Through the first six innings Michael King was cruising.
With less than 70 pitches through the first six innings, the San Diego Padres starter had kept the Washington Nationals in check, but a six-run seventh inning flipped the game on its head as the hosts won 9-4 on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.
Fernando Tatis Jr, Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado all had solo home runs for the Padres (32-25), as King left with the bases loaded having faced four batters in the seventh and plunking Nationals (30-29) center fielder Dylan Crews.
"When you're a sinker ball pitcher that's exactly what you're looking for, and against an all left-handed lineup I thought (King) hung in there really good, it was just that seventh inning, I felt like he was going to get another one of those ground balls and just didn't quite get it in the zone," manager Craig Stammen said.
Bradgley Rodriguez was unable to stem the tide, as Drew Millas reached on a fielder’s choice grounder that Tatis threw to second but Crews was called safe. The Padres challenged, but the call was upheld, and manager Craig Stammen was ejected while talking about the call afterwards — his first time getting run since becoming the Padres manager. Bogaerts was ultimately charged with an error on the play.
"I think his foot was on the base, but they reviewed it. If we're going to have review, you'd like to think we'd get the call right. My eyes may be different than someone else's," Stammen said. "If you go out on a replay review you're getting ejected — it took him a while to send me — I did what a could, I guess I'm too nice some times."
All told, all three of Rodriguez’s inherited runners scored, as he walked Curtis Mead and then allowed a single to Luis Garcia Jr. and an RBI fielder’s choice by Daylen Lile. It closed the book on King, who finished with six innings pitched and five hits, allowed five runs (four earned) with two strikeouts and a walk, while Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) on a hit with two K’s and a walk in his inning of work.
Bogaerts opened the scoring in the second inning, tagging starter Foster Griffin’s inside cutter 417 feet to the left field seats. King made a mistake in the third, when Drew Millas hit his second home run of the season on a first pitch, inside sinker that tied the game.
Then Machado responded to lead off the fourth, banging a low and inside sinker off the foul pole in left for his team-leading 10th home run of the season. He added an RBI in the seventh, when he doubled home Miguel Andujar after a two-out walk.
Tatis was emphatic with his first home run of the season, crushing a four-seam fastball 451 feet to left field.
"He's been carrying that burden, the team has been carrying that burden... Manny's joking like 'you'll get one one of these days,' and he finally got it (and) it was a good celebration in the dugout. That's what baseball's all about, acting like little 10 year olds, fun and things like that that takes all the pressure and attention that a guy like him gets," Stammen said.
Washington added two more runs in the eighth, as Mead doubled home a pair with two outs after Crews reached on a force out and Millas got aboard on a fielder’s choice. Both runs came off Wandy Peralta, who allowed two hits and a walk in his inning of work.
Reliever Brad Lord earned his third win, pitching the sixth and seventh and not allowing a hit while striking out two and walking one. Clayton Beeter notched his third save despite walking a pair and striking out one in his 1 1/3 innings of work.
The rubber match will see Griffin Canning (0-3, 7.54 ERA) looking to earn his first win after having thrown 6 2/3 innings of three run ball his last time out. He will square off with righty Zack Littell (4-4, 5.23 ERA), who will throw the first pitch at 10:35 a.m. PT at Nationals Park.