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Padres finish off Fish after Despaigne's start

MIAMI -- Odrisamer Despaigne allowed three runs in six-plus innings and closer Craig Kimbrel earned his 31st save as the Padres edged the Marlins, 5-3, on Saturday at Marlins Park.

Despaigne allowed five hits and got nine groundouts for the Padres, who have won 12 of their last 16 games.

"I think he was great ... underrated," Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said of Despaigne.

Video: SD@MIA: Despaigne fans five over six-plus

Miami pitcher Jose Urena allowed five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits in five innings in his first start since July 2. He was starting in place of Mat Latos, who was dealt to the Dodgers earlier this week.

For Kimbrel, his save came one night after he blew a save opportunity, allowing a two-out, game-tying home run to Derek Dietrich in the ninth inning of a game the Padres won, 8-3, in 11 innings. Kimbrel got Dietrich to ground out in the ninth this time, capping three frames of perfect relief for the Friars.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Not feeling 'left' out: It was quite a Padres debut for left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski, who was acquired Friday from the Indians. He came into the game in a tight spot with runners on the corners and one out in the seventh inning. Two batters and three pitches later, he was out of the inning after getting two ground balls to preserve the lead.

"That's what I try to do, get that early contact," Rzepczynski said. More >

Urena done in by third inning: Urena allowed one run through the first two innings, but instead of settling in, he let the Padres land a big blow in the third, as they totaled five hits and four runs to put the Marlins in a 5-0 hole. The frame was keyed by Yangervis Solarte's RBI triple, Matt Kemp's sac fly and a Derek Norris double that scored two runs with the help of a Dietrich error in left.

Video: SD@MIA: Two runs score on Norris' double to left

"Early, it was his tempo a little bit," manager Dan Jennings said. "He couldn't seem to find his rhythm to get in the strike zone. ... Then that third inning, he just missed location too much and they were able to eliminate other pitches and just sit fastball."

By the seat of his pants: Solarte had two hits, including an RBI triple as part of the four-run third. It didn't come without a price, though. Solarte ripped the left leg of his pants on his slide into the base. He came up clutching his left leg but was fine. His pants, however, were in need of a seamstress.

Video: SD@MIA: Solarte drives RBI triple to right-center

New kids in the 'pen: Urena wasn't the only Marlins pitcher making his return to the club, as Adam Conley -- just recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Saturday -- made his first big league appearance since July 11. Although typically a starter, the 25-year-old lefty tossed two hitless innings of relief. Chris Reed also tossed two scoreless frames in his Marlins and MLB debut.

"They gave us four innings there and one hit and one strikeout," Jennings said. "It was a great sign to see those two kids come up and fill in when we needed some innings in that bullpen. They did a great job."

 

QUOTABLE

"We're having fun, and the guys are believing. They know what they need to do. We still make mistakes, and we're concentrating on correcting those mistakes, but we're having fun. -- Murphy, on the surging Padres

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Norris went the first 18 games of July without a single RBI. He collected one in his second at-bat of August on his RBI double in the third. A second run scored on the play when Dietrich had trouble corralling the ball in the left-field corner.

WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: James Shields (8-4, 3.77 ERA) gets the start Sunday in the series finale against the Marlins at 10:10 a.m. PT. Shields has seen plenty of the Marlins in his career, mostly when he pitched for the Rays. He has a 3.45 ERA against Miami in 11 career starts, though none since 2012.

Marlins: In the series finale at 1:10 p.m. ET, Jose Fernandez (4-0, 2.53 ERA) will try to tie Johnny Allen (1932-33) and LaMarr Hoyt (1980-82) for the most consecutive decisions won at home to begin a career in Major League history. Through his first 23 home outings, Fernandez is 15-0 with a 1.09 ERA.

Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter and listen to his podcast. Steve Wilaj is an associate reporter for MLB.com