Padres 7, Diamondbacks 2
SAN DIEGO, July 24 – First baseman Eric Hosmer had a huge day at the plate Friday night, going 3 for 4 with two doubles and six RBI as the San Diego Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-2.
Bumgarner Debut
Pitcher Madison Bumgarner had his much-anticipated debut with the Diamondbacks in this game. He was sharp in the first five innings, striking out four and allowing two hits. Both hits were harmless singles, and the latter was wiped out by an inning-ending double play.
The sixth was a different story. Shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. doubled off the wall in right-center with one out, bringing up third baseman Manny Machado. His high chopper to short advanced Tatis to third, bringing up left fielder Tommy Pham. Walks by both Pham and second baseman Jurickson Profar, up next, loaded the bases for Hosmer. He smoked an 0-2 pitch off the wall in right-center for a three-run double, putting the Padres on the board. A frustrated Bumgarner left the game at this point in favor of Junior Guerra, who walked right fielder Wil Myers before retiring DH Ty France on a 2-3 groundout.
The Padres sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Bumgarner had two strikes on Pham, Profar, and Hosmer but could not retire any of them. Had he done so he would have been out of the inning unscathed. The pitch to Hosmer was a cutter that “got a lot more plate than we wanted it to,” according to catcher Carson Kelly.
Calhoun Narrows Gap, but Padres Take Commanding Lead
Right fielder Kole Calhoun, an off-season signing who hails from the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye, got one of those runs back in the top of the seventh. Facing a 1-2 count from reliever Emilio Pagan, he launched a missile to right-center that cleared all seating areas. After the game, he said the homer was “bittersweet,” adding that it came in a game where his team “came up on the wrong side of things.”
As frustrating as the sixth inning was, the seventh inning was even more so. Kevin Ginkel took the mound to face the 8-9-1 section of the lineup. After pinch-hitter Greg Garcia led off with a strikeout, center fielder Trent Grisham poked a single to right. A walk to Tatis put runners on first and second for Machado, who struck out looking. Pham followed with a two-out single up the middle, scoring Grisham and advancing Tatis to third. Pham stole second – his second theft of the game – on the second pitch to Profar, up next. A walk loaded the bases for Hosmer yet again.
This time he waited until the count was 2-2 before clearing the bases with a double, making the score 7-1 and giving him six RBI for the game, tying his career high. Ginkel left the game in favor of Stefan Crichton, who struck out Myers to stop the bleeding.
Consolation Run for Diamondbacks
Drew Pomeranz pitched a perfect eighth for the Padres, striking out two in the process. Yoan Lopez faced four in a scoreless bottom of the inning. In the top of the ninth, the Diamondbacks sent five to the plate against Javy Guerra. A one out single by center fielder Starling Marte – his first hit as a Diamondback – led to a run. A two-out single to right by DH Christian Walker scored Marte, who had advanced to second on defensive indifference earlier in the inning.
Paddack Shines for Padres
Second-year pitcher Chris Paddack was brilliant in his start for the Padres. He struck out four while allowing only four hits and one walk in six scoreless innings. According to Calhoun, what made him tough was that he was “changing speeds. That changeup is a good pitch. He located it well and kept us off-balance.”
Game Two of the three-game set is Saturday evening in Petco Park. Lefty Robbie Ray will face Padres righty Dinelson Lamet. First pitch will be at 6:10 Pacific.
On a side note, Saturday is also manager Torey Lovullo’s birthday. Happy double nickels to him!
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