SAN DIEGO -- San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto changed speeds, changed motions and changed how he was attacking the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.

As far as the Padres were concerned, though, it was more of the same.

Cueto hurled a complete-game four-hitter, and Hunter Pence smacked a two-run homer as streaking San Francisco defeated San Diego 2-1.

For the second consecutive evening, the Giants' bullpen gate didn't swing open until after the game. On the heels of Madison Bumgarner earning a complete-game victory with 11 strikeouts on Tuesday, Cueto matched him.

Cueto (6-1) was brilliant as he notched his second nine-inning victory over the Padres this season. He allowed one run, walked two and struck out eight as the Giants' pitching proved too tough for the Padres for the second night in a row.

"I'm happy I threw a complete game, that's what we are always trying to do," Cueto said. "The bullpen can relax and enjoy themselves out there."

There were few happy faces in the Padres' clubhouse.

"He plays into your aggression," San Diego manager Andy Green said of Cueto. "He throws pitches that have the appearance of strikes that get you chasing out of the zone. He was somewhat masterful today. I would say a high percentage of pitches we swung at were off the plate. To his credit, he makes the pitches appear that they are going to be strikes."

The first-place Giants won a season-high seventh consecutive game and improved to 9-3 in their past 12. The win also keeps San Francisco a perfect 6-0 on its road trip.

The Padres have lost to the Giants in 13 of the past 16 meetings.

Cueto has started seven times against the Padres and lost only once. He was touched for a run in the second inning Wednesday, and after that, he blanked the Padres, losers of four of their past five.

Following Alexei Ramirez's second-inning RBI single, Cueto retired 15 of the next 16 batters as San Diego didn't have a runner in scoring position the rest of the game.

Drew Pomeranz (4-4) worked an efficient six innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and two walks, but he failed to earn a third straight win. He struck out five, but he was done in by Pence's big blow in the fourth.

"I don't want to say I made one bad pitch because that really wasn't a bad pitch," Pomeranz said. "That guy put a crazy swing on it. I don't even know if he knows that he hit it out. I didn't think for one second that the ball was going to go out.

"It was supposed to be up and in, and it kind of leaked backed away. It wasn't supposed to be there, but he is probably the only guy that is going to do that with that pitch."

Pence made Pomeranz pay for his slight mistake.

"I think he was supposed to throw one more up and in, but it go away from him," Pence said. "I used his power and found a way."

San Diego brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth after pinch hitter Christian Bethancourt's two-out single. Cueto reached back and blew a full count, 95 mph fastball past Wil Myers to end the inning.

Pence powered the Giants to a 2-1 advantage with his two-run homer in the fourth, his seventh of the season and the 201st of his career. Pence's blast to right field, which came off an 0-2 pitch, chased in Buster Posey after Posey coaxed a walk from Pomeranz.

The Padres grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second when Ramirez, who was hitless the night before, drove in Brett Wallace with a crisp single up the middle. Wallace reached on his second double in two games to start the inning, his second extra-base hit of the series.

Denard Span had two of the Giants' four hits.

NOTES: Padres INF/OF Alexi Amarista (hamstring) was reinstated from the disabled list after being idle since April 20. He struck out as a pinch hitter and stayed in the game at second base. ... San Diego CF Jon Jay (shoulder) is going to avoid the DL. He came off the bench and went 0-for-1. ... The Padres optioned RHP Tayron Guerrero to Triple-A El Paso. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy flipped RF Hunter Pence and 1B Brandon Belt in the lineup, with Pence moving up to the fifth spot against LHP Drew Pomeranz. ... San Francisco's game in St. Louis on June 5 was moved from the afternoon and will be featured on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball."