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It looked like it was going to get away from them again. This time, the Padres were able to keep from collapsing like a poorly made lawn chair. The Friars built a big lead that was threatened late but instead of succumbing to another gut-wrenching loss they punched back, orchestrating a convincing 9th inning rally that put down the Diamondbacks 10-5. It was a nice way to start a weekend series in Arizona, snapping a four game losing streak and move San Diego back up to 4.0 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning because Blake Snell still hasn’t learned walking people is bad. He put the first two hitters on base with Ball 4 and one of them scored on a Christian Walker double. Luckily for Snell, his offense showed up in a big way. In the 2nd inning Xander Bogaerts launched a 2-run homer to left-centerfield, his first dinger since July 16. Bogaerts also had a double and two singles on a 4-for-5 night that looked like the Boston version of Xander the Padres have been banking on (quite literally). In the 3rd inning the Friars stars fed off each other. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, Juan Soto tripled him home, Manny Machado singled to plate Soto, and Jake Cronenworth ripped his 10th homer of the year to right field to cap a 4-run rally and pump the lead up to 7-1. That’s something else we’ve been looking for, the whole lineup contributing at the same time. Snell got through 6.0 innings allowing just two runs (with seven strikeouts and four walks in a quintessential Blake Snell experience). Scott Barlow handled a scoreless 7th inning but the lack of bullpen depth hurt them again. Ray Kerr gave up a pair of singles and was pulled for Steven Wilson, who’s been tremendous for most of the year. He’s hit a little rough patch of late. Wilson allowed a 3-run homer to Tommy Pham that cut the lead to 7-5 and made every Padres fan watching get that sinking feeling in their stomach. In the 9th the Friars answered emphatically. Ha-Seong Kim and Tatis Jr. hit back to back doubles followed by a Soto RBI single. Bogaerts put a bow on it with an RBI single of his own, erasing any fears this would be another loss snatched from the jaws of victory. They’re also just a game behind the Diamondbacks in the standings and can catch them on Saturday night at Chase Field when Rich Hill takes the ball against Zac Gallen. LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego’s Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes…the ups, downs, and everything in between.
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