MILWAUKEE — Hunter Renfroe hit a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning, his fourth straight game with a home run, and the San Diego Padres rallied for an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.
The Padres trailed 4-2 entering the ninth, but rallied against Brewers relievers Corey Knebel and Joakim Soria.
Knebel walked the bases loaded and allowed a run-scoring infield single to Travis Jankowski before Soria entered to try to escape the jam.
Soria retired Eric Hosmer before Renfroe hammered a 1-2 pitch deep into the left-field bleachers for his grand slam.
Renfroe became the first Padres player to hit home runs and have multiple RBI games in four consecutive games.
Franmil Reyes added a solo homer to right off Jacob Barnes to cap the Padres’ stunning six-run rally. The Padres, who went 5-20 in July, won four of seven games against the Chicago Cubs and Brewers on their Midwest road trip.
Milwaukee finished a 3-3 homestand and dropped two games behind the first-place Cubs in the National League Central Division race.
Padres reliever Kirby Yates (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Craig Stammen closed it out with a scoreless ninth.
Knebel (2-3) took the loss.
Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings and was helped by three double plays. The Padres hit into four double plays.
Padres lefty Robbie Erlin was coming off an impressive victory over the Cubs last week, but could not duplicate that success. He allowed all four runs — two earned — and seven hits in five innings.
Brewers second baseman Jonathan Schoop, acquired from Baltimore before the trade deadline, was 3 for 26 with his new team when he hit a two-run double down the left-field line in Milwaukee’s three-run fourth inning. The hit broke a 1-1 tie.
Schoop scored the third run of the rally when he raced home from second base on Lorenzo Cain’s grounder that was misplayed by Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second. Schoop reached on a fielder’s choice grounder and advanced on a throwing error by Padres second baseman Jose Pirela.
Brewers catcher Manny Pina hit a run-scoring double with two outs.
San Diego missed a chance for a big inning in the fourth after tying the score on Pirela’s one-out RBI single. Guerra struck out A.J. Ellis with the bases loaded and induced Erlin to hit into a forceout to end the threat.
Galvis hit a two-out solo home run to right field in the sixth to cut the Padres’ deficit to 4-2.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Zach Davies will make a rehab start for Double-A Biloxi at Tennessee on Saturday. Davies is recovering from shoulder and back injuries and has not made a start for Milwaukee since May 29 against St. Louis.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta (5-2, 3.54 ERA) will make his 11th start and second against the Braves as Milwaukee opens an eight-game road trip. He is coming off an 8-4 victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Braves: RHP Kevin Gausman (5-9, 4.47 ERA) was acquired in a trade deadline deal with Baltimore and lost his Braves debut on Aug. 4, a 3-0 defeat to the New York Mets. He allowed three runs and six hits in five innings.
