Oracle Park- San Francisco

Following a pair of low-scoring, one-run extra-inning victories, San Diego got a more favorable pitching matchup. Nick Pivetta got the ball for San Diego against the left-handed Kyle Harrison of San Francisco.

Perhaps the news of the day for either team came this morning when the Giants made a flurry of moves. Most notable of the moves was the DFA of the five-year tenured Giant Lamonte Wade Jr, but the organization also made a pair of immediate pickups.  They signed Dominic Smith and called up Daniel Johnson, who were both inserted into the new-look lineup.

To backtrack a little, the Padres started a pair of midseason call-ups in games one and two of the series. However, San Diego faced 2024 All-Star Logan Webb and Landen Roupp, who has had a solid start to his season. San Diego has fought and clawed – on both sides of the ball – to pull out wins in both games.

San Diego got a much-needed fast start, thanks to a fortune-aided leadoff double from Fernando Tatis Jr. A liner through the 5.5 hole deflected into the outfield off of Willy Adames, and Tatis Jr. legged it out for extra bases. Quickly after, Manny Machado drew a walk, and with two outs, Gavin Sheets tagged a slurve for a two-run triple. The hit would’ve been a three-run homer in 25 other ballparks, but fortunately, with two outs, both runners were able to score.

Triples is best.

⭐️: https://t.co/EMce6sZBBP pic.twitter.com/8eOkHuZDGq

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 5, 2025

San Diego had a great chance to add on in the second, as Brandon Lockridge singled and stole second base. However, he broke for third and was picked off just moments later. Elias Diaz went on to flare a single to center, which likely would have plated Lockridge from second. Tatis Jr. gave a pretty good bid at a second double, but a diving grab from Jung Hoo Lee in center upended the threat.

Nick Pivetta came out strong in his first four frames, allowing just one hit that easily could’ve played out differently. He racked up a first-inning strikeout of Wilmer Flores on a ‘sword’ and collected two more K’s in the second inning. Pivetta’s stuff was crisp, although he partially lacked his usual command. However, he once again proved the value of his ability to live in the zone regardless of, and avoid,d walks.

The breakthrough San Diego needed came in the fifth, which started with a pair of infield singles. Machado went down swinging, but Merrill looped a double that stayed inside the third base line to score a run. Momentum suddenly put on a brown and gold jersey as Gavin Sheets bounced a grounder off the pitcher, Harrison, and it ricocheted into the outfield. The single scored two runs and forced Harrison to exit the contest early. On short notice, reliever Sean Hjelle was able to limit the damage to a 5-0 deficit.

Adding on. pic.twitter.com/EquoSyWRfi

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 5, 2025

Pivetta’s inconsistency with command came back to bite him in the bottom of the fifth. After Daniel Johnson softly flew a single, the Giants’ backstop, Patrick Bailey, doubled to right-center off a hanging curveball. Johnson came in to score the first Giants run and bring the game within grand slam range.

Just an inning later, the Giants got two more runs in a nearly identical fashion. Lee hit a bloop single that dropped in front of Lockridge, and another hanging curveball turned into a two-run blast for Matt Chapman. Suddenly, the tight ballgame feeling was right back again at Oracle Park.

Number 1⃣1⃣ for Chappy ? pic.twitter.com/E794tcoBYQ

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 5, 2025

After a quick 1-2-3 top of the seventh, a walk and a single chased Pivetta from the contest. After it seemed to be all Padres, the momentum may have switched jerseys.

Jason Adam came on to try and limit the damage, and froze Bailey for the first out of the inning. However, Tyler Fitzgerald lined a single that just fell under the glove of Tatis Jr, to load the bases for Heliot Ramos. Ramos got his pitch on the 1-0, and laced the slider to left for a game-tying double. Lee wasted no time after him, connecting on a sac fly to suddenly give the Giants a 6-5 lead.

In play, run(s) ? pic.twitter.com/D0er2pbtDm

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 5, 2025

The tricky submarine thrower, Tyler Rodgers, came on to go for the hold in the eighth. Jake Cronenworth was able to muscle a single, and while Diaz went ahead 2-0, Rodgers came back to strike him out and end the inning.

A night after blowing the save, Camilo Doval was relieved of his closer duties for the time being. Instead, Ryan Walker came on to try to shut down the top of the Padres’ order.

Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the ninth with his third hit of the game, a liner over shortstop. Luis Arraez followed him by working an incredibly competitive at-bat, before lacing a ball to the gap. In his first MLB game of the year, Daniel Johnson somehow tracked down the ball to make a five-star, run-saving grab. Two pitches later, Manny Machado popped a ball in between the shortstop Willy Adames and the left fielder Ramos, which dropped in after a small collision.

With a pair of lefties coming up, Giants manager Bob Melvin went to Randy Rodriguez to get two outs. Jackson Merrill went down swinging on three pitches, and Gavin Sheets came up as the Padres’ last chance. Tatis Jr. and Machado pulled off the double steal, but unfortunately, Sheets popped out to the sure-handed Chapman at third.

The Padres’ 7-game win streak against the Giants came to an end at the hands of the 6-5 loss. Although San Diego couldn’t hold onto the lead, the early offense was a good sign considering the unit’s recent struggles. The latter could be said for San Francisco, which broke through offensive struggles of their own late in this one.

When asked about the blown lead, manager Mike Shildt credited the big swings of both Chapman and Ramos. Although he was tagged for five earned runs, Shildt said, “[Pivetta] was good, had the ability to go back out.”

Somewhat quietly, Jose Iglesias came in for Xander Bogaerts in the sixth inning. “His shoulder was sore, left shoulder,” Shildt stated in reference to the cause of the substitution.

San Diego will conclude the four-game set against the Giants tomorrow at 12:45 PM. Day baseball by the bay is on the way, and should feature a great pitching matchup. The former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray will square off with San Diego’s Dylan Cease.

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a combination of around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X, and daily newsletters on the TikTok platform. Willy passionately studies Journalism at San Dieguito Academy, and is working to become billingual in Spanish to assist in communicating with Latin-born players and coaches.