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SAN DIEGO -- Jeff Samardzija knew what Cubs manager Dale Sveum was doing by not visiting the mound in the eighth inning. Sveum left Samardzija on his own when he wriggled out of two bases-loaded jams in the inning, and the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 Saturday night. "Me and Dale might have had a meeting if he would have taken me out right down there in the dugout," Samardzija joked. "But thats what Dale is all about. Dale is all about putting confidence in players. There are a lot of under the radar things he does that puts confidence in his players. He did it for me there, too. He didnt even have a mound visit or anything. As a player, that says a lot." Said Sveum about his decision: "He bared down and got two huge outs. Thats why you leave a guy like that in the game." In his second straight solid outing, Samardzija (8-11) limited the damage to one run in the decisive eighth when the Padres twice loaded the bases and cut the lead to one run. Darwin Barney homered and drove in two runs for Chicago, which broke a four-game losing streak. In the Cubs last eight games, their only two wins have come in Samardzijas starts. "Tip my hat to Barney, too, for giving me those two runs," Samardzija said. "When you have a two-run cushion instead of one, it helps." Trailing 3-1 heading into the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay led off with a walk and went to second on Will Venables single. The Padres loaded the bases when Alexi Amaristas sacrifice bunt attempt hugged the third base line but stayed fair for a hit. Yonder Alonso followed with a sacrifice fly. But Samardzija got rookie Jedd Gyorko on a fly out. After a passed ball, Samardzija intentionally walked Chase Headley to load the bases. He then struck out Logan Forsythe to end the inning. "I thought from their standpoint, (Samardzija) is their guy," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He was throwing the ball well. He wobbled a little bit there but he hung in there and threw strikes." Samardzija allowed two runs on seven hits. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two. Samardzija threw a six-hitter in his last start, an 11-1 win over Washington last Sunday. The light-hitting Barney, who had three hits, connected for a solo shot in the fifth inning and added a go-ahead RBI double in the Cubs two-run seventh. Barney, hitting .221, equaled his career high with his seventh homer and first since July 14. Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 30 chances. Eric Stults (8-11), winless in his last seven starts, gave up three runs on six hits in 6 1-3 innings. The lefty is 0-4 since his last win on July 14. The Cubs went ahead 2-1 in the seventh after a leadoff walk to Darnell McDonald. With one out, Barney hit a ball into the left field corner. As McDonald rounded third, Forsythe took the relay throw on the grass just behind third base. But Forsythes throw sailed high into the stands behind home plate, allowing Barney to go to third. Anthony Rizzo followed with a two-out RBI single. Barney homered with one out in the fifth inning, his seventh, to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The ball just barely cleared the left field wall, landing in the first row. Venable tied the score 1-all with his 19th home run in the sixth. Venable, who extended his career high with his homer and had three hits, has hit safely in 19 of 20 games. NOTES: Fourteen of Venables 19 homers have come at pitching friendly Petco Park. ... Stults was the first lefty starter the Cubs have faced in 16 games. ... Barneys home run was Chicagos 400th extra-base hit this season. The Cubs have 403, tops in the NL. ... Padres OF-1B Kyle Blanks, on the DL since July 12 with left Achilles inflammation, will play in a rehab game Sunday with Triple-A Tucson. ... Cubs C Welington Castillo (sore rib) missed his third straight start but is expected back in the lineup on Sunday. ... Cubs LHP Chris Rusin (2-3, 3.08 ERA) faces Padres righty Andrew Cashner (8-8, 3.74) in Sundays finale. . In their first meeting for six years, the Frenchmen dropped serve twice in the first set, but Giquel broke Simon two more times in the second. Gicquel moves on to face sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, who advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win against wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert, despite the Frenchmans 23 aces. . 1-9 on TSN. With more than 65 hours of exclusive live coverage, TSN delivers all the action beginning with Draw 1 on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p. http://www.authenticbasketballshoppacer ... rs-jersey/. Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. . The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Seahawks coach Pete Carroll knew that Kansas City had not allowed a rushing touchdown all season, so he opted to throw for the end zone on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line.It was the first of three fourth downs that the Seahawks failed to convert.By the time Russell Wilson threw incomplete in the final minutes Sunday — the last of those failed fourth-down attempts — the Chiefs had preserved a tense 24-20 victory and moved into a tie with the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West.We didnt capitalize on our opportunities, Carroll said. We had plenty of chances.Wilson threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Marshawn Lynch had 124 yards rushing for Seattle (6-4). But the star running back, fresh off a four-touchdown game, was stuffed twice by the Kansas City defence with the outcome hanging in the balance.The Seahawks last-chance drive ended when Wilson threw incomplete on fourth-and-18 at their 20-yard line with 1:13 left in the game. Kansas City simply ran out the clock.It was a heartbreaking loss, Wilson said. We thought we could have or should have won it but they played a great game and we played a great game. Two great NFL teams going after it, and in a tough environment. For us, were just looking for the next opportunity.The first of Seattles fourth-down miscues came with about 6 minutes to go. Lynch was stuffed after a two-yard gain on third down, and Carroll elected to gamble at the Chiefs 2. Wilson rolled out and overthrew Doug Baldwin in the corner of the end zone.I was interfered. It was obvious, Baldwin said.Seattle held to get the ball back, and appeared to get a first down with a completion at the Chiefs 35. But coach Andy Reid challenged the spot and replays showed that wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was a full yard short. Again going for it on fourth down, Lynch was stuffed for no gain, giving the Chiefs the ball back with less than 4 minutes to go.By the time the Seahawks got the ball back one last time, they were pinned so deep in their own territory and had such little time left that it hardly mattered.Jamaal Charles ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Knile Davis also ran for a score, as the Chiefs (7-3) won their fifth straight. Theyve also won seven of their last eight.ddddddddddddOn both sides of the ball we can keep getting better, Reid said. We certainly havent hit where we can be, and well keep working on that, but that guys did play well today.It made sense the two playoff contenders would wage an old-school, back-and-forth affair. Both are built in the same mould, featuring stout defences and strong running games.Kansas City struck first with a grinding, meandering 15-play drive that took up more than 9 minutes of the first half and ended with Charles 1-yard touchdown run. Seattle answered with its own 16-play drive, chewing up exactly 9 minutes and ending with Wilsons TD pass to Baldwin.Nothing really changed the rest of the half as the teams kept grinding away.Charles broke off two long runs on the Chiefs next series, including a 16-yard touchdown scamper. Lynch came back with a punishing series of carries to help set up a first field goal.The Chiefs made their first major mistake late in the half, when Travis Kelce fumbled near midfield. The Seahawks took over with 1:09 left, enough time to convert another field goal.After the Chiefs answered with a field goal of their own early in the third quarter, they committed their second major mistake. Charles was fighting for extra yardage again near midfield when he was stripped of the ball and the Seahawks recovered.Five plays later, Wilson hit tight end Tony Moeaki — who spent most of his first four injury-plagued seasons with Kansas City — with a short touchdown toss for a 20-17 lead.Once again turning to Charles, the Chiefs marched the other way to answer. The elusive running back put a nifty juke on Earl Thomas and scampered 47 yards before getting pushed out of bounds. Gassed, Charles watched as Davis capped the drive to give the Chiefs a 24-20 lead.Then he watched his defence make it stick.Notes: Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette was ejected in the second half for throwing a right hook at Chiefs CB Kurt Coleman. ... Seattle C Max Unger was carted off with a high ankle sprain and twisted knee midway through the fourth quarter. Patrick Lewis finished in his place. ... Charles had not run for 100 yards in any game this season.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '