Taylor Rogers falters again, Padres drop heartbreaker to Tigers 4-3
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Comerica Park- Detroit, Michigan
Yu Darvish took the mound on a soggy afternoon in Detroit to try and win the series for the Padres. After a 30-minute delay, the game began with Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal toeing the slab opposite Darvish.
The Tigers broke the ice early with a run against Darvish in the first. Jeimer Candelario singled home a run, continuing his hot series against San Diego, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead after one.
Both starters traded scoreless frames until the top of the fourth. Jake Cronenworth singled, and then Manny Machado worked a 13-pitch walk. A wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out for Luke Voit, who launched a screamer to center field for a sac fly RBI. Ha-Seong Kim then singled home Machado, giving the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Candelario struck again in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single, which tied the game at two. That marked seven hits in 12 at-bats with eight RBIs for the series for the Tigers’ third baseman. He had entered the series hitting .194.
The Padres responded in the top of the seventh. In the two previous games in this series, the Padres had gone a combined 5-for-23 with runners in scoring position. The Padres got two hits with runners in scoring position and two outs in Wednesday’s contest. With runners on first and second and two gone, Jurickson Profar lined a single into left, scoring the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Go ahead, Pro š„ #TimeToShine pic.twitter.com/xFbEuF8I8B
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 27, 2022
Darvish escaped further damage in the sixth and entered the seven with a new lead, at 3-2. He worked a 1-2-3 seventh to become the second straight Padres starter to work seven innings. He finished with seven innings, two earned runs, striking out 11 with one walk.
Luis Garcia entered the eighth and worked a scoreless frame, sending the game to the ninth with San Diego clinging, once again, to a one-run lead. The Friars were unable to add onto their lead, once again setting up a tense ninth inning with closer Taylor Rogers.
Candelario once again got the hearts of Padres fans pumping with a double to lead off the ninth. Rogers then got two straight outs before a Jonathan Schoop single put runners on first and third. Victor Reyes then came up with the winning run on first base.
Rogers got the count to 1-2. With the Tigers down to their last strike, Reyes lined a shot off the right field wall, scoring the tying and winning runs. The Tigers walked it off and clinched the series win over San Diego.
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That marked back-t0-back days in which Rogers had blown a save, making it seven total blown saves for the season. This was a devastating turn of events for a Padres team coming off of a series win over the first-place Mets. Now they head home after an off day on Thursday, set to take on the first-place Twins in a three-game weekend series.
“It’s a game of inches. One pitch away. Baseball is sometimes tough, especially for a closer,” Bob Melvin said following the game.
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.
This actually a bad team, at least the way it is set up.