Cronenworth hits for cycle, Padres set records, crush Nationals 24-8
Padres
In the San Diego Padres final two games before the All-Star break, the Colorado Rockies pitching staff shut them down.
With four days off, the offense fixed their woes and exploded for 24 runs, which smashed the Padres’ previous record of 20. The Padres offense scored in eight of the nine innings, including a seven-spot in the second and a six-spot in the sixth. Every single Padres position player reached base, and the Nationals pitching staff had no answers all night long.
Jake Cronenworth hit for the third cycle in Padres history and his first-ever, and the first-ever away from Coors Field. Wil Myers homered twice, including a grand slam, Tommy Pham picked up four hits, Eric Hosmer reached base four times, and Jorge Mateo even managed to get a home run.
The Padres were fortunate early, as Manny Machado picked up an infield single, hustling down the line to score Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres scored three runs in the inning, all of which were scored with two outs. Early on, it looked like the Nationals might be able to keep pace with the Friars’ offense, as Juan Soto hit a three-run home run to tie the game at three. The Padres quickly put an end to that notion, batting around and scoring seven runs, four of which came on Myers’ grand slam. Every Padre position player got to run the bases in the inning, and everyone but Jake Cronenworth scored.
The Padres scored single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, with Cronenworth picking up his triple and home run in the third and fifth, respectively. Tommy Pham got the sixth inning started off with another home run, and Wil Myers picked his second-up later in the frame. Jake Cronenworth finished off his cycle by beating the shift for an infield single. After the game, Jayce Tingler said that “It’s fun watching him [Cronenworth] work and play every day. It’s fun watching his teammates react to him.”
Surprisingly, with the score 16-4 and Chris Paddack having thrown just 80 pitches, Brian O’Grady pinch-hit for the right-hander. Paddack had allowed just one run since Soto’s first-inning blast. With the bullpen rested, manager Jayce Tingler decided to let Miguel Diaz, Nabil Crismatt, and James Norwood finish the game out for the Padres. Diaz surrendered four runs, and James Norwood pitched out of a bases-loaded jam.
The Padres forced the Nationals to use seven pitchers, something that will pay dividends throughout the rest of the weekend series. The Padres managed to get runs off six of the seven Nationals pitchers, with only closer Ryne Harper keeping them in check. The Padres offense didn’t stop scoring, putting up four runs in the eighth, with Wil Myers’ single tying the team record for runs, before Brian O’Grady broke it moments later. The Padres’ offense finally topped out with a Jorge Mateo home run for the 24th and final run.
The Nationals wasted a four-hit, two-home run game from Juan Soto, but it’s always difficult to win games when you surrender 24 on the other end. The Padres ended with an absolutely ridiculous 42 total bases and with five home runs. The Padres emptied their bench, and every starter except Tommy Pham and Wil Myers got at least partial off days.
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Chris Paddack made a huge mistake to let Soto hit his first home run but managed to settle down after allowing three runs after his first three batters. With the Padres pitching staff suffering from loads of injuries, managing to get enough length out of Paddack and avoiding using most of the Padres top bullpen arms was critical.
The Padres 24 runs, which Jayce Tingler described as “relentless,” was also the most scored in the major leagues this season, beating the 22 runs the Dodgers scored against the MLB-worst Diamondbacks.
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.