SAN DIEGO – Geoff Blum singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who nearly wasted a brilliant performance by Greg Maddux before rallying to beat the New York Mets 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Blum, subbing for slumping second baseman Marcus Giles, singled to right off Joe Smith to bring in Khalil Greene and finished 2-for-3. Giles, who’s hit just .191 since May 7, has been benched for at least three games.

Milton Bradley and Adrian Gonzalez homered for the Padres, who took two of three from the NL East-leading Mets. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances, his 22nd straight and the 508th of his record-setting career.

Scott Linebrink (3-2) got the win despite giving up David Wright’s tying three-run homer with two outs in the top of the inning. Maddux had been in line for his 341st career victory before the bullpen coughed up a 4-0 lead.

Manager Bud Black removed the 41-year-old Maddux after the fifth, even though he’d thrown only 65 pitches _ 49 strikes and 16 balls _ and allowed just four singles. Maddux matched his season-high with six strikeouts and didn’t walked a batter.

After sidearmer Cla Meredith threw a perfect sixth, former Mets reliever Royce Ring allowed Carlos Delgado’s homer leading off the seventh. The ball glanced off Mike Cameron’s glove as he was reaching over the center-field fence.

Linebrink retired the first two batters in the eighth before walking Jose Valentin and Carlos Beltran. Wright hit Linebrink’s next pitch off the top of the left-field fence, his 17th, to tie the game at 4.

The Padres then rallied against Smith (2-1). Greene walked with one out and advanced on Kevin Kouzmanoff’s single before scoring on Blum’s base hit.

Maddux had been showing his age in losing his previous three starts, allowing 15 earned runs in 15 1-3 innings. He lasted only four innings in his last start, an 8-3 loss at Arizona on Friday.

But he resurrected the control and wicked movement that helped him win four straight Cy Young awards in the 1990s, striking out the side on 11 pitches in the first inning. He had six punchouts through four.

Delgado beat out an infield single in the second and Jose Valentin had a line drive single to right leading off the fourth. The Mets didn’t get consecutive baserunners until Shawn Green and Paul Lo Duca hit balls that got through the infield opening the fifth. But Maddux retired the next three batters, including catching Lastings Milledge’s line shot back to the mound.

The Padres got to John Maine early to give Maddux a 2-0 lead after one inning. Gonzalez hit an RBI double and scored on Greene’s single.

Bradley hit his first homer since joining the Padres, driving Maine’s first pitch of the third over the fence in right-center, the deepest part of Petco Park. The ball went an estimated 427 feet. Bradley was obtained from Oakland on June 29, but went on the disabled list when he reported two days later due to a strained oblique. He hit two homers with Oakland.

Gonzalez homered to straightaway center with two outs in the fifth, his 15th. It was his first homer since June 17 at Chicago, a span of 90 at-bats.

Delgado’s homer was his 15th.

Maine allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two.

Notes:@ Wheaties will unveil a special-edition box honoring Hall of Fame-electee Tony Gwynn on Thursday at Petco Park. Gwynn will be inducted into the Hall of Fame a week from Sunday, along with Cal Ripken Jr.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)