Everth Cabrera saw his chance -- and he took it with an audacious steal of home in the top of the ninth inning.
That tied the score and led to a miscue that gave the San Diego Padres a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Will Venable came around to score when closer Kenley Jansen threw the ball past catcher A.J. Ellis.
"I had my eyes on the play the whole time. It was just a crazy play," Venable said. "(Cabrera) kept going, so I just went along with him, and we ended up stealing one from them."
Huston Street worked a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 attempts.
Yonder Alonso and Venable sparked the winning rally with singles, putting runners on the corners with none out. Jansen struck out Cameron Maybin in a grueling 11-pitch at-bat and retired Mark Kotsay on a pop-up after Venable stole second.
Alexi Amarista worked the count to 2-2, and Cabrera saw an opening while Jansen kicked the dirt in front of the rubber twice with his back turned toward third. Cabrera dashed for home, and a stunned Jansen threw the ball all the way to the screen, allowing Venable to score.
Ellis took full responsibility for what happened and refused to blame Jansen.
"We just got that big second strike on their guy, and the crowd got fired up and really loud," Ellis said. "I had my head down and just made a mistake. I need to be more heads-up and pay more attention. You can never let your guard down. I've got to be more responsible there. So that was on me. We were one strike away from winning that game, and you've got to be ready for anything."
Orioles: Right-hander Jason Hammel will miss his next start because of a knee injury, and left-hander Dana Eveland has been designated for assignment.
Tigers: Left-hander Drew Smyly was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained muscle in his right side. The move is retroactive to July 7.
Cubs: Ryan Dempster pitched six shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings. That ties the team record set by Ken Holtzman in 1969.
"It's pretty crazy. I think as a reliever when you do something like that it seems a little more realistic, because you go out there one inning at a time," Dempster said. "To go out there start after start and not give up any runs is pretty humbling. I'm just trying to get outs and not expecting that and trying to win ballgames."
Cardinals: First baseman Lance Berkman (torn knee cartilage) was activated from the disabled list and struck out in a pinch-hit appearance against the Cincinnati Reds.
Diamondbacks: Left-hander Joe Saunders (shoulder strain) was activated from the 15-day disabled list and started against the Cubs, pitching six innings and getting the loss.
Trade: The Atlanta Braves acquired shortstop Paul Janish from the Reds for minor league pitcher Todd Redmond.
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