It was another fast start for San Diego, pushing across five runs in the first two innings, but the San Francisco Giants clawed their way back in before the Padres finished off a 6-4 win on Sunday evening at Oracle Park.
Fernando Tatis Jr had a three-hit, 2-RBI night for the Padres (81-68), while Manny Machado had a two-run homer and Jackson Merrill also drove in a pair with a double. Playing without Rafael Devers, who was placed on the IL before the game, the Giants (62-88) dropped their final five games at home against San Diego.
"Credit to (the Giants), they're playing hard, they're playing their tails off, they run the bases really well, they're pesky at bats fouling a lot of pitches off. They're dangerous, all of those players are fighting for their time in the Major Leagues, and there's something to be said about that, credit to them, it was three tough games that we squeezed out in the end that the bullpen finished the games really well all three days," manager Craig Stammen said.
Ethan Salas collected his first Major League hit, a triple that he came around to score on in the fourth inning off Giants starter Brandon Webb. Salas became the youngest player to collect his first Majors hit as a triple since Machado did in his MLB debut in 2012.
"I think we've all been just saying our prayers and trying to will that first hit, we just want the kid to have success and to feel like he belongs, and I think one thing we kept telling him was that he earned this, it wasn't like we just gave it to him because he's a top prospect and all that, he earned it," Stammen said. "He played his way to have the opportunity to play in the big leagues and it was a good feeling for everybody when that ball fell in."
The six San Diego runs came in the first four innings, as the Padres saw 14 straight set down across Webb’s final two innings plus three innings of relief by Matt Wilkinson. Jake Cronenworth broke the streak to start the ninth, but a strikeout and double play made the final five innings come up empty.
With the bullpen taxed by five of the last six games being within one or two runs, the Padres turned to the unlikely trio of Wandy Peralta, Randy Vâsquez and Yuki Matsui to see the result out. Peralta retired all four he faced and would earn his third win, then Vásquez worked around a pair of walks with a strikeout to get through the eighth.
"Those guys have had really good seasons this year, they've been pitching really well, they just haven't been pitching in those types of situations as often, and sometimes those guys, from what I remember, are just waiting for an opportunity to prove that they can pitch in those situations and tonight they proved that they're up to the task," Stammen said.
Matsui notched his second save in the Majors and first of the year, retiring the Giants by getting two weak ground outs, allowing a single to Bryce Eldridge with an advance to second on an error, and closing the game with a 10-pitch strikeout.
Merrill continued to rip right from the get-go, driving in a pair on a double off the wall in left after the Padres loaded the bases in the first inning against Webb. Tatis Jr. and Dustin Harris opened the game with consecutive singles, then Harris stole second and Machado walked.
After starter Nick Pivetta set down the side in order, Samad Taylor started the second with a broken bat single that dumped into shallow left field and then stole second base. It set Tatis up to smack a one-out RBI single back up the middle, then with two down Machado thumped a first-pitch sweeper for a two-run home run to make it an early 5-0 lead.
Merrill had pulled within one long ball of tying Machado for the team lead when he hit his career-high 25th on Saturday. Machado’s homer, his 27th of the season, was his first hit of the series against San Francisco.
But the Giants continued the punch-back they’ve shown all series, as Shay Whitcomb battled with two outs to get the first SF hit of the game. Andrew Kizner followed up by hitting an elevated sweeper out to left field for a two-run home run, his second since rejoining the Giants after being signed on Aug. 11.
Robert Edwards - Imagn Images
San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (8) reacts at third base after hitting a triple against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
The Salas triple came by smacking an up-and-in four-seamer over the outstretched reach of center fielder Jonah Cox and off the wall. Tatis brought the rookie in with another RBI single stroked to center, his third hit in as many bats, then extended on his career-high by swiping second for his 35th steal. But the Padres would settle for a run in the inning.
"It was great, he's been grinding out at bats, you can see a lot of the longer at bats it hasn't really been a given tactic, he's been grinding, nice to see that and a triple's always exciting," Pivetta said, who was later asked about how Salas handles the position defensively.
"It's the overall knowledge of what's going on, the recall. He's a professional, he does a great job back there."
Pivetta faced his first true jam in the fourth as the Giants loaded the bases with one out thanks to two stroked singles and a well placed bunt. But the San Diego starter was able to escape thanks to getting Kizner to line out to Taylor in left, then get a fly out to center by Brett Harris.
"I think they're a scrappy young bunch, I think they put good swings on pitches when I thought maybe I could've gone a different way, but I controlled the strike zone. Guys came out hungry early, which was great, and then bullpen does their job like they always do," Pivetta said.
It was the last inning of the afternoon for Pivetta, who finished with four innings with five hits and two runs allowed, alongside five strikeouts and no walks. 46 of his 69 pitches went for strikes, with two strikeouts on four-seamers, two on the sinker and one on the sweeper.
"I thought he was pitching good, had the really long second inning with a lot of pitches, so I think right then it was going to be a shorter leash after that. Got out of the last inning, and I just felt like there wasn't a need for any more after that," Stammen said, later acknowledging that 80 pitches was probably the maximum the staff wanted to see Pivetta throw.
Kyle Hart was the replacement, but got into trouble by allowing a single and a walk, then a double steal to put the runners on second and third. But a pop out, then an RBI ground out by Eldridge and a broken-bat ground out by Cox limited the damage to just a run.
The Giants would scratch across another the next inning as Scott Bandura hit what was ruled an infield single to short, with Xander Bogaerts attempted throw going into the dugout for an error. David Morgan came on and got a ground out, but walked Drew Cavanaugh. After a strikeout, Christian Koss singled in a run. That spelled the end of Morgan, as Peralta got the final out on a fielder’s choice where the Padres ultimately got the final out at home.
The Padres conclude their seven-game road trip with a four-game set against the Rockies, where they will make up the half-game differential in the standings with the Diamondbacks. Arizona dropped their second straight game to Texas earlier in the day, giving the Padres a 2.5 game lead for the final NL Wild Card spot.
Casey Mize (5-9, 3.70 ERA) gets the nod in the first game against right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (12-9, 5.30 ERA), the only Rockies starter with an above-.500 record. Sugano has struggled over his past five starts, allowing five or more runs in four, but has pitched six innings in both of his last two outings.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT on Monday from Coors Field.
This story was updated at 9:17 p.m.