Bullpen meltdown dooms Padres after hot start, fall to Orioles 8-5
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego, California
The Padres looked to sweep the two-game series and the season series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday afternoon. Dinelson Lamet took the ball for the Padres, making his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Lamet has struggled to find his footing since returning, with a 5.00 ERA and an 86 ERA+ entering Tuesday.
Much like Monday night, the Padres jumped on Baltimore starter Tom Eshelman in the first inning, with Fernando Tatis Jr. once again leading off with a home run.
Manny Machado followed suit with his 26th homer, as he has tortured his old team with three extra-base hits and over a .500 average in four games. This marked the fourth home run the Friars had hit in the first inning of both games in this series.
The Padres were not done there as Eric Hosmer singled ahead of a Wil Myers double, which gave the Padres an early 3-0 lead.
The Friars added a fourth run in the third inning when Francisco Mejia drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.
Lamet cruised through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. After two walks and three singles, the Orioles had cut the lead to 4-3 before Lamet retired the pitcher, Eshelman.
Yep, @tatis_jr just hit another leadoff homer. pic.twitter.com/3dugZQT12H
— MLB (@MLB) July 30, 2019
San Diego added yet another run in the fifth thanks to a second RBI ground ball by Mejia that turned into an infield single thanks to a bobble by first baseman Chris Davis.
In the top of the seventh, the Orioles were able to mount a rally against reliever Matt Strahm. Renato Nunez sealed the comeback with a two-run single, tying the game at 5-5. Strahm stayed in the game in the eighth inning but left a pitch over the plate for former All-Star slugger Chris Davis, who launched his eighth home run of the season, giving the Orioles a 6-5 lead in a game where they were down by as many as four.
Then the eighth got away from the Padres as Strahm put runners on first and third until rookie Michel Baez came in to try and put out the fire. After a stolen base, Trey Mancini lined a two-run single up the middle, extending Baltimore’s lead to 8-5, with five runs being charged to Strahm in 1 2/3 innings of work.
The Padres were unable to mount the comeback against the Orioles bullpen with just one base runner in the last two innings. The Orioles sealed the win 8-5 and the series split.
With the off day on Wednesday, this game ends San Diego’s run of July games at 8-16. This month seems to be an Achilles’ heel of this club as last year they went 5-20.
It only gets tougher from here as the Padres head to L.A. to face the Dodgers this weekend.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
I hope this means Preller will now stop trying to get bamboozled in a trade to obtain pitching.
Well, he got more bamboozled than I thought possible, but it wasn’t for pitching.
I believe you can place today’s loss squarely on Green’s shoulders for his bullpen decisions. Not trying to be a smart-ass but could we include him in a trade or just DFA him. He has cost us about a half-dozen games this year already. With anybody else we would be above 500.
You are right.
Why, after Strahm gives up the lead in the 7th, is he back out there for the 8th?
Leaving pitchers in until they get blown out is a real AAA move.
When will the club realize he is not a ML manager?