Bogaerts’ grand slam in 12th inning propels Padres to 3rd straight win
Credit: Getty Images
Down to their final out, Luis Campusano extended the game in the 11th, and Xander Bogaerts ended it in the 12th with a moonshot to a sea of San Diegans.
On Thursday, the San Diego Padres opened up a four-game homestead at Petco Park against the Colorado Rockies. This was a pitchers’ duel for the first nine innings, but then the bats woke up in extra innings.
Both teams got on the board in the third inning; the Rockies on a Brendon Doyle home run, the Padres on a Fernando Tatis Jr. sacrifice fly that scored Freddy Fermin. Neither the Padres nor the Rockies were able to scrape another run for multiple innings, despite both teams having multiple opportunities to do so.
Through five complete, both teams were 0-2 with runners in scoring position and had left four runners on base. Randy Vasquez has done a ton to improve and has demonstrated that through three starts in 2026. The right-hander owns a 1.02 ERA on the season after another gem of a start. Vasquez put together another solid outing of 5.2 innings with 7 hits, 8 strikeouts, and the lone home run. He continues his run of great starts, his third in a row of at least 5.2 innings with one or fewer runs.
Colorado used an opener (Jimmy Herget) to begin, followed by the promising young starter Chase Dollander for 4.1 innings, allowing one run on a sac fly. Jaden Hill then came in and pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings, including the 6th inning. Juan Mejia pitched a scoreless inning, and Victor Vodnik pitched a scoreless 9th and gave up the tying run in the 10th.
In the bottom of the 6th, the Padres managed to get two runners, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, on base on an error and a fielder’s choice, which chased Dollander from the game. However, Gavin Sheets and Nick Castellanos struck out, ending the threat. The Padres managed to get Fernando Tatis Jr. to second in the 8th, but he was picked off; he could have scored on Manny Machado’s single immediately after, though Bogaerts struck out ended the threat right after.
In the 10th, Jeremiah Estrada gave up a single to Tyler Freeman, giving the Rockies the lead, scoring Willi Castro, who moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. An overturned call kept the Rockies from scoring any more despite runners at first and second.
The Padres loaded the bases in the 10th despite having starting runner Luis Campusano thrown out at third on a Jake Cronenworth fielder’s choice. With a Tatis single and Jackson Merrill walk, Manny Machado brought home Cronenworth on a sacrifice fly. Xander grounded out to end the threat.
Bradley Rodriguez continued to prove himself as he completed the sixth and the seventh on 20 pitches. Adrian Morejon pitched a scoreless 8th as well, despite running into trouble. Mason Miller continued his dominance by setting down the 9th by way of the K on ten pitches, moving his scoreless streak to 27.2.
Mason Miller is just out of this world 🤯
He strikes out the side on pure nastiness 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zBUhT0mlnI
— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2026
Things got very interesting in the 11th inning. The Padres were down to their last out after Nick Castellanos and Ramon Laurenao could not score the runner on second to tie the game. With Luis Campusano due next, most feared the worst. However, the right-hander immediately roped a game-tying double to left field.
Down to their final out 😤
Luis Campusano ties it in the 11th for the @Padres! pic.twitter.com/C0XBtyYARj
— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2026
Then, in the top half of the 12th, David Morgan pitched very well, and Jake Cronenworth gunned down the runner at home plate to keep the Rockies scoreless.
The bottom half was clearly very entertaining. Tatis Jr. bunted over Cronenworth to third base, and then pitcher Valente Bellozo intentionally walked both Merrill and Machado to load the bases and force an out at any base. It’s safe to say the baseball gods were not on his side with that decision. Bogaerts called game on the following at-bat.
X GON' DELIVER TO YA pic.twitter.com/p8CLNN9HDU
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 10, 2026
“It’s tough being the home team in extra innings cause the other team is always ahead of you if they are scoring the runs,” Stammen said postgame. Finally, we stopped them, and we had that play at the plate. I felt like we had momentum going into the next inning to score a run and put the game away, finally.”
“Personal pride, maybe,” said Stammen about Xander’s approach in that at-bat.
The Padres and Rockies will match up again tomorrow, Friday, April 10th, where Walker Buehler will take the mound for the Padres against Tomoyuki Sugano of the Rockies. It will also be the first day the Padres will wear their new “Dia de los Muertos” City Connect uniforms.
A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.
When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.