Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Adam Dunn belted a career-high three homers and drove in five runs, powering the Washington Nationals to a 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres in the second installment of a three-game series.
Dunn's final homer of the night, a shot to right-center off Joe Thatcher leading off the bottom of the eighth, proved to be the difference. That gave the Nationals a 7-5 cushion before Matt Stairs went deep against Matt Capps with one out in the ninth. It was Stairs' 20th all-time pinch-hit homer, tying Cliff Johnson for the major league record.
The Padres eventually put men on first and third with two outs, but Chase Headley bounced out to first base as Capps held on for his 23rd save.
Ian Desmond homered for a second straight night for the Nationals, who used the long ball to their advantage again. On Tuesday, Ryan Zimmerman homered off Luke Gregerson leading off the bottom of the ninth inning in a 6-5 final.
J.D. Martin (1-4) surrendered six hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings for his first victory since last September 18.
Jon Garland (8-6) was charged with eight hits and six runs over six innings and suffered the loss.
Adrian Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with a homer and drove in two runs. Chris Denorfia also hit a home run for the Padres.
Jerry Hairston Jr. and Gonzalez singled after Stairs' homer, but Capps covered second base to record an out on a fielder's choice hit by Scott Hairston. Headley then ended the game.
Gonzalez's blast came in the first inning, but the Nationals went ahead 4-1 in the bottom of the first. Nyjer Morgan singled and Roger Bernadina walked before Zimmerman laced an RBI single to right field. Dunn then homered to center field.
Gonzalez doubled in Garland in the third inning, but Dunn smacked his second long ball of the night in the bottom half over the wall in left-center.
Desmond went deep with two outs in the sixth before Denorfia came up as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and clubbed the ball over the wall in left for his first homer since 2008.
San Diego got within 6-5 the following inning when Nick Hundley doubled in a run and another came in via Aaron Cunningham's groundout.
It was the first three-homer game for the Nationals since Alfonso Soriano went deep three times in an April 21, 2006 game against Atlanta...Dunn has 20 homers this year...Eleven of the Nationals' last 16 home wins have been one- run victories, including six straight, which is Washington's longest-ever string of consecutive home wins by the minimum.