The San Diego Padres won two games in a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
For right fielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell, this was the first series against their former team. Both Soto and Bell were greeted and applauded by their former team and the fans. Luckily, there was no bad blood between the Nationals and Soto. This is what many thought might be the case since he turned down a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Nationals.
The first game of the series was a slugfest for the Padres. Seven of the 10 runs scored by the Padres came in the top of the fifth inning. Every hitter in the starting lineup had a hit in this game except for Bell.
Three of the main offensive producers in this game were third baseman Manny Machado, designated hitter Brandon Drury and center fielder Trent Grisham. Machado and Drury each had two RBIs in this game, while Grisham had three. Grisham’s three RBIs came in the top of the fifth inning when he hit a three-run home run with two outs.
Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger had a solid outing.
He pitched five innings and gave up only one run on three hits and four walks. Relief pitcher Tayler Scott made the game a bit interesting at the end of the game, giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Fortunately, the Padres were able to win the game 10-5.
The second game of the series was a close and frustrating game for the Padres. The Nationals scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning after catcher Austin Nola was called for blocking the plate. Manager Bob Melvin was ejected after arguing with the umpires that Nola was not blocking the plate.
Starting pitcher Yu Darvish was solid for the first five innings, but struggled in the sixth and seventh innings. He ended up pitching six total innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk.
Machado and Grisham produced once again, and Grisham even hit a home run for the second game in a row. Unfortunately, their production was not enough to give the Padres a win. The Padres lost this game 4-3.
The third and final game of the series ended with a much better result than the previous game.
Starting pitcher Blake Snell continued his excellent stretch he has had since the All-Star break. Snell went six innings and gave up no runs on three hits. He also had 10 strikeouts and did not give up a walk. With this great performance, Snell brought his ERA down to 3.66 on the season. The Padres won this game 6-0.
The Padres and their fans were anticipating the return of star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Unfortunately, a failed drug test resulted in Tatis Jr. receiving an 80-game ban. He will be forced to miss the rest of the season, the postseason and the first 35 games of the 2023 season.
Tatis Jr. took medication to treat ringworm, but the medication contained a performance-enhancing drug called Clostebol. In a statement from Tatis Jr, he stated, “I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.”
The Padres will play the Nationals yet again after their upcoming series against the Miami Marlins. The next series against the Nationals will be a home series at Petco Park.