Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu- Mexico City, MX

The hitters from both teams will certainly be sad to leave  Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu as this two-game international series concludes. It was clear from the very start that thos ballpark yields much-higher-than-average offense than normal MLB parks.

After the absolutely bonkers 16-11 marathon from the day before, Sunday’s matchup with the Giants felt much more normal. The Padres rallied late to complete the two-game min-sweep of the Giants in Mexico City.

The game certainly started right where the Saturday night slugfest left off, as the Giants took to the skies against Padres starter Yu Darvish in the first inning. LaMonte Wade Jr. led off the ballgame lining a solo homer to right, giving San Francisco an early 1-0 lead. J.D. Davis kept it going in the second, hitting a solo homer of his own against Darvish.

Mitch Haniger slugged a solo shot to left in the top of the fourth, increasing the lead to three. The Giants rallied for another run, with Mike Yastrzemski singling home Michael Conforto to make it 4-0 San Francisco.

Alex Cobb kept the Padres’ bats at bay for the first four innings, minus a triple by Nelson Cruz. One day after becoming the oldest Padres player to hit a homer, he became the oldest to hit a triple.

Nelson Cruz becomes the oldest player to hit a triple (42 years 303 days) since Ichiro did it in 2016 (42 years 327 days)

(h/t @SlangsOnSports) https://t.co/7Q2Z8sUJmw

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 30, 2023

The Padres finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Austin Nola lined a two-run homer to center, cutting the deficit in half. Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a ground-rule double to right center field. Juan Soto lined a grounder through the infield to score Tatis, cutting San Diego’s deficit to one.

Darvish finished the game with six total innings, allowing nine hits, four runs, three homers while striking out nine with zero walks.

The frenzied crowd awaited another Padres rally as the game entered the bottom of the eighth, still a 4-3 advantage for the Giants. With one out, Soto engaged in an epic battle with sidewinder Tyler Rogers. After eight pitches and some close calls, Soto worked a hard-earned walk. Xander Bogaerts then extended his Padres on-base streak to 29 games to open the season, as he lined a single.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler opted to make the move for his flame-throwing closer Camilo Doval ahead of the at-bat with Jake Cronenworth. The Padres’ first baseman lined a single to right field, scoring Soto to tie the game. Bogaerts reached third base.

After a strikeout by Cruz for the second out, Matt Carpenter worked a long at-bat before floating a ball into shallow center field. The ball seemed aided by the wind, as the center fielder Yastrzemski dove and missed the ball, allowing both runners to score and give the Padres a two-run lead.

Matt Carpenter cashes in and the Padres take the lead! pic.twitter.com/ZGWuaPbwYn

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 30, 2023

“In that situation, I just want to put the ball in play. I battled,” Carpenter said after the game. “I was able to do it. Every pitch, I felt more and more comfortable.”

Josh Hader entered the top of the ninth and did what he has done all season, shutting down the Giants in order to earn his 10th save. He dropped his ERA to 0.69 during his stellar start.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.