Grisham with a hat trick, Padres slam Astros 13-2
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego, California
The Padres rolled into Saturday’s matchup with the defending American League champion Astros with a five-game winning streak, including four games with a grand slam. They looked for the series win as Zach Davies took the hill opposite Brandon Bielak of Houston.
Things started with a bang for both sides as the Astros, like they did Friday, scored in the first inning. Yuli Gurriel hit a sac fly with the bases loaded to give Houston a 1-0 lead. However, that lead was short-lived as Trent Grisham led off the bottom of the first with a home run, tying the game at one. Manny Machado gave the Padres the lead with his seventh home run of the season, and the Friars never looked back.
The rout was on in the second inning.
Wil Myers led off the inning with his seventh home run, giving San Diego the 3-1 lead. Two base runners reached ahead of Grisham before he launched his second homer of the night, busting it open at 6-1.
After Grisham’s home run, Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspiciously hit by a pitch. The bases were loaded ahead of rookie Jake Cronenworth, who is building a resume towards a Rookie of the Year award. He launched a ball into the right-field porch for San Diego’s fifth grand slam in six games, another major league record. This blew the game wide open at 11-1.
ANOTHER GRAND SLAM FOR THE PADRES 🤯
(via @MLBPipeline)pic.twitter.com/1IOOBRZFCH
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 23, 2020
Meanwhile, Zach Davies turned in the most impressive outing by a Padres starting pitcher this season. With the comfort of a double-digit lead for most of the game, Davies cruised through eight innings while allowing just two runs with seven strikeouts. This marks the first time a Friars’ starter had gone eight innings in 2020, providing a desperately needed rest for the beleaguered bullpen.
Trent Grisham was not finished, despite the blowout. In the bottom of the seventh, he launched a ball to the opposite field for his third home run of the game, becoming the third player in the big leagues to hit three in a game this season.
Out in Slam Diego, THREE homers for Trent Grisham. 💪 pic.twitter.com/giLmB3kNLl
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2020
The Astros provided little resistance after the first inning, and Davies turned it over to Luis Perdomo to seal the blowout win in the ninth. Perdomo tossed a scoreless frame to give San Diego their sixth straight win, the longest winning streak San Diego has had since 2013.
This has indeed been a remarkable run by the Padres, who have put themselves squarely on the national stage. The Friars move to 17-12 and clinched a series win ahead of the tough matchup on Sunday against perennial All-Star Zack Greinke.
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.
The Davies and Grisham acquisitions look to be paying off. They’ve both been important parts of our team this year. Maybe Davies can help turn the youngsters into pitchers and not just throwers.