SAN DIEGO – Trailing for the majority of the evening and facing a bullpen game, the San Diego Padres rallied with a run in the seventh inning and then four in the decisive eighth in a 5-4 comeback win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
Luis Campusano dropped a broken bat RBI single into shallow right center for the go-ahead RBI in the eighth, as the Padres (77-68) rallied for their 11th win after trailing by three or more runs. Washington (67-80) added to their misery, blowing the lead for a Majors-most 45th time after leading by three runs twice in the final four innings.
The eighth saw San Diego get the first two aboard for the second inning in a row, as reliever Jared Simpson walked both Xander Bogaerts and Freddy Fermin, then uncorked a wild pitch to move both over before loading the bases by walking Fernando Tatis Jr.
That meant the end for Simpson as Erik Tolman came in and faced pinch-hitter Austin Hays, who hit a sacrifice fly for an RBI. Another pitch got away from catcher Harry Ford allowed Tatis to take second, then on the eighth pitch of the at bat Manny Machado hit a game-tying, bounding ball single back up the middle that drove in a pair.
Then with two down, Campusano fought off a fastball in on the hands, dumping a broken bat bloop into shallow right center for the go-ahead RBI. Adrian Morejon came on to close the game out in the ninth, notching his third save.
After being unable to generate much traffic in the early stages with just three baserunners through the first six innings, the Padres got it going with consecutive hits by Machado and Ty France off Nationals reliever Clayton Beeter in the seventh. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position for Jackson Merrill, who got just underneath an inside slider for a sacrifice fly RBI. But a pop out by Campusano and a Dustin Harris strikeout ended the threat.
The Nationals responded the following inning, as Yuki Matsui left a splitter middle low and Andrés Chaparro hit it on a line, just fair down the left field line 337 feet off a 21-degree launch angle for his 10th home run of the season.
Washington had taken the lead with two down in the second inning, as Yohandy Morales was able to get his hands inside and around a 94 MPH sinker from Casey Mize and turned on it for a solo home run down the left field line. It was the 2023 second round pick’s second career home run in just his sixth game in the Majors.
San Diego starter Mize has allowed home runs in six of his seven starts with the Padres, with five of the nine long balls coming at Petco Park. The damage has been limited though, as seven have gone for solo shots.
Jorbit Vivas followed up with a double for the Nationals, before Mize got out of the inning with a ground out. From there, the righty dialed in and got a pair of strikeouts as he retired the side in order in the third, then got two more punchouts in the fourth to run his stretch to seven in a row sat down.
But all the while Washington opener and rookie righty Riley Cornelio was able to get through the Padres line up in order the first time through, getting strikeouts to end his three innings of work as part of four for the game.
Right-handed reliever Zak Kent allowed the first Padres runner of the game on a walk worked by Machado with two gone in the fourth, then France gave an elevated slider a ride but it was caught on the warning track in center field.
The Nationals added on in the sixth, as Mize allowed a one-out double to Abimelec Ortiz and then CJ Abrams walked with two outs to end his night. Randy Vásquez came out of the bullpen, and on his second pitch hung a sinker up-and-in to Brady House, who went the other way with it for a two-RBI double.
Mize finished with three runs allowed on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, finishing with seven strikeouts and a walk, leaving the game on the hook for the result.
It was Vásquez’s first time coming out of the pen since Aug. 15 and just the sixth time this season. Aside from allowing the pair of inherited runners to score in the sixth, Vásquez got a pair of swinging strikeouts in the seventh.
From there Matsui got the eighth, allowing the solo home run as well as a double, then being lifted for David Morgan after 2/3 an inning of work. Morgan got a ground out to end the eighth on his lone pitch in the inning, ultimately earning his third win of the season in doing so.
Arizona was able to hold off a late push by Kansas City to take a 5-3 win in extra innings at Kauffman Stadium. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had an RBI triple and came home on a Ketel Marte sacrifice fly as part of the decisive 11th for the Diamondbacks. San Diego remains half a game back in the chase for the final NL Wild Card slot.
Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.56 ERA) will get the nod for the Padres final game of the homestand, looking to extend on a nine-start streak where he’s allowed three or fewer runs and allowed just one run in four. Lefty Jackson Kent (1-3, 5.55 ERA) will make his sixth start in the Majors for Washington — in his three previous road starts he got touched up for a combined 16 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) in 13 1/3 innings.
First pitch is slated for 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park.