Padres Game Recap: ICYMI- Heston Dominates As Giants Win 9-3
San Francisco Giants 9, San Diego Padres 3
Rookie pitcher Chris Heston already has a no-hitter on his resume, and flirted with another one on Tuesday night. Heston took a no-no into the sixth inning before it was broken up by Melvin Upton Jr. on a broken bat blooper to center.
Heston allowed just that hit during his 7 1/3 innings of work, while the Giants offense had no problem scoring runs for him.
Hunter Pence led off the second inning with a 442 ft. home run, one of three Giants home runs on the night.
Odrisamer Despaigne then gave up back-to-back singles before Gregor Blanco grounded into a double play to score another run.
In the fourth, already leading 2-0, Brandon Crawford took Despaigne deep for a three-run home run and pushed the lead to 5-0.
Despaigne went five innings, giving up six earned on seven hits and striking out one.
If things weren’t already out of hand, they really got wild in the sixth. Dale Thayer relieved O.D after an infield single.
Two batters latter, with two on, Thayer intentionally walked Blanco to get to Giants’ catcher Hector Sanchez.
Sanchez would then promptly unload the bases with a home run to right on Thayer fastball down in the zone. Sanchez would then do a little bat flip, something that Thayer took offense too.
Thayer then took his gum out of mouth and threw a 2-seamer that whizzed by Sanchez as he was jogging up the first base line.
After Kevin Quackenbush pitched a quiet seventh inning, Shawn Kelley took the mound for the eighth and ninth.
In the ninth after Sanchez grounded out, Kelley had a few words to say to him about the bat flip and all of a sudden both benches are out. Nothing went down, except a few choice words about someones mom.
Kelley didn’t allow a hit and struckout three in his two innings of work.
The Padres finally got on the board in the ninth with an Austin Hedges pinch-hit sac-fly and a Brett Wallace double that scored Yangervis Solarte and Alexi Amarista to make it a 9-3 final.
Game Notes:
3B Will Middlebrooks has been optioned to Triple-A El paso. He was batting just .212 with 9 HR and 29 RBI in his first season with the Pads.
OF Abraham Almonte is recalled.
On Deck:
First Pitch – 12:40 pm PT
James Shields (8-3, 3.92 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale Wednesday. He’s 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in his last six home starts.
Matt Cain (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is making just his fourth start after recovering from elbow surgery.
Nick was born and raised in San Diego where he became a Chargers and Padres fan, attending numerous home games throughout the years with his dad. He then went on to attend college at the University of Arizona. There he earned his degree in marketing and now lives in San Francisco where he dreams of the the sunny beaches of San Diego. Bear Down.