The San Diego Padres took three games in a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres were coming off of a two-game series split against the Seattle Mariners. They were looking to have more success in this away series against Arizona. San Diego did just that. Although the Padres lost the first game, they rallied and won the next three games to win the series. For San Diego, the offense was up and down throughout the series, but the pitching was stellar.
In the first game of the series, the offense of the Padres was nowhere to be seen. Only three hits and a walk were collected by the San Diego offense. First baseman Josh Bell, designated hitter Brandon Drury and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim were the only batters who were able to get on base for the Padres.
Starting pitcher Sean Manaea had a relatively decent outing compared to his performances from the last couple months. Manaea pitched in five innings, giving up two runs on three hits. He also had three strikeouts and did not allow a walk. Unfortunately, his solid outing was not enough for the Padres. San Diego lost this game with a score of 4-0.
The second game of the series is when the Padres’ offense woke up. San Diego exploded for 12 runs on 17 hits, including four home runs. Drury hit two of the home runs in the contest. The other home runs were hit by Kim and catcher Austin Nola.
Starting pitcher Blake Snell had yet another excellent post All-Star Break outing. He went seven innings, giving up one run on four hits. He also had seven strikeouts and did not allow a walk. The Padres won this game easily with a score of 12-3.
The third game of the series was a low-scoring and low-excitement game. Both teams only had five hits each, so the only real excitement was the pitching for both sides. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove has had a rough time since he signed his contract extension, but he pitched well in this game. He went six innings and did not allow a run on four hits. He also had eight strikeouts and did not give up a walk.
There was not much going on for the Padres’ lineup, but catcher Luis Campusano went 2-for-3 with a home run. San Diego won this close game with a score of 2-0.
The fourth and final game of the series included much more production on offense. Right fielder Juan Soto went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Designated hitter Manny Machado hit a two-run home run in the contest.
Starting pitcher Yu Darvish was incredible once again. He pitched in six innings and gave up no runs on one hit and one walk. He also struck out eight Arizona hitters. Darvish earned his 15th win of the season, and he lowered his ERA to 3.05. San Diego won this game with a score of 6-1.
The Padres now have a record of 81-66 on the season. They already have more wins than the 79 they earned all of last season. San Diego has a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the second NL Wild Card spot. The Phillies have lost four straight games to fall into the third spot. The Padres are also 2.5 games above the Milwaukee Brewers.
San Diego will face the St. Louis Cardinals at home in their next series.