Tatis Jr. bundles four hits, Padres avoid sweep against Diamondbacks

PHOENIX -- Avoiding a sweep to their NL West foes, the San Diego Padres come away with a persuasive 8-2 win on Sunday over the Diamondbacks in Arizona at Chase Field.

This is the exact game the Padres (39-31) were looking for, who have lost back-to-back series against the Diamondbacks (36-35) and Dodgers. Not only did the pitching handle their side of the frame by allowing two runs on three hits, they only used three pitchers throughout the game, which is favorable looking ahead to their upcoming four-game series against the Dodgers. 

In desperate need of a solid, lengthy pitching performance, right-hander Nick Pivetta (7-2, 3.40 ERA) provided that for the Padres earning his seventh win in 14 starts. At one point flirting for perfection until the fifth inning, Pivetta finished with 94 pitches (71% strike rating) allowing a pair of runs and hits with nine strikeouts.

"He was dialed, there was no question," Padres' manager Mike Shildt said. "Throwing it where he wanted to. The breaking ball was good, sweeper good, fastball good, fastball where he wanted it, fastball at the top when he needed it."

"You know it was big for him to grab the seventh. And of course big for us to add-on. (Adrian) Morejon was sharp again and (Sean) Reynolds. Those guys pounded at the strike zone which is what you want." 

The group also made the most of their at-bats early and carried through the game. Scoring seven runs in their loss yesterday, the bats got it going scoring seven or more runs for the fourth time in their last six games.  

With a single in his first at-bat, Gavin Sheets drew a six-pitch walk to start the fourth inning. Xander Bogaerts delivered with the game's first run on a double into the gap in left field, allowing Sheets enough time to reach home from first base. 

Jake Cronenworth continued to work on right-handed starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (6-3, 3.41 ERA) for a 10 pitch at-bat, which led to a two-run bomb out in the right field seats to make it a three run lead. His 102 mph homer was his fifth on the season and it was Kelly’s fourth homer he's allowed in 15 starts.

It was the first time a Padres hitter to homer in a 10+ at-bat since Will Myers did in 2019 against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix.  

After striking out and a single in his first two plate appearances, Fernando Tatis Jr. sent his second single to the gap out in left center field during the fifth inning. Luis Arraez, on the first pitch, delivered on a cutter for a line-drive RBI double to right field to go ahead by four.  

Eugenio Suárez ended Pivetta's hitless streak during the fifth by sending his 21st home run 437 ft to center field to cut it to a 4-2 deficit. Suárez hit a similar type of homer during the fourth inning in Saturday’s meeting. 

Elias Díaz doubled down the first base line to lead off the seventh inning. Tatis Jr. answered with his own double to score Díaz. 

After stealing third base for his 15th on the year, Tatis Jr. would reach home on Manny Machado’s ground out, a team leading 51 runs scored.

After stepping up with a pitch-hit RBI single during the ninth on Saturday, Brandon Lockridge saved a possible two-runs from scoring with a catch along the wall out in center field with a runner on first base on one out.

The Padres would tack on a pair of runs, starting with a first pitch solo-shot to left field by Díaz batting at the nine spot. 

"Díaz is kind of a microcosm a little bit of today," Shildt said. "You know, resiliency, (he) has been struggling a little bit with the bat but stuck in there today, good at-bats, and two at-bats yesterday too. A couple of walks coming off the bench... That quality was really high today."   

Tatis Jr. doubled right after Díaz, Arraez grounded out right after, which would set up Machado for his second RBI of the game, scoring Tatis Jr. on a ground ball single to left field.  

While in search to return to his almost routinely explosive production, Tatis Jr. recent development is encouraging, seeing him recorded four hits, finishing 8-for-13 in this series with two doubles and three RBIs. 

"The energy's contagious, the style of play sets the tone," Shildt said. "Best player on the planet, he just is. I don't want to say that because I don't want it to be a burden to him... But the reality is when he's able to put his whole game together, it's just a dynamic force that absolutely beats the other team." 

During the post-game interview, Shildt gave an update on outfielder Jackson Merrill, who was announced before the game that the team placed him on seven day concussion IL after leaving Saturday's game feeling woozy after getting hit with a hard tag to the head while trying to steal second base. 

Shildt called the injury day-to-date and the team will send the 22-year-old back to San Diego to rest and recover. 

"I think the best thing was he was able to keep some food down and he had some appetite," Shildt said. "He wasn't himself still so it's going to be a couple days." 

The Padres will continue their road stand as the group will head to Chavez Ravine to take on the Dodgers (42-29) for a four-game NL West showdown. With the Giants (41-30) also looming around, this series could open up a new leader  

Right-hander Dylan Cease (2-5, 4.28 ERA) will get the starting nod for San Diego, as he looks to pick up where he left off against Los Angeles when just less than a week ago he dominated through seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits with 11 strikeouts. 

Making his first appearance on the mound in nearly two years, Shohei Ohtani was announced as Monday's starting pitcher for the Dodgers. Since 2018, Ohtani has started in 86 games, owning a 38-19 record with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts.