MILWAUKEE - Chris Young came within four outs of a perfect game, retiring the first 23 Milwaukee Brewers in order before Gabe Kapler homered, and the San Diego Padres beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-1 on Sunday.

Young got Prince Fielder and Corey Hart to pop out in the eighth before Kapler hit Young’s 76th pitch of the game — a 1-0 fastball — into the left-field bleachers.

Pinch-hitter Mat Gamel doubled with one out in the ninth for Milwaukee’s only other hit.

Chase Headley hit his ninth homer and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit his 21st for San Diego, which had 14 hits and broke the game open with five unearned runs off Manny Parra (10-7) in the third.

Young, at 6-foot-10 the second tallest player in the history of baseball, sat alone in the Padres dugout in the late innings before giving up the homer. If Young had succeeded, it would have been the 18th perfect game in MLB history, and first since Arizona’s Randy Johnson accomplished the feat on May 18, 2004 with a 2-0 victory over the Braves.

The Brewers remained four games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central after the Cubs lost 4-3 to the Reds. Milwaukee began the day with a 4½-game lead over the Phillies in the wild card race and has have lost five of seven in its chase to make the postseason for the first time since 1982.

Young gave up two hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five in his first complete game in 114 starts. He also helped himself at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a double, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly.

Young’s season was derailed on May 21, when his nose was broken by a line drive off the bat of St. Louis’ Albert Pujols. He missed the next nine weeks on the disabled list, returning July 29.

He only lasted three starts, though, giving up seven runs in four innings on Aug. 10 at Colorado before going on the DL again with a strained right forearm.

The near-perfect game Sunday was his second start since returning from the DL. In his first start Sept. 1, he gave up four runs in five innings in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rookie shortstop Sean Kazmar, who came into the game 1-for-15, went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Padres, and Adrian Gonzalez had two hits and two RBIs.

Notes: There’s only been one no hitter this year, thrown by Boston’s Jon Lester, who beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-0, on May 19. ... Brewers CF Mike Cameron missed his second consecutive game due to a sore left knee. He’s day-to-day. ... Brewers INF Mike Lamb made his first appearance since being signed Friday, flying out to center as a pinch-hitter in the sixth. ... It was Gamel’s first major-league hit.

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