SAN FRANCISCO -- It used to be the San Diego Padres just expected to have a tough time with the Giants on the road.
This Padres team is different. The confidence level in the clubhouse is sky high. The wins keep piling up. Everybody contributes. Hitting success has become contagious.
Damian Jackson hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the ninth inning, and the Padres completed their first three-game sweep of the Giants in SBC Park with a 9-6 victory Sunday.
"This team is playing great," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're clicking everywhere."
The Padres are a franchise-best 20-6 in May, their most victories for any month -- and they still have two home games with the Brewers before June arrives.
"A great month!" said Sandy Alderson, San Diego's new chief executive officer. "And I know Bruce wants a couple more wins."
Chris Hammond (5-0) pitched two innings for the win after the Padres couldn't hold a three-run lead for starter Adam Eaton, who was denied his career-best sixth straight win.
Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth for his 13th straight save, 16th of the year and career-high 12th in May.
Moises Alou hit a tying RBI double in San Francisco's three-run seventh, but Tyler Walker (2-1) blew it for the second straight day.
Khalil Greene hit a two-run homer and finished with three of San Diego's 16 hits and three runs scored. Brian Giles added an RBI double among his four hits and stole two bases to help the Padres to their first sweep at the Giants' waterfront ballpark and first against their NL West rival in San Francisco since Sept. 25-27, 1995.
"When you play like this, you're doing everything right," Giles said. "We're getting big hits. We're playing defense. We're making the routine plays, then we're making some great plays."
San Diego went 6-3 on its longest road trip of the season and had 40 hits in the series. The Padres left the Bay Area in first place and headed for a 13-game homestand.
And they began the trip by losing two of three at Seattle.
"You can't put your finger on one thing," Bochy said. "It's been a number of things why we're playing that well. ... We have to keep going hard."
LaTroy Hawkins made his Giants debut in the eighth, one day after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs. He retired the side in order with a strikeout of Ryan Klesko, then received a warm ovation as he walked to the dugout. He arrived only a couple hours before game time.
"That was cool, definitely a sigh of relief, especially where I came from," he said.
Greene connected for his third homer of the year in the fifth, sending a 1-2 pitch from Jason Schmidt into the left-field seats. Giles had a big day after coming in just 2-for-17 against Schmidt. Dave Roberts had an RBI double and Geoff Blum doubled, singled and scored twice.
And the Padres' defense has been just as good. They set a franchise record with their 10th straight game without an error, covering 93 innings. They haven't made one since Greene booted a grounder by Atlanta's Rafael Furcal in the third inning May 17.
Schmidt got through the second 1-2-3, but that was the only easy inning in his second outing back from the disabled list. He beat the Dodgers last Tuesday with five effective innings, but gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings Sunday.
"When I finally make a good pitch, they capitalize on it," he said.
The Giants started the fourth with three straight hits, then loaded the bases when Eaton intentionally walked Michael Tucker to bring up Mike Matheny. The catcher took a pitch in the left elbow, bringing in the tying run. Matheny has 80 career RBI with the bases loaded.
The Padres scored an unearned run in the first when Giants second baseman Ray Durham tried to backhand a sharp grounder by Ramon Hernandez and the ball skipped off his glove and allowed Blum to score.
Durham committed a two-base error in the fourth when he dropped a high popup by Greene in shallow right field. Roberts doubled Greene home three batters later for another unearned run.
Phil Nevin, who hit a tiebreaking three-run homer off Walker in the eighth inning of Saturday's 5-3 win, got the day off and Mark Sweeney played in his place. Sweeney came in 7-for-20 (.350) with two home runs against Schmidt, including one last month.
Walker is still San Francisco's closer despite his latest struggles.
"I had a problem executing my pitches with runners on base," he said. "I'm relaxed, confident. I didn't get the job done."
Notes
San Francisco's Jason Ellison hit his first career leadoff home run. Ellison also singled in a run in the seventh for his first multi-RBI game of the year. ... The Padres went 92 error-free innings over nine games in 1979. ... Before the game, the Giants designated popular reliever Matt Herges for assignment to make room for Hawkins. ... Darren Baker, the 6-year-old son of Cubs manager Dusty Baker, made a clubhouse appearance before the game - wearing a No. 18 Alou Cubs T-shirt from last season. ... Greene had his first stolen base of the year. ... Omar Vizquel had his 190th career sacrifice bunt and he leads all active players in the category.
