Chris Paddack returns, Padres lose 6-3 to Pirates
Credit: Pirates
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Padres couldn’t solve the Pittsburgh Pirates, losing 6-3 on Saturday, which is their fifth straight loss against the last place team. The Pirates blew open a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning with four runs off Craig Stammen. Manny Machado hit his 16th home run of the year, his second in two games, in a game lacking highlights for the visiting Padres.
San Diego recalled Chris Paddack (3-3, 3.15 ERA, 3.73 FIP) from Lake Elsinore to get the start against the Pirates’ talented but inconsistent ace Chris Archer (3-6, 5.85 ERA, 6.03 FIP). Archer entered the game with 69 strikeouts in 64.2 innings, while Paddack had struck out 72 in 65.2. The Padres had lost four straight against the Pirates this season.
Archer looked good to start the game, giving up one hit and one walk in the first three innings, striking out four. Paddack also gave up only one hit, walked one, and struck out one.
The Padres finally got on the board in the fourth inning when Manny Machado connected for his second home run of the series, his 16th of the season. With one out, Josh Naylor walked and reached second on Wil Myers’ sacrifice bunt. Mejia was intentionally walked, and Paddack batting in the eighth spot in the line up grounded out to strand the runners.
The Pirates also got runners on in the fourth. Bryan Reynolds doubled to lead off. Starling Marte and Josh Bell walked to load the bases. Paddack got Colin Moran to pop foul to third, and a ground ball to Greg Garcia who started the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Archer added a scoreless inning in the top of the fifth and was pulled for a pinch hitter with one out in the bottom half of the inning. Pinch-hitter Jose Osuna took the first pitch he saw to the opposite field for a two-run home run, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead.
Josh Naylor entered the game with three walks in 73 plate appearances entering the game. He walked in three consecutive plate appearances today.
Paddack ended the day with 85 pitches through five innings. He gave up five hits and two runs, walking three and striking out one. Two double plays helped his cause. The Padres turned their third double play in the sixth with Brad Wieck on in relief.
Manuel Margot doubled as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. Ian Kinsler batted for Greg Garcia, bunting for a base hit down the third base line. Margot moved to third. Fernando Tatis Jr.s sacrifice fly to Marte in center field tied the game at 2-2, and Kinsler took second on the throw home. Hosmer walked to put two on for Machado, but a groundout ended the threat.
The Pirates put two runners on against Trey Wingenter in the seventh, but Wingenter struck out Reynolds to end the inning.
Padres threatened in the eighth inning with Naylor’s third walk and a single by Mejia, but strikeouts of Hunter Renfroe, Wil Myers, and pinch-hitter Franmil Reyes prevented any runs.
Craig Stammen gave off a leadoff triple in the eighth inning when Naylor failed to rein in a hit by Marte. A walk to Bell put runners on the corners. A grounder to Stammen moved Bell to second, but Marte didn’t try for home. An intentional walk to Corey Dickerson loaded the bases. Pittsburgh’s second baseman Adam Frazier plated two with a ground ball past Kinsler. The Pirates added another on Elias Diaz’s single, increasing the lead to 5-2. A sacrifice fly to center field made the score 6-2.
Tatis walked with one out in the ninth inning, the Padres seventh walk of the game. He moved to second on Hosmer’s ground out and scored on Machado’s single to centerfield. Felipe Vazquez came in with two outs to strike out Renfrow and earn his 19th save of the year. The Padres struck out 12 times in the game, with Renfroe collecting the Golden Sombrero.
The loss was the Padres fifth in a row against the last place Pirates. They dropped below .500 (38-39) while the Pirates improved to 35-40. Stammen (5-4) took the loss. Reliever Kyle Crick (3-3) was credited with the win.
The Padres and Pirates wrap up their season matchup Sunday with a pair of left-handers on the mound. Joey Lucchesi (6-6, 3.74 ERA, 3.71 FIP) will make his 15th start of the year. Steven Brault (3-1, 4.40 ERA, 4.91 FIP) will make his seventh start. The Padres last saw Brault work 3.1 innings in relief to earn the win May 18th, in a game the Padres lost 7-2.
You overwork a 35 year old reliever and this is what happens. 2nd time recently Stammen has been left in to give up 4 runs.
Other relievers need to be developed, it can’t always be Yates or Stammen when there is a late-game problem.
Naylor had zero walks after his first several games. Then he had 2 in one game, and today he had 3 in one game. Go figure. I think highly of his talent, but he is not ready yet. Just because he hits left-handed doesn’t mean he should be starting. He has played way too much.
Is anyone else nervous about Paddack’s health? He is not the pitcher he was a month or two ago (not just statistically). While he is not performing as well as he did, and his velo was lower, I am concerned about his arm (after TJ, and his “demotion”).
This team is dead in the water. They have horrible middle-relief. This time it was their second best reliever who blew this game.