Padres snap skid, outlast Giants 9-6
Credit: AP Photo
With a much-needed 9-6 win, the San Diego Padres finally broke the losing streak that caused them to drop out of a playoff position.
Seven of the Padres runs were driven in with two outs, as the team finally found a way to get clutch hits when they needed. Fernando Tatis Jr. put together a four* hit day, Adam Frazier added four more, and Jurickson Profar hit a rare home run that proved to be much-needed insurance.
The Padres got off to a fast start, as Adam Frazier doubled home Profar and Tatis Jr. to give the Padres a two-run advantage.
The Friars added three more runs in the second, with Manny Machado sending home Trent Grisham before Eric Hosmer singled home Tatis Jr. and Machado to give the Padres a five-run advantage. With the Padres in a comfortable lead, Joe Musgrove looked like he was in a great position to guide the Padres to a crucial win.
While Musgrove has been terrific this season, he was not at his best against the Giants. The pitcher allowed a run in the second after an Evan Longoria double and another in the third via a Thairo Estrada pinch-hit home run, bringing the Giants within three. Estrada’s home run just snuck over the left-field wall, one of the shortest parts of Oracle Park. Musgrove settled back into the game after that, recording eleven outs while just a pair of runners reached base. That streak ended in the sixth, when trade deadline acquisition Kris Bryant homered off Musgrove, with two outs in the sixth. Brandon Crawford hit a triple off Musgrove, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Musgrove induced a ground out from Evan Longoria to end the threat, keep the Padres in the lead and put Musgrove in line for the win.
The Padres instantly picked up two much-needed runs, thanks to a rare Jurickson Profar home run that brought home Ha-Seong Kim, who walked after pinch-hitting for Musgrove. Craig Stammen entered the game for the Padres, and he instantly made the importance of the Profar home run clear. Steven Duggar won a seven-pitch battle with Stammen, ending it with a home run. After Stammen retired the next two batters, Brandon Belt won another seven-pitch battle with a home run to right field. Belt’s home run just snuck inside the foul pole and just snuck over the tall right-field wall. Emilio Pagan came in for the eighth inning, and he immediately got himself into trouble by walking the first two batters he faced. However, he quickly responded by getting the next three batters down in order, keeping the Padres lead at two.
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In the ninth, the Padres added another two runs, and after an Adam Frazier single and an Austin, Nola double, the Padres were threatening. Trent Grisham hit a sacrifice fly to score Frazier, and Wil Myers singled home Nola to give the Padres a four-run advantage. Mark Melancon secured the win, but not without surrendering a run in the process.
The Saint Louis Cardinals, who were a game ahead of the Padres for the final wild-card spot, also won, but the Reds, who were half a game ahead of the Padres, lost. The Padres will start a crucial three-game weekend series with the Cardinals on Friday, and if they can, get momentum as they enter the series.
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.