Padres defeat Giants 6-3 as they make City Connect debut

On a beautiful Friday evening, the Padres debuted their colorful MLB City Connect jerseys. 

Jurickson Profar was diagnosed with a concussion and was put on the 7-day concussion IL. With this roster move, the Padres called Brent Rooker, a huge power bat, back up to the majors.

The Padres started the first inning of their City Connect debut with great excitement.

Blake Snell struck out two in the first while only throwing 13 pitches. As for the slumping bats, they started just fine with a leadoff base hit from Ha-Seong Kim. Jake Cronenworth followed with a lacing double to right field that moved Kim to third base. Manny Machado hit a mammoth home run that went into the second deck, with a distance of 433 feet. The homer made the score 3-0 Padres. “He is putting together an MVP-type of season,” manager Bob Melvin said after the game. 

David Villar got the fifth inning going for the Giants, hitting his first major league home run on a curveball right down the middle. After that, Snell worked his way through the inning and struck out the side. 

The Padres threatened in the bottom of the fifth with Matthew Batten drawing a walk of Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers. Zack Littell then replaced Rogers and walked Kim and Machado to load the bases. With the bases loaded and Luke Voit batting, he took a 95-mile-per-hour fastball at the bottom zone for strike three.

With Nick Martinez warming up to piggyback Snell, Bob Melvin sent his starter out for one more inning, and he made efficient work of the Giants hitters. Snell’s final line ended as six innings pitched, three hits, a pair of walks, one run, and 11 strikeouts. Good back-to-back starts for a struggling Blake Snell. “When he is on, he is one of the best left-handers in the game,” Melvin said after the game. 

In the sixth inning, the Padres rallied with two outs and drew a pair of walks, leading to a Nomar Mazara pinch-hit single that brought home Jose Azocar to extend the lead to 4-1. 

Martinez entered the game in the seventh inning as a piggyback to keep the Padres bullpen in shape for the next upcoming games after a tremendous six-inning effort from Blake Snell, and the right-hander ended up finishing out the ballgame for San Diego. 

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As the score remained 6-1 entering the 9th, Nick Martinez got the first two outs of the inning.  But Martinez misplaced a fastball low and inside to Brandon Belt, who crushed a two-run homer to right, making the score 6-3. Nick Martinez settled down and got the final out via a flyout by Lamonte Wade Jr. 

The San Diego Padres won the game 6-3 and moved to 49-36 on the season. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants fall to .500 (41-41).

 Yu Darvish takes on the Giants ace Carlos Rodon on Saturday as the Padres look to win the series. 

Jake Welcher

I’m a junior in high school, which I’ve grown up in San Diego my whole life. Living the life of being a die-hard Padre while chasing my dreams in studying Sports management.