"When Ryan Ludwick stepped to the plate to lead off the fourth inning Sunday he was batting .087, two hits in 23 at-bats. He was in an 0-for-17 funk, going more than a week without a hit.

Was he pressing?

"I think so," manager Bud Black said.

In his first plate appearance Ludwick slammed a ball deep to left field.

"I thought it was 15 rows out," Ludwick said.

Instead, it died on the warning track.

Ludwick left no doubt about his fourth-inning trip to the plate, crushing a 438-foot home run that landed deep into left field's second deck. As soon as the ball took flight, Ludwick whipped his bat to the ground and began circling the bases.

"I think (that was) frustration," Ludwick said. "It's been a crazy go. Very frustrating."

After coming to the Padres last July 31, Ludwick admitted he pressed and wound up hitting .211."