedy.Chase Headley followed with a single, and Hundley plated them both with a home run to left for a 3-0 advantage.
The Nationals, though, answered with two runs in the second. Adam Dunn singled, Josh Willingham walked and Kennedy redeemed himself with an RBI single to center. Two batters later, Nieves plated Willingham with a groundout to cut the deficit to 3-2.
San Diego increased its lead to two in the fourth, as Hundley led off with a triple and scored on Denorfia's groundout.
After the shaky second inning, Latos settled down and allowed only one more runner to reach scoring position through six innings.
Luke Gregerson set the Nationals down in order in the seventh, and Mike Adams pitched around a two-out single in the eighth. Bell polished off the win with a perfect ninth.
Washington has lost eight of its last 10 road games...Martin went 5-4 with a 4.44 earned run average in 15 starts last season.