The San Diego Padres lost two games in a three-game away series against the Miami Marlins. The Padres were looking to build off of their last two series’, which were both won by the Padres. Unfortunately, the Padres struggled for the most part in this series.
In the first game of the series, the Padres were unable to get on the board. The starting pitcher matchup was elite, with Joe Musgrove starting for the Padres and Sandy Alcantara starting for the Marlins. Many experts believe Alcantara is the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award. In this game, Alcantara continued to solidify his spot in potentially winning the award. He did not allow a run in seven innings while throwing seven strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Musgrove went six innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He also had five strikeouts in this outing. The Padres offense struggled, as they only got five hits and three walks. None of the hitters scored a run in this one, and the Padres lost this game 3-0.
The second game of the series was certainly not a bounceback game for the Padres. The offense was better in this game, but not quite good enough to earn a victory.
Sean Manaea started this game on the mound for the Padres, and his recent struggles continued. Manaea only got through four innings and gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. In his last five starts, Manaea has only pitched more than five innings in one of those starts.
The Padres were able to get 10 hits and five walks in this game. They scored three runs, with all three coming from a three-run double by third baseman Manny Machado in the top of the seventh inning. Another Padres hitter who played well was shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Kim went 2-for-3 and earned a walk. He also scored a run in this game.
Relief pitcher Luis Garcia came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, he gave up what would turn out to be the game-winning run for the Marlins. The Padres lost this game with a score of 4-3.
The third and final game of the series was action-packed early on. The Padres scored five runs in the first inning, thanks to second baseman Jake Cronenworth hitting a grand slam with two outs. Kim had a career-high four RBIs in this game, as he went 3-for-4 with two doubles. The Padres scored 10 runs on 11 hits and 10 walks.
Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger struggled in this game, and he was unable to get through five innings. He pitched in four ⅓ innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He also gave up four walks and only struck out one batter. Luckily, the Padres went on to win this game with a score of 10-3.
The Padres now have a record of 66-54 on the season. They currently hold the third wild card spot in the National League with a 1.5-game lead ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers.