SAN DIEGO – Tueday it was the San Diego Padres time for ninth inning heroics, as Fernando Tatis Jr. bashed a walkoff, two-run home run off Los Angeles Angels reliever Kenley Jansen for a 6-4 win on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
It was the first walkoff win of the season for San Diego (26-15), who avenged the previous night by drawing five walks against Angels (17-24) relievers in the final two innings to fuel the comeback from a two-run deficit.
“Definitely had it in the back of my mind, yesterday I think I put a good at bat against (Jansen) and saw his pitches well,” Tatis said. “Coming into today I had those flashbacks from the pitches he threw me yesterday and was trying to be a little bit better on the plate.”
Tatis, who delivered the most recent last inning winner for the Brown and Gold on September 20, 2024 against the White Sox, turned on a 2-2 inside cutter for his 11th long ball of the year. It was the right fielder's only hit of the night after drawing a pair of walks.
“I just love the way (Tatis) is slowing the game down in big moments — not that he handn’t before, he’s a great player, done great things — even now he’s just in a good spot where he just knows he can let his ability play,” said manager Mike Shildt.
Jason Adam earned his fourth win of the season after throwing a perfect ninth on six pitches, and Jansen took his second loss.
The Padres had cashed in with two outs after a pair of walks by reliever Ryan Zeferjahn to Tatis and Manny Machado in the eighth. First Gavin Sheets dumped a fly ball between three fielders in left center, then Machado came home on the third wild pitch of the game by Los Angeles pitchers.
“I’ve alluded to it a little bit over the course of the year, but (Machado) is a really, really good base runner,” Shildt said. “That was a fantastic read, anticipation, timing and courage.”
It picked up Jeremiah Estrada, who spelled starter Dylan Cease with two outs in the seventh and a runner at first, and was immediately jumped on. Jo Adell lined a double to center to tie the game and pinch hitter Matthew Lugo bashed a two-run home run to left on a middle-low slider on the first and second pitches, turning a 2-1 Padres lead into a 4-2 deficit.
Robert Sloter - The Sporting Tribune
Dylan Cease #84 of the San Diego Padres walks off the field against the Los Angeles Angels at Petco Park on May 12, 2025 in San Diego, California.
Cease settled in after seeing his second pitch of the game stung to left field for a leadoff home run by Zach Neto, setting down the next nine in a row and dealing five of his season-high 10 strikeouts the first time through the order.
“It was solid, I gave us a chance to win. I would’ve liked to have been better in a couple areas, but ultimately we won, which is the name of the game,” Cease said.
The San Diego starter said he felt “pretty good” after leaving his previous start with an arm cramp, topping the century mark in pitches for the first time of the season. Cease threw 63 of 103 for strikes as he scattered five hits and had his lone walk on the last batter he faced in 6 2/3 innings of work.
“Back-to-back games of the Dylan Cease slider…hard to say which one was better, because the no-hitter going pretty deep in the New York game, but man the slider was really good tonight as well,” Shildt said after his starter notched eight strikeouts with his preferred out pitch.
Over his past three starts, all no decisions, Cease has thrown for 17 1/3 innings with 22 strikeouts and six walks, allowing nine hits and five runs while holding opponents to a .153 batting average.
“It’s a really good progression for sure, I’ve made some good mechanical adjustments,” he said. “I really feel like earlier in the year if I only had really one pitch to rely on it would’ve been tough for me to get through.
“Right now I’m in a good spot and I’m able to get through five or six by grinding.”
Angels starter José Soriano sailed through the first four innings, allowing only a pair of two-out base runners on a single by Machado in the first and a walk to Tatis in the third. He finished going seven innings, allowing four hits and two unearned runs with first strikeouts and a walk.
The Padres got their first runs of the game after they pounced on a pair of errors in the fifth.
Xander Bogaerts drew a walk to start and apply the first bit of game pressure, which Jake Cronenworth followed up by singling sharply to right that Adell misplayed in right field on a hop that put runners on the corners after the error. Then Soriano bounced a knuckle curve that kicked away from Logan O’Hoppe, who then sailed the throw to second into center field to score Bogaerts and allow the moving Cronenworth to take third.
Martín Maldonado then converted by dropping a perfect sacrifice bunt towards third to give the Padres their first lead of the evening 2-1.
The rubber match will see Randy Vásquez (2-3, 3.76 ERA) start for San Diego against Kyle Hendricks (1-4, 5.30 ERA) for the Angels, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. at Petco Park.