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SAN FRANCISCO - The San Diego Padres rallied from six runs down and nearly spoiled San Franciscos delayed clinching party.The Giants blew a six-run lead, and then rallied for a 9-8 victory over the Padres on Thursday night to stay within one game of Pittsburgh for the top spot in the NL wild-card standings.Im very proud of the guys, down 6-0, come back 8-6 against a good team, a team going to the playoffs, Padres manager Bud Black said. It doesnt matter if its game 159 or game 1, our guys play, man. It doesnt matter what game. Thats the mantra of this group, they keep playing.Hunter Pence scored the go-ahead run on Matt Duffys squeeze bunt in the Giants three-run seventh, hours after they clinched a playoff berth with Milwaukees loss at Cincinnati. Pablo Sandoval had a season-high four RBIs, including a key single in the decisive seventh.The Giants (86-73) kept pace with Pittsburgh (87-72) after the Pirates won 10-1 at Atlanta to pull within one game of first-place St. Louis in the NL Central. San Francisco will play one of those two clubs in a one-game playoff Wednesday, home field still to be determined. Lefty 18-game winner Madison Bumgarner is expected to start.The funs just now starting, right-hander Tim Hudson said.Yasmani Grandal hit his first career grand slam for San Diego in the seventh. He also had a solo shot in the sixth.Two batters after Grandals slam, Rene Rivera went deep to give the Padres an 8-6 lead. The Giants then answered in the bottom half against Blaine Boyer (0-1).Tim Lincecum (11-9) recorded the final out of the seventh for the win. Santiago Casilla closed it out for his 18th save in 22 chances.Lincecum earned his 100th career victory on all of two pitches.Its kind of the vulturish way but Ill take anything I can get, Lincecum said. Who would plan for a two-pitch win?Grandal had his second career multihomer game, also accomplishing the feat on June 30, 2012, at Colorado.Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford each hit a solo homer and Sandoval produced his biggest day of 2014.Before the game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said his players would celebrate their first playoff berth since winning the 2012 World Series. Once San Francisco came back to win, that could be done with a bit more fervour.Belt splashed a home run into McCovey Cove leading off the second, the 68th time a Giants player homered into the bay beyond the right-field arcade and the fourth by Belt.Crawford hit his career-best 10th home run in the fourth against Andrew Cashner.Their game plan was definitely different than the other night, Cashner said. I made some good pitches here and there but overall I kind of missed location for the most part. I had more balls overall up in the zone than down in the zone.Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly and a trio of RBI singles as the Giants won for the 11th time in their last 13 home games. Now they are hoping a successful weekend will earn them a home date for Wednesdays one-game wild-card playoff.San Franciscos Yusmeiro Petit was in line to end a two-start losing streak, but the Giants couldnt hold a 6-0 lead.Will Venable hit a two-run homer in the sixth and Grandal connected two batters later to chase Petit.San Diego, coming off an 8-2 homestand that included a three-game sweep of the Giants last weekend, needs one victory over the Giants this weekend for its first season series win since 2010.CELEBRATING MAYSHall of Famer Willie Mays rode through the ballpark in a 1931 Lincoln Phaeton and tossed baseballs into the crowd during the middle of the fourth inning to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of his historic over-the-shoulder catch from Game 1 of the New York Giants 1954 World Series against Cleveland at the Polo Grounds.TRAINING ROOMPadres: OF Cameron Maybin was scratched with what Black called a health issue, but it wasnt considered serious. ... RHP Odrisamer Despaigne wont pitch again this season. The Cuban defector, a rookie, has a sore right side. We felt that the risk of throwing him out there this weekend was not worth it based on his side session the other day when he still felt a little discomfort, Black said. Hes thrown the ball extremely well. Its a great learning experience for him to pitch in the United States in the major leagues. The talent is there to be successful here and that has shown through his outings.Giants: CF Angel Pagan underwent season-ending surgery to repair a bulging disk in his back. All went smoothly and he will remain hospitalized in Southern California initially. Recovery is expected to take about three months.UP NEXTPadres: RHP Ian Kennedy (12-13, 3.76 ERA) looks to win his third straight start in his final outing of the year.Giants: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (8-12, 3.96 ERA) makes his 32nd start, his most in a single season. He lost last Sunday in San Diego, but owns a 3-0 record and 1.89 ERA in three starts against the Padres at AT&T Park. . The Oilers have been shut out in three straight home games and are in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-14-2 record. "Things have obviously not gone as well as I would have thought probable. . The Blue Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and R.J. Umberger and Curtis McElhinney posted his first shutout since 2011 in a 4-0 victory on Friday night. http://www.seahawksfansprostore.com/Bla ... ml?cat=948. - Their offence is underperforming. . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. . Will Venable and Ryan Ludwick drove in a run each for the Padres, who have taken six of their last seven contests and clinched their third straight series win after winning the first two in this set. Clayton Richard (4-9) allowed five hits and a pair of runs over seven innings, while fanning five.SPOKANE, Wash. -- While he was growing up in Poland, 7-foot-1 Przemek Karnowski played in youth basketball games where he blocked 10 shots. So it was no big deal that he blocked seven shots in leading No. 24 Gonzaga to a 73-51 victory over archrival Saint Marys on Thursday night. "Obviously it does not compare," said the sophomore centre who led the Zags with 15 points and nine rebounds. "I was happy I was able to give my effort for the team." With one starter out of the lineup and two hobbled with injuries, the Zags have been depending on players like Karnowski, Drew Barham and Angel Nunez to step up. All three did Thursday. "We stick together like a family," Karnowski said. "Everyone has to step up a little bit." Kevin Pangos, who is hampered with turf toe, added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (13-2, 3-0 West Coast Conference). Starting forward Sam Dower Jr. played sparingly as he continues to recover from a back injury and starting guard Gary Bell Jr. is out with a broken hand. Gonzaga has won three straight games since losing to Kansas State. The Zags have won 21 straight WCC games spanning three seasons. Saint Marys (10-4, 1-1) played without coach Randy Bennett, who is serving a five-game suspension for NCAA violations. Assistant coach Eran Ganot led the Gaels, who were hurt by poor shooting. Saint Marys in the past decade has battled Gonzaga for supremacy of the WCC, and the teams have met in the past five WCC tournament title games, with the Gaels winning two. Beau Levesque scored 12 points to lead Saint Marys, which shot 31.9 per cent, while Gonzaga shot 49 per cent. The Gaels, who came in averaging 43 per cent from 3-point range, made just 1 of 12 3-point attempts. "We knew we had to guard the 3-point line," Gonzagas Gerard Coleman said. "Thats their forte, how they win games." Nunez added 13 points and Kyle Dranginis had 12 for Gonzaga, which outrebounded the Gaels 39-22. "We took a really good basketball team and guarded them great," Gonzaga coach Mark Few ssaid.dddddddddddd. "It was probably our best all-around effort of the whole year." It was Gonzagas second straight outstanding defensive game. The Zags beat San Francisco 69-41 on Monday. Bennett will miss the next three games, serving a suspension announced last March for failing to properly monitor the basketball program and other issues. Ganot said the Zags deserved the credit for his teams poor shooting. "We took some tough shots and they defended well," Ganot said. "Defence has been an issue," Ganot said. "Rebounding needs to improve." As for Karnowski, "he caught the ball too easily and too deep," Ganot said. "We didnt do a good job on him tonight." Levesque scored four of Saint Marys first five baskets as the Gaels took an early 10-7 lead. Pangos hit a 3-pointer as Gonzaga went on an 11-2 run for a 19-14 lead. Saint Marys got within 19-18, but the Gonzaga defence clamped down. The Zags scored 10 straight points, including two 3-pointers by Drew Barham, for a 29-18 lead. Saint Marys was held to one field goal and two free throws in the final 7 1/2 minutes of the first half and trailed 36-22. The Gaels shot 32 per cent in the first half and missed all eight of their 3-point attempts. The Zags shot 52 per cent and won the first half rebound battle 23-10. "The middle part of the game was inexcusable," Ganot said. The teams traded baskets early in the second half, with Saint Marys unable to reduce its deficit. Saint Marys did not make a field goal for more than 5 minutes, and Barham and Pangos hit 3-pointers as Gonzaga pushed the lead to 48-31. The Gaels went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the later stages of the game and fell behind 66-40. The Gaels, who average 77 points per game, won their first nine games of the season, dropped three straight at a tournament in Hawaii, then beat Pacific on Monday. Gonzagas last conference home loss was in 2011 to Saint Marys. The Zags are 66-2 in WCC games in the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004. ' ' '