Padres score five runs in extras to even series against Diamondbacks

PHOENIX - It's been a night-and-day turnaround for the San Diego Padres' bats since the end of the MLB trade deadline, posting another solid showing on Tuesday during their 10-5 extra innings win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.  

With now five games completed, the new faces, and as well as the familiar ones, all showed up during key moments when they needed to have it. And for most of the first half of the year, that was something this team lacked, which raised the question if this team would be considered a threat in the postseason if at all they make it in.   

Until they scored half of their run total during the 11th inning, it certainly wasn't an explosive performance inside the batters box, however they managed to turn it around with RISP, finishing 6-for-19 and left 14 runners on base. They also have recorded 10 or more hits in six of their last 12 games 

After the Diamondbacks drew first blood for the second straight night following Lourdes Gurriel Jr’s two-run shot, the Padres quickly answered back in the next frame with three straight hits to tie it against Ryne Nelson: Xander Bogaerts (8) lead-off solo shot to left field, a triple by Ramón Laureano and a RBI double by Jake Cronenworth.

Infamous for having the league’s weakest bottom half of the order prior to the trade deadline, the trio helped gather the tying run during the top of the sixth inning after the 7-8-9 batters all walked against relievers Kyle Nelson and Andrew Hoffmann to load the bases, which allowed Fernando Tatis Jr., at the top of the order, to get aboard via a walk.

An inning later, Laureano came up in a big spot to give the Padres the lead following a two-run double. Not only did he hit his second three bagger in two nights and finished tonight 3-for-6 with three RBIs, but since joining the Padres, Laureano hit his third multi-hit game and is averaging .363 (8-for-22) through five games.

"One thing about Ramón is, you know, he's not splitting," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "He's actually been a top five guy against righties all year... (He) drove the ball down the line for the two runs to put us ahead." 

The offense didn't come alive until Luis Arraez's go-ahead RBI blooper in the 11th inning, which was followed up by a sac-fly by Jackson Merrill that extended his RBI streak to seven games. The Padres would score three more runs on three hits during the inning that included an RBI single by Laureano, a RBI force out by Cronenworth and another RBI single by Freddy Fermin, who pinch hit for Elias Díaz.   

There was eight Padres that finished eight base knocks and half of them ended with two or more hits: Machado (3), Bogaerts (2), Laureano (3), Cronenworth (2)

Coming off a historic, dominant performance in his last start where he pitched seven scoreless innings, the 38-year-old right hander Yu Darvish had a serviceable outing on the mound, throwing 72 pitches through four innings giving up three earned runs, three hits, five strikeouts and two walks. 

"We trust Darvish," Shildt said. "We're not looking to get him out after the fourth inning. He's had some traffic, he had some stress. He got through four, battled a little bit to get there to 72 pitches. On a different day, with a different bullpen, you know as far as availability, we clearly trust him to go back out." 

Including the second Padres' appearance by reliever Mason Miller, the group tonight featured the infamous "four horsemen" (Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Robert Suárez). Morejon, Estrada and Adam all pitched a scoreless frame and combined for just one hit and one walk. 

However, Miller was guilty of giving up the game tying two-run home run to Gurriel Jr., which was his second long-ball of the night that forced the game to go to extras. Miller's 104 mph four-seam fastball was the fastest pitch ever homered off of since the pitch tracking era began in 2008.

Suárez, who made it through the ninth inning after an exceptional double-play by Jose Iglesias and was awarded with his fourth win, came in with one out and two runners on base after Wandy Peralta allowed a single and plunked the other.

"Robert (Suárez) was fantastic," Shildt said. "Not only leading out there and take down a tough guy in (Corbin) Carroll at the top, but you know, weren't able to scratch and run into the tenth. And he was able to go out and navigate that tough part of the order and get a big ground ball, you know, double play ball."  

Right-hander David Morgan came in for a 11 pitch close to cap off the night.

With the Dodgers 12-6 win over the Cardinals, the Friars now stand three games back for first place in the NL West, and they are also three games in front of the Reds for the final NL Wildcard spot.