Cardinals take the fifth

There was no home run from Barry Bonds, but there was a little bit of history in St. Louis, where the Cardinals tied a major league record with 10 consecutive hits in the fifth inning in a 10-5 rout of the Padres. It was a massive offensive outburst -- featuring home runs by Scott Rolen and Ryan Ludwick -- by a team that had scored 10 runs in its previous four games combined.

The Cardinals haven't been able to get consistent performances this season because they've been hampered by injuries. It's an understatement to say that this has been a difficult season for manager Tony La Russa and Co., but perhaps this is the spark St. Louis needs to turn things around.

GREATEST HOME RUNS: SEATTLE MARINERS

May 2, 2002: The only player in Mariners history to hit four home runs in a game was an unlikely but extremely popular player in that team's history: center fielder Mike Cameron. In the first inning, Cameron hit two home runs; both were part of a back-to-back homer connection (Bret Boone, who batted third in the lineup with Cameron fourth, also hit two homers in the first). In the third inning, Cameron hit his third home run, then robbed Magglio Ordonez of a grand slam in the bottom of the frame. Cameron's fourth home run came in the fifth inning, and though he failed in two chances for a fifth, his accomplishment tied a major league record for home runs in a game.

Oct. 7, 1995: With the Yankees and Mariners tied 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth inning of ALDS Game 4, Edgar Martinez went from Mariners star to Mariners legend, hitting a go-ahead grand slam off Yankees closer John Wetteland. The next day, Martinez had the series-winning hit, a two-run double, to knock the Yankees out of the postseason and send the Mariners into the ALCS.

Sept. 14, 1990: A father and son have hit back-to-back home runs in a game only once in the history of Major League Baseball. In the top of the first inning against the Angels, Ken Griffey Sr. smashed a two-run home run to give his team a pair of early runs, and his son, Ken Griffey Jr., then hit a home run of his own.

Franchise leaders: Ken Griffey Jr., 398; Edgar Martinez, 309; Jay Buhner, 307; Alex Rodriguez, 189; Alvin Davis, 160

Single-season leader: Ken Griffey Jr., 56 (1997, 1998)

Did You Know? Only three players in history have hit home runs in eight consecutive games. Ken Griffey Jr. was the last to do it in 1993. The others were Don Mattingly and Dale Long.

GREATEST HOME RUNS: SAN DIEGO PADRES

Oct. 6, 1984: The signature moment in Padres history came in Game 4 of the 1984 NLCS against the Cubs, when Steve Garvey won it with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning against Lee Smith. The home run capped a 4-for-5, five-RBI night for Garvey, who followed that with a hit and RBI the next day as the Padres rallied to beat the Cubs in a decisive Game 5.

April 13, 1987: For the first time in major league history, the first three batters of the game hit home runs as Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk go back-to-back-to-back against Giants starter Roger Mason. The feat has since been duplicated once by the Braves (Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield) against the Reds on May 28, 2003.

Sept. 27, 1998: Only once in Padres history has a player hit 50 home runs in a season, and Greg Vaughn reached the milestone with his final swing in his team's last game of 1998, hitting a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Vaughn's accomplishments may have been overshadowed by the McGwire-Sosa home run race, but it was significant in Padres history nonetheless.

Franchise leaders: Nate Colbert, 163; Phil Nevin, 156; Dave Winfield, 154; Tony Gwynn, 135; Ryan Klesko, 133.

Single-season leader: Greg Vaughn 50, (1998)

Did You Know? The last pitcher to hit a walk-off home run was Padres reliever Craig Lefferts, who slugged his only career home run to beat the Giants in the 11th inning on April 25, 1986. Lefferts finished his career with a .121 batting average, one home run and 64 strikeouts in 132 at-bats.