SAN DIEGO -- The Padres rallied for three runs with two outs in the eighth inning on Thursday night, but still needed closer Brandon Maurer to slam the door on a wild, 9-8 victory over the D-backs.
Rookie left fielder Alex Dickerson played hero after San Diego loaded the bases against D-backs reliever Jake Barrett in the eighth. Arizona then called upon right-hander Enrique Burgos, who left an 0-1 fastball over the plate. Dickerson crushed it to the opposite-field gap, scoring all three baserunners and give the Padres a 9-7 lead.
"Any time runners are in scoring position, you don't want to get cheated on anything," Dickerson said. "It's not going to be a finesse swing. I wanted to make sure I was getting my money's worth on it."
Arizona threatened in the ninth, scoring once and putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base. But pinch-hitter Brandon Drury bounced to shortstop, ending the game.
D-backs starter Archie Bradley struggled, allowing five runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 -- although he didn't receive much help from his defense, as Jean Segura booted a potential double-play ball in the Padres' four-run third inning. But Segura would more than make up for that blunder, going 2-for-4 with a double in the first and a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth.
"I was very proud of the team for battling tonight," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "We lost the momentum there after the first, and we lost the lead and they came back and battled and a lot of really good things, but unfortunately we lost the game."
Padres righty Paul Clemens was once again shaky in the early going, only to eventually find a groove with his curveball. He allowed three runs -- two in the first -- and exited after five with a two-run lead.
Center fielder Travis Jankowski, who ignited the eighth-inning rally with a two-out single, finished with a career-high four hits, as the Padres snapped their five-game skid.
"If I can start a rally as a leadoff hitter and … cause havoc on the bases, build rallies, that's what's going to help the team win," Jankowski said. "That's just really what we need."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Four score: The Friars used four hits, a walk and Segura's error to push four runs across in the third inning -- a stark contrast to the hitting woes they endured on their nine-game road trip. The Padres' four runs that inning were as many as they scored in eight of their games on the three-city jaunt through Pittsburgh, New York and Tampa Bay.

Mixed signals: Twice it appeared that catcher Welington Castillo was crossed up by his pitchers. In the first Castillo seemed to be expecting a breaking ball from Bradley, but got a fastball instead. That allowed Jankowski to move to third. He would later score. Then in the sixth, Castillo again was looking for a breaking ball from Edwin Escobar, and instead got a fastball. The ball bounced off his glove allowing Edwin Jackson to score from third.
"The signs are just not that hard," Hale said. "Two cross-ups tonight. Just can't happen in a Major League game. That's just not acceptable. There's no mathematics going on. It's pretty simple. Sometimes in the heat of the battle you either see something different or you're thinking it's a different sign. We do switch signs sometimes, if we think somebody has got them at second."

Yes, that Edwin Jackson: Two days ago Jackson took the hill in Tampa Bay and was roughed up to the tune of eight runs in four innings. On Thursday, he did his part to make up for that -- as a pinch-hitter. In an effort to save his bench, Padres skipper Andy Green called on Jackson to pinch-hit with two outs and nobody on in the sixth inning. He worked a walk, went to third on Jankowski's double and scored from third after getting a great break on the passed ball.
"He loves it, he lives for it," Green said of Jackson on the basepaths. "I think he had more fun than anybody else today."

Bullpen meltdown: Barrett has closed some games for the D-backs, but his job Thursday was to pitch the eighth and set up Burgos for the save. After retiring the first two hitters of the inning easily, Barrett gave up an opposite-field single to Jankowski, which ignited the decisive rally.
"Last time I faced Jankowski he got a fastball away and he kind of was looking that way," Barrett said. "So I feel like he was probably doing the same thing that at-bat too."  More >
QUOTABLE
"I don't think anybody wants to throw a breaking ball with him on base. They're more concerned about him at first base stealing second base then sometimes even Wil Myers or [Yangervis] Solarte in the box." -- Padres manager Andy Green on JankowskiMore >
AFTER REVIEW
After a one-out single in the third, Jankowski swiped his 26th bag of the season -- putting him fourth in the National League. But he needed a bit of help after being initially ruled out at second base. The Padres challenged the play, and replay confirmed Jankowski's hand snuck under the tag of Segura, so the call was overturned.

WHAT'S NEXT
D-backs:Zack Greinke will look to rebound from one of the worst starts of his career when he takes the mound against the Padres on Friday night at 7:40 p.m. MST. Greinke allowed nine runs and lasted just 1 2/3 innings on Sunday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Padres: Coming off his best outing as a Padre, right-hander Jarred Cosart takes the ball Friday night for the second contest of this four-game set. First pitch is slated for 7:40 p.m. PT. Cosart held the Mets to one run over six innings Saturday and appears to have fully put blister issues behind him.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.