Padres outlast Astros in extras, 10-3
Credit: AP Photo
The San Diego Padres out-lasted the Houston Astros in an extra-inning thriller on Friday, 10-3. That makes it three straight extra-inning games for the Padres.
Dinelson Lamet got the start for San Diego to cap off the first cycle of the Padres’ six-man rotation. Lamet is still not fully worked up, so he only recorded nine outs. He started the fourth inning but left without recording an out after he allowed a two-run home run to Chas McCormick.
“The good news is he felt great,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “He maintained his stuff, and he maintained his velocity. It was another positive step forward.”
When the bullpen took over for Lamet, they locked down a very potent Astros lineup. Houston did not score an earned run on the Padres’ bullpen.
The bullpen, which is heavily taxed by the current six-man rotation, needed six strong innings for a chance to get it to extras. They also needed length, as the Padres are not even halfway through their 20 game stretch without a day off. Nick Ramirez and Nabil Crimatt, two relievers who have been up and down to start the season, each provided two very important scoreless innings.
No inning from the bullpen was more important than Mark Melancon holding the Houston Astros to just one run in the tenth inning. Melancon worked hard and walked three batters, but he only surrendered the unearned run that started the inning on second base.
Despite the great performance from the bullpen, the game does not reach extra innings if the Padres did not score their second run. After Tommy Pham hit his third home run of the season in the third inning, the Padres’ offense went quiet. In the eighth inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. struck his 14th home run of the season to deep left field to tie the ballgame at two.
Open the roof or else Fernando will do it himself.#HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/PEPWo0XBCQ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 29, 2021
After a missed opportunity to blow the game open in the tenth, the Padres capitalized in the 11th by scoring seven runs. Six hits, a sac-fly, and an error later, the Padres led and won 10-3.
“I thought our guys executed and didn’t try to do too much,” Tingler said. “I thought we did a really good job of using the other part of the field.”
Innings 1 through 10 combined: 6 runs
Top of the 11th: 7 runs 🤷♂️#HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/JlEqwtzt0z— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 29, 2021
Eric Hosmer left the game after being hit by a pitch on his forearm in his first at-bat. Tingler said postgame that the x-ray came back negative, and they will re-evaluate him tomorrow.
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Yu Darvish will take the hill for the Padres Saturday afternoon. Darvish has been the team’s most dependable starter and consistently works the deepest into games. After another long night for the bullpen and Blake Snell starting Sunday, Darvish will be needed more than ever. It will also be Darvish’s first outing against the Astros since they were cheating against him in the 2017 World Series as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first pitch will be at 1:10 PT.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”