Photo: Getty Images/Doug Pensinger

Randy Johnson quelled the rampant discussion that he’s done as a pitcher in Major League Baseball with his performance on Sunday at Chase Field.

Johnson stifled the San Diego Padres, yielding just 1 run and 3 hits, while striking out 10 in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 Arizona win. Scott Hairston, a former Diamondback, led off the game with a home run off Johnson, but that’s all the Padres would get until the 9th inning. Hairston’s homer was his 3rd of the 3-game series.

Leading 3-1 in the 9th with closer Brandon Lyon on the mound, the Padres started to chip away. Adrian Gonzalez led off the inning with a single. Kevin Kouzmanoff followed with a double to right, past the diving Justin Upton, that advanced Gonzalez to third. Upton’s relay throw bounced off the gloves of Orlando Hudson and Chad Tracy, and Gonzalez scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Kouzmanoff advanced to third and represented the tying run with nobody out. That’s when Lyon buckled down. He struck out Chase Headley. He got Khalil Greene to ground out to second, with Kouzmanoff staying at third. And then, Brian Giles ended the game by grounding out weakly to second base as well, giving the Diamondbacks the win, and securing Lyon’s 18th save of the year.

The D-Backs got on the board in the 5th inning when Justin Upton led off with a homer, and Stephen Drew later singled in Robby Hammock. Mark Reynolds tacked on another run with a solo shot off of Padres starter Josh Banks, who took the loss to fall to 2-4 on the year. Johnson snapped a personal 6-start losing streak, and upped his record to 5-7, while recording just his 2nd double-digit strikeout game of the season.

MLB.com : Recap | Boxscore

Here’s what others are saying about the Diamondbacks salvaging the final game of the 3-game series with the Padres…

D-Backs hold off Padres [Azcentral.com]

Johnson strikes out 10 in 3-2 win over Padres [East Valley Tribune]

NL West leaders avoid Pads sweep [Sign On San Diego]

The Diamondbacks, still clinging to first place by a 1/2 game over the resurgent Dodgers, hit the road once again. Another East coast road trip awaits the team, after a day off Monday, starting with a 3-game set in the nation’s capital with the Washington Nationals. Micah Owings is set to re-join the rotation after missing his last start with an injury. He will be faced by Washington left hander Odalis Perez. First pitch on Tuesday is 4:10 Arizona time.

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