The Athletics and San Diego Padres kicked off a three-game series on a beautiful Friday night in San Diego. The A’s sought to win their fourth straight game, while the Padres hoped to rebound after losing their past series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buoyed by three key home runs, the Padres won the series-opener 7-3, ending the A’s winning streak.
Early Offense
A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes started the game with a single against Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler. First baseman Nick Kurtz promptly socked an RBI double on the first pitch he saw from the right-hander, scoring Cortes to give the A’s an early 1-0 lead. That hit extended Kurtz’s on-base streak to an incredible 45 consecutive games. Kurtz moved to third on catcher Shea Langeliers’ groundout and then scored on designated hitter Brent Rooker’s groundout.
In the bottom of the first, the Padres answered right back. Second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk against A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs. With two outs, Machado tied the game with his eighth home run of the year, a two-run blast to the stands in left field.
A’s Waste Multiple Scoring Chances
In the second, the A’s had a chance to re-take the lead. With one out, center fielder Henry Bolte walked and then second baseman Jeff McNeil singled. Alas, Buehler buckled down, retiring the next two hitters to escape that jam unscathed.
Kurtz led off the A’s half of the third with a walk, but was stranded at second. Athletics’ left fielder Tyler Soderstrom ended the inning by striking out looking on a pitch right down the middle that was begging to be crushed.
Through three innings, the A’s went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, failing to take advantage of several early scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Springs settled down, posting two-straight scoreless frames.
A’s Jump Back in Front
A’s third baseman Zack Gelof kicked off the fourth inning with a double down the left field line. Like Gelof, Bolte took advantage of the first pitch he saw from Buehler, sizzling an RBI single to center field. The Athletics first hit with a runner in scoring position put the team up 3-2.
Bolte did not spend any time at first. He was quickly thrown out attempting to steal second, the second A’s runner caught stealing through the game’s first four innings. Unlike in the first inning, Jeffrey Springs retired the San Diego Padres in order in the bottom of the fourth, delivering a much-needed shutdown inning. With one out in the fifth, Kurtz worked an 11-pitch at-bat that resulted in his second walk of the game and third time reaching base in three plate appearances. That was all the A’s offense mustered that inning.
Padres Come Back Again
In the bottom of the fifth, the Padres tied the game with their second and home run of the night. Right fielder Nick Castellanos crushed Springs’ hanging sweeper for his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that hit the Western Metal Supply Co. Building beyond the left field stands.
A’s Leave Bases Loaded
In the top of the sixth, Bolte’s speed was on full display as he hustled down the line to beat Machado’s throw to first base. The rookie recorded two singles and a walk in his first three at-bats. McNeil hit his second single to keep his team’s two-out rally going. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases.
The Padres brought in left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon to replace right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. The A’s countered by having right-handed hitter Colby Thomas pinch hit for the left-handed hitting Cortes. Morejon won the battle, striking out Thomas to strand the bases loaded.
Padres take the lead
San Diego fully seized the game’s momentum shortly after the A’s left the bases loaded. With one out in the seventh, Padres’ left fielder Ramón Laureano, a former A’s player, gave the hosts a 4-3 lead with his sixth home run of the season and his team’s third home run of the matchup.
His solo blast knocked Springs out of the game. The A’s starter allowed four runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. Springs mostly kept the ball on the ground, inducing nine groundouts compared to only three fly outs. The long ball was his downfall in tonight’s outing. A’s right-handed reliever Jack Perkins entered the game in relief of Springs and got the final two outs of the seventh inning.
Soderstrom began the eighth with a base hit to the gap. He tried stretching the hit into a double, but got thrown out at second for the first out of the inning.That proved to be a small momentum shift, as it erased a leadoff baserunner and led to a quick scoreless inning from Padres’ right-handed.reliever Jason Adam.
Padres Add on Late
In the last of the eighth, the Padres scored multiple insurance runs against Perkins. They opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. First baseman Gavin Sheets’s base hit knocked in two runs. San Diego added a third run on shortstop Xander Bogaerts’s sacrifice fly.
With it no longer being a save situation, the Padres put right-hander Jeremiah Estrada in for the ninth inning instead of their closer Mason Miller. Estrada needed just nine pitches to record the final three outs of the game.
The Athletics will try to bounce back and even the series tomorrow night. J.T. Ginn will make his second start of the roadtrip. The right-hander has been the A’s best starting pitcher these last few turns through the rotation, as evident by his near no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels in his last outing earlier this week. He will be opposed by Padres’ right-hander Lucas Giolito, who will make his second start of the season.
Read the full article here