Lamet exits early with injury, Grisham walks it off for Padres in San Francisco
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The Padres came to San Francisco hoping for a better fortune after being swept by the Angels and potentially losing Mike Clevinger for the playoffs. They fell 5-4 in the first game of the doubleheader. This game is a makeup for the postponed game on September 12th, making the Padres the home team for this game.
This game served to deliver the biggest gut-punch of the season for the Padres. In the 4th inning, Dinelson Lamet left the game with an apparent injury. In the postgame conference, manager Jayce Tingler said that Lamet was experiencing some bicep tightness. He is in the midst breakout season that will get him some Cy Young votes. After Clevinger’s injury, it was safe to assume that Lamet would take the mound for Game 1 of the wildcard series. It is unknown if the Lamet will be able to pitch in the playoffs, but a timetable, if one is necessary, should be out soon.
To add onto Wil Myers left the game with a sore quad in the 4th inning as well. Myers’ injury does not appear to be major but is something to be aware of moving forward. Jurickson Profar came into the game to replace him.
In the game, the Giants did get an early lead in the top of the second inning. Brandon Belt lined a double towards left field, which was vacant due to the shift. Two straight grounders were able to advance him to third and ultimately score the games first run.
In the bottom of the third, the Padres responded. Jason Castro does what Padre fans have come to expect of him, hit a double. Since joining the Padres at the trade deadline, all of Castro’s hits have been doubles. Trent Grisham singled to score Castro and bring Fernando Tatis Jr. to the plate. Tatis found a cutter slightly below the zone and blasted it 458 ft to the left-center bleachers.
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He has been in a bit of a slump lately. In the last few games, his at-bats have started to improve, and that is his first homer since September 6th. This upward trend is exactly what he needs as the playoffs approach.
That three-run gave the Padres a lead that would last until the 6th inning. Drew Pomeranz was on the brink of a zero ERA season, which would be historic even if it’s a 60-game season. He got within three games of it, but Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run off of him to give the Giants a 5-3 lead (One unearned run was scored in the fourth inning by the Giants).
In the bottom of the 6th, the Padres had a chance to tie it up. Manny Machado walked, then Jake Cronenworth came into pinch run for him. An Eric Hosmer single put Cronenworth at third, then Jayce Tingler had Jorge Mateo pinch-run for Hosmer. Mateo stole second to put Mitch Moreland a single away from tying the game. Instead, he flew out to centerfield.
Onto the bottom of the 7th, the Padres are still down by two. Tommy Pham singles and Greg Garcia walks to bring the winning run to the plate. Trent Grisham, who before today had six straight hitless games, was looking to turn on the page. He drilled a home run to right field to give the Padres their first-ever walk-off victory in San Francisco.
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This ends up giving Luis Patiño his first career win. He did come in to pitch in the 7th and struck out two while walking one.
The Padres do need their injury questions to be answered quickly. With two games left in the regular season, time is running out. What Padre fans need to remember, and what tonight proved, is that the Padres do not give up and are a formidable team.
Evan is a student finishing up a degree in Finance from Northern Arizona University. The ability to break down numbers and find the story behind them has lead to his first of writing for East Village times. He covers baseball which is the sport he grew up playing and has followed even after his playing years.