Padres vs. Twins: Bounce-back series

The San Diego Padres won two games in a three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins.

The Padres won the first and the last game of the series, while they lost the second game of the series. 

In the first game of the series, there was no shortage of power coming from the Padres lineup. The Padres hit five home runs in this game. This is the most home runs the Padres have hit in a game this season. First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Manny Machado, catcher Jorge Alfaro, designated hitter Luke Voit and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim each hit a home run in this game.

Starting pitcher Blake Snell had a dominant outing in this game. He pitched in six innings and gave up only one run on four hits. He also struck out seven Twins batters. Relief pitchers Dinelson Lamet, Steven Wilson and Tim Hill each pitched nearly perfect innings to close out the last three innings. The Padres won the game 10-1.

The second game of the series was a much different result than the previous game. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove had a solid outing. He went six innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He also struck out eight hitters, but he did give up two walks and a home run in the game. 

Unfortunately, the Padres bullpen imploded in relief of Musgrove.

Relief pitcher Adrian Morejon came in to pitch in the top of the eighth inning. However, he was only able to get one out in the inning. Morejon gave up four runs on three hits and a walk. Relief pitcher Dinelson Lamet came into the game to finish out the eighth inning. Unfortunately, he gave up a run on two hits before getting out of the inning. The five runs scored by the Twins in the top of the eighth inning put the lead to 7-1 for the Twins.

The Padres attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Left fielder Jurickson Profar hit a three-run home run to cut the Twins’ lead to 7-4. Unfortunately, the Padres were unable to score any more runs after that. The Padres lost this game 7-4.

The third and final game of the series was much closer than any of the previous two games. Starting pitcher Sean Manaea started this game for the Padres and had a solid outing. He rebounded from his last start when he gave up nine runs against the Detroit Tigers. Manaea pitched in six innings and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks. He also had seven strikeouts in this outing. 

Profar continued his home run streak with a solo shot in the third inning.

Other offensive producers in this game were Voit and second baseman Jake Cronenworth. They each had an RBI in this game. The Padres relief pitchers were able to close out the game with three perfect innings. The Padres ended up winning this game 3-2.

The Padres now have a record of 57-46. They are still well behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West division. The team is a full 12 games behind the Dodgers for the division lead. With the Dodgers at a +195 run differential and the Padres at a +32 run differential, the Dodgers seem to be the team that will take the division and be the first seed in the National League. The Padres are still the second team in the NL Wild Card race, however.

The Padres will take on the Colorado Rockies at home in their next series.