SAN DIEGO – While the long ball provided the early offense, Xander Bogaerts’ infield single in the eighth inning drove in the decisive run as the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.
Bogaerts finished 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI and a run scored on a passed ball, as San Diego (20-13) also got solo home runs from Miguel Andujar and Manny Machado to snap a four-game losing streak. Griffin Canning made his first start with the Brown and Gold and largely limited White Sox (16-18) despite taking a no-decision.
"Any time you're on a bit of a losing streak where you've lost a few in a row and it just doesn't seem like we're playing that good of baseball and things aren't going our way, it feels good to finally squeeze one across. We worked hard today to get that done," manager Craig Stammen said. "It didn't come easy, we didn't play amazing baseball, we didn't take amazing at bats, but we hung in there and figured out a way to score one more than them."
The Padres retook the lead in the eighth inning with Ramón Laureano drawing a lead off walk and stealing second base, then Jackson Merrill singling with one out and stealing second. The Bogaerts came through with a check-swing tapper that bounced past the left side of the mound and died in front of third for the go-ahead RBI infield single. It was San Diego’s sixth win when either tied or trailing after the seventh inning.
A day removed from their first game in 28 without an extra-base hit, after Nick Castellanos’ two-out double in the second led to the final out of the inning at home, the power showed up two innings later.
Andujar led off the fourth with his second home run of the season, turning on an up-and-in sinker and sending it 407 feet out to left center field. Chicago starter Anthony Kay delivered a cutter in near the same spot to Machado two batters later, and Machado smacked it out to left-center for his fifth home run of the season and to give the Padres the lead.
San Diego got another run in the inning when Bogaerts and Ty France followed up the long ball with singles. Then Freddy Fermin drew a two-out walk where the fourth ball elevated slider got to the backstop off catcher Drew Romo’s glove, allowing Bogaerts to score and make it 3-1.
Aaron Brenner – The Sporting Tribune
Padres starting pitcher Griffin Canning (17) pitches the ball during an MLB baseball game against the White Sox, Sunday May 03, 2026 in San Diego, California.
Making his first start in the Majors since June 26, 2025 and coming off recovering from surgery for a ruptured left achilles, Canning was workmanlike in his five innings where he allowed three hits and one run on seven strikeouts and three walks.
There was a bit of choppiness, as a pair of the walks came in the first, but Sam Antonacci tried to score on a ground ball single behind second base by Chase Meidroth that Bogaerts fielded and threw home for the final out. Then in the third Drew Romo led off with a home run.
"I thought it was great, more than we expected probably the way he dominated the last four innings. First inning, to be expected, a little bit of nerves having not been out there for a little while and probably a lot of thoughts going through his brain about the last time he was on a big league mound, and he got through it and kinda cruised for the last four," Stammen said.
Then in the fourth a lead off walk to Colson Montgomery turned into a men on first and third situation with one down after Jared Kelenic singled. But Canning picked off Kelenic at first and then got Tristan Peters to strike out to strand the man on third.
In his final inning Canning struck out the side, completing his afternoon with 73 pitches and 42 strikes. His primary three pitches were a changeup (his highest used at 40%), 4-seam fastball (34%) and slider (22%), with an occasional sweeper. The slider got three strikeouts, with Chicago right-handed bats seeing primarily offspeed, while the lefties saw the fastball most.
"It was what we expected when we signed him, that he had the potential to be someone that we can rely on and count on and get quality starts consistently through the season, so it's one start from him, he's coming off a major injury (and) there's bound to be hiccups but he's off to a good start and I feel really confident about him going forward," Stammen said.
But Canning would not get the decision, as Adrian Morejon pitched a one-two-three sixth inning, but in the seventh allowed a game-tying two-run pinch hit home run to Derek Hill.
Jason Adam earned the win, his first of the season, by striking out one while allowing a hit in the eighth inning, while Mason Miller struck out three of the four batters he faced with a lone single allowed to notch his 11th save.
Fernando Tatis Jr. was not in the lineup and was given a day of rest.
The next three games will be on the road, as the Padres head up the coast for a series against the San Francisco Giants. Randy Vásquez (3-0, 2.94 ERA) will get the nod in game one against 25-year-old righty Trevor McDonald, who will be making his first start of the season, the third of his career and fifth appearance in the Majors. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. on Monday, May 4 at Oracle Park.
This story was updated at 4:26 p.m.