SAN DIEGO -- Handed a first-inning gift of five runs by his Milwaukee Brewer teammates Tuesday night, right-hander Jimmy Nelson went to the mound not wanting to mess it up.

"It's huge to be given a lead like that," Nelson said after Milwaukee defeated the Padres 6-2 at Petco Park to even their four-game series 1-1.

"It's big to be leading 5-0 before you throw a pitch. It's always nice for sure. But sometimes for me as a pitcher, it mentally helps to not get comfortable and pitch like it is a 0-0 game ... go out there with a 0-0 mentality so you don't get complacent."

Nelson (2-2) didn't get complacent. He took a shutout into the sixth before allowing two runs -- the first on a 424-foot homer by Wil Myers -- on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight in six-plus innings.

"We've had this type of first inning a couple times this year," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It makes Jimmy's night easier, less stressful. When you get a big lead and Jimmy puts up a zero in the first inning, it cements the game a little bit. It gives him some breathing room."

The Brewers jumped on Padres starter Clayton Richard (2-5) for five runs in the first on six hits to score their seventh win in their last nine games.

Richard retired the first hitter he faced then gave up five straight hits.

Four straight singles by Keon Broxton, Hernan Perez, Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana gave the Brewers a quick 2-0 lead. Aguilar and Santana drove in the runs. Manny Pina then hit a two-run double and scored on a two-out single by Eric Sogard -- the first of a career-high four hits for the infielder, who is 6-for-10 since being promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday.

"I didn't throw horrible, I was just off a bit and they took advantage of it," said Richard, who pitched five more innings. "It was one of those days when they strung it together early."

"None of Clayton's pitches they hit were awful," Padres manager Andy Green said. "There were a couple unfortunate circumstances. We could have gotten out of the first at 2-0 and still been in the game."

Richard gave up a final run in the top of the sixth. Sogard got his second double of the game with two out and scored on Nelson's single.

"I'm having fun just being part of this team," said Sogard, who missed the entire 2016 season because of a knee injury. "I'm definitely just grateful to be out there after missing last year. It puts a different perspective on the game.

"I'm feeling confident at the plate and seeing the ball well. I'm just waiting for the right pitch and putting a good swing on it."

"You bring a guy up and he performs, that's a boost," Counsell said of Sogard.

Richard gave up six runs on 10 hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in six innings.

The Padres scored their second run when Hunter Renfroe and Matt Szczur opened the seventh with back-to-back doubles off Nelson.

"The first six innings by Nelson were really solid," Counsell said. "He had a really good breaking ball tonight. His fastball wasn't the best velocity of the year, but it was a fastball that was getting hitters out."

Trailing by four runs, the Padres had two runners thrown out on the bases as Szczur tried to score from third on a fly out to right to end the seventh and Cory Spangenberg was picked off first after a lead-off single to open the eighth.

NOTES: Brewers 1B-OF Eric Thames was re-diagnosed Tuesday morning with strep throat and missed a second straight game. He had missed Monday's series opener with what was described as a combination of the flu and sore legs. ... 3B Travis Shaw missed a second straight start with a sprained right index finger suffered while fielding a ground ball Sunday. He is listed as day-to-day. ... The two-run, walk-off homer by the Padres' Hunter Renfroe in the bottom of the 10th on Monday was the Padres' first extra-inning, walk-off homer since Fred McGriff connected in 1993. Renfroe also tied a Padres record Tuesday when he recorded an outfield assist in a third straight game. ... CF Manuel Margot's 43 hits is a 40-game record for a Padres' rookie. The old mark was 40 hits shared by Josh Barfield (2006), Xavier Nady (2003) and Benito Santiago (1987).