The Padres had their shot in extra innings, but the little things unraveled fast and turned a tied game into a 3-2 loss to the Pirates in 12 innings.
San Diego spent much of the night locked in a pitcher’s duel. Robbie Ray and Braxton Ashcraft each worked five shutout innings before Pittsburgh finally broke through in the sixth. Esmerlyn Valdez opened the scoring with a solo homer, then Rafael Flores Jr. followed with an RBI double that brought in Bryan Reynolds after a walk to Reynolds came back to hurt Ray.
The Padres answered right away in the bottom half. Freddy Fermin doubled, moved to third on a groundout from newly-promoted Dustin Harris, and then scored on a strange balk from Ashcraft. Ashcraft had already said he was pitching from the windup, but he still failed to do it for a second time against Fermin.
That trimmed the deficit to 2-1, and San Diego kept pushing later in the game. In the eighth, Harris doubled to start the inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. moved him to third with a fly ball, and Jake Cronenworth delivered a clutch single to bring the Padres even at 2-2.
The ninth came and went without a run, and then the extra innings got messy for San Diego. The Padres tried twice to move their ghost runner over with bunts, but both Harris and Cronenworth popped up, handing the Pirates key outs. Luis Campusano then added to the trouble by getting picked off second.
“Game of failure,” said manager Craig Stammen after the game in a piece written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, although the phrase isn’t usually used in the context of a simple sacrifice. “We struggled in that aspect, and we'll get back at it. Go on the bunt machine tomorrow, and we'll work on it, and hopefully be better in that situation next time.”
Once the Padres failed to score the ghost runner, Pittsburgh only needed one clean chance. It came in the 12th against Jeremiah Estrada, when Nick Gonzalez singled to bring in Jared Triolo and end it.
The defeat didn’t damage San Diego in the standings, since both the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks also lost, keeping the Padres in the third wild-card spot. Still, opportunities to climb are hard to find, and this one slipped away.
In Other News...
Manny Machado Issue Just Became A Bigger Padres Concern
Manny Machados hand has become a little more than a day-to-day nuisance for the Padres, even if he has kept taking the field. Craig Stammen confirmed Machado is dealing with a bruise on the inside of his index finger, the kind of small injury that can still be aggravating every time he makes contact, and the club is planning to have him wear a protective sleeve as it keeps an eye on how he responds.
Machado has continued to play every game, which is part of why this bears watching closely rather than sounding the alarm immediately. For a Padres team that leans on his presence in the middle of the lineup and on the infield, any lingering irritation that affects his swing is the sort of issue that can quietly grow into something more consequential if it does not ease up. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Machado Issue Just Raised The Stakes For Padres Push
Manny Machado is dealing with a bruise on the inside of his index finger, a small injury that can have a bigger effect than it sounds like for a hitter who lives with hard contact on every swing. Padres manager Craig Stammen said Machado will wear a protective sleeve and is day to day, which at least gives San Diego some hope that the issue can be managed without a longer interruption.
The immediate question is whether Machado will be in the lineup for the next game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. For a Padres club trying to keep its push on track, even a short-term absence from the middle of the order and the left side of the infield would force a quick adjustment, and the uncertainty now hangs over every at-bat he takes until the hand settles down. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face A Roster Squeeze At The Worst Possible Time
The Padres are trying to keep their footing in the middle of a tight stretch, and the latest roster moves underline how little margin they have right now. After a 3-2, 12-inning loss to the Pirates dropped San Diego to 71-61, the club sent Sung-Mun Song back to Triple-A and brought up outfielder Dustin Harris, who has been swinging it well in the minors and gives the roster another option as it searches for a spark.
There was more churn on the pitching side, too, with the team officially releasing a former Dodgers arm as it continues to sort out the back end of the roster. Craig Stammen also weighed in on Ty Frances place in the mix, pointing to his role and leadership while France heads toward free agency, another reminder that the Padres are balancing the present against what comes next at the same time. [Read more 🡒]