PHOENIX -- Now San Diego right-hander Craig Kimbrel knows how the other half feels. Or, in his case, the other 310.

Kimbrel added another strikeout victim to his five-year total when he struck out the side in the ninth inning of the Padres' 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field, all after he made his first career plate appearance ended with a strikeout.

"It was fun," Kimbrel said of his at-bat in the ninth inning during a four-out save. "Kind of caught off guard, but it didn't matter if knew I was going to get it or not. The outcome would have been the same. He threw me a nasty front-door cutter."

Kimbrel was his typical nasty self in getting his 37th save, getting catcher Jerrod Saltalamacchia to ground out with a runner on second base to end the eighth before striking out the side in the ninth. He has 553 strikeouts, and rookie Socrates Brito was the 310th different one.

Matt Kemp's three-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Padres a 4-2 lead, and right-hander Andrew Cashner (6-15) made that stand up despite a sixth-inning homer by Saltalamacchia.

"I have my job and he has his job," Kemp joked when asked about Kimbrel's at-bat. "I'm going to stick to hitting and he needs to stick to pitching."

Kemp's homer was his 26th, and he has 97 RBIs, the most for a Padre outfielder since Greg Vaughn had 119 in 1998.

The shot against left-hander Robbie Ray (4-12) just cleared the right field fence.

"I hit it pretty well. I knew it was at least over his head," Kemp said. "The ball travels pretty well here. Good thing that we were playing here."

Cashner gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two. He threw 71 fastballs in 90 pitches, manager Pat Murphy said.

"Cash was great," Muprhy said. "He just attacked with his fastball. Got away from trying to trick them and pitch the corners and attacked a very good offensive team. His fastball was the difference tonight."

First baseman Brett Wallace had two hits for the Padres (69-78), who lost five of their previous six games.

Saltalamacchia's homer was his ninth, his eighth with Arizona, and second baseman Chris Owings had a two-run single.

Arizona center fielder A.J. Pollock had three hits to improve his batting average to .315, tied with teammate Paul Goldschmidt for fifth in the league.

The Diamondbacks (69-77) lost for the fourth time in five games.

Owings' two-run single in the fourth gave Arizona a 2-1 lead, but the Padres scored with two outs in the fifth. Left fielder Wil Myers walked and third baseman Yangervis Solarte singled before Kemp homered on a 1-1 pitch.

"I left him in because it was his game to win," Arizona manager Chip Hale said of letting Ray face Kemp.

"At some point in their careers they are going to have to take the bull by the horns in the fifth inning, to get out of that inning and get a win. That is his game to win right there."

Ray gave up six hits and three walks in 4 2-3 innings, using 102 pitches.

"Really it was just one pitch that got me," Ray said. "I went back and looked at it. it is not really a bad pitch. It was off the plate but a little up. We had been staying out all day on him so he kind of went with the pitch. It is frustrating. I get the two outs then I walk a guy. You can't walk guys like that."

NOTES: San Diego LF Justin Upton did not play because of an undisclosed illness, manager Pat Murphy said. Upton has five homers in 15 games against Arizona this season. ... Padres RHP Josh Johnson is to undergo his third Tommy John surgery, his second since joining the Padres in the winter of 2013. Johnson, 32, experienced a setback in a rehab appearance at Class A Lake Elsinore on Sept. 4, when he threw four pitches before being removed from that game. ... Both Wednesday starters were among the least supported in the NL this season. San Diego RHP Andrew Cashner had received an average of 3.46 runs per game in 28 starts. Arizona LHP Robbie Ray had been given 3.11 runs in 19 starts.