Snell, Padres top Rockies 2-1 on wild pitch
Credit: AP Photo
San Diego, California- Petco Park
“I’m obviously trying to get it back to the guy that I know that I am. I’m obviously trying to work on things and trying to figure out why I’m pitching the way I’m pitching. ” Padres pitcher Blake Snell was obviously frustrated following his most recent start less than a week ago.
Snell was coming off of another performance that didn’t meet his own standards, and he was not afraid to let it be known. His performance, not terrible by any means, lasted only four innings while throwing 84 pitches and walking three. He did have seven strikeouts in the outing, but it was not what Snell, who has a Cy Young pedigree, wants for himself.
Snell answered the call on Tuesday, having his best performance as a San Diego Padre. Facing the same Colorado Rockies team, he faced in start last Wednesday, a 3-2 loss to the Rockies in Denver, and went six strong innings while striking out 11 and walking only one batter. Though The six-inning outing was the first time, Snell has gone six innings or longer in his last 30 starts.
“Tonight, he had everything working, and it stayed with him. He maintained his stuff, and equally important, he maintained his command,” Padres’ manager Jayce Tingler said about his starter Snell.
Especially importantly for Snell, he was in the strike zone. He was able to battle out of a few holes he dug himself into by being in the strike zone when he needed to be. After giving up his one and only run on an RBI double by Colorado third baseman Josh Fuentes, Snell snell would strike out three in a row to leave runners stranded on second and third.
Equally impressive in the opposite dugout was Rockies’ lefty Austin Gomber. Gomber, a part of the haul from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Nolan Arenado, threw six innings as well while striking out seven Padres and allowing only one run.
The pitchers duel would see the game go to extra innings tied 1-1, where the Padres scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on a wild pitch by Rockies’ closer Daniel Bard.
With Jorge Mateo on second to start the bottom half of the 10th, pinch hitter Brian O’Grady sacrificed Mateo to third on a perfect bunt. With Trent Grisham at the plate and one out, Bard threw a 90 MPH riser that Rockies’ catcher Elias Diaz could not handle and Mateo raced home for the winning run, giving the Padres a walk-off 2-1 victory and their 26th win of the year.
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At 26-17, the Padres are 8-2 in their last ten games, with five in a row on their current homestand. San Diego will look to sweep the Rockies Wednesday afternoon with Joe Musgrove (3-4; 2.86 ERA) faces Colorado right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-1; 4.79 ERA).
Tingler confirmed after the game that first baseman Eric Hosmer was cleared to play Wednesday, and they expect to have shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. available as well.
Kevin is a San Diego Native covering the San Diego Padres and their affiliates