Jake Cronenworth and David Peralta, who was celebrating his birthday, each hit a home run, leading the Padres to a season sweep over the Pirates, 8-2, on Wednesday at Petco Park.
It didn’t take long for San Diego (69-53) to jump ahead of Pittsburgh (56-64), scoring eight runs in the first three innings.
During the first inning, Cronenworth hit his 15th home run, a three-run shot to right field. The last time Cronenworth, who is on a six-game hitting streak, homered was on July 20.
Peralta, who went 2 for 3 with a HR on Tuesday, homered again, unloading a two-run shot in the third inning to give the Padres an 8-0 lead. Finishing this afternoon going 2 for 4, the 37-year-old became the first Padre to homer on his birthday since Austin Hedges (August 2019).
“He does make an impact… The guy has made a heck of a job for us, said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “Just done a nice job all the way around.
"He’s a positive presence on the field and in the clubhouse.
All-Star Luis Arraez and rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill also contributed to the offense. Arraez in the second connected with a double, scoring Tyler Wade. Before Peralta’s homer, Merrill lined a triple to right field, scoring Cronenworth and Manny Machado.
Arraez (2 for 4) is second in the MLB with 46 multi-hit games behind Kansas City Royals All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. (52). Also, Merrill (2 for 4) hit a team-leading sixth triple, again proving why he was awarded NL Player of the Month on Monday.
Starting pitcher and former Pirate Martín Pérez pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and retiring eight batters in his first win with the Padres. In his last three starts, Pérez has pitched a 18 1/3 innings with a 1.96 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
“They’ve all done a great job all season for us with this series specifically,” Cronenworth said. “Keeping those hitters down on the other side and giving us a chance to win a game."
The red-hot Padres have won 19 of their last 22 games, including sweeps in two season series (Nationals and Pirates) for the first time in team history.
“I think it’s just something we’ve built over the course of the season," Cronenworth said. "Now we’ve kind of collectively put it in as a whole, and now it’s a full team effort every night."
With Wednesday’s defeat, the Pirates extended their losing streak to 10 games and have one win their last 13 games.
One of the reasons why the Pirates weren't able to beat the Padres: Pittsburgh went 3 for 25 with runners in scoring position this series. For the season series, the Pirates were 11 for 57.
The Padres have the day off tomorrow before playing 18 straight games, including a road series this weekend against the Rockies. The first game will feature Padres right-hander Matt Waldron (7-9, 4.00 ERA) vs. former Padre Cal Quantrill (7-8, 4.56 ERA).