Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a three-run homer off San Diego closer Taylor Rogers with one out in the ninth inning Saturday night to give the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-2 victory over the Padres.
Diego Castillo opened the inning with a pinch-hit double down the line in left on a 1-and-2 pitch. Tucupita Marcano then drew a walk, but Rogers struck out Cal Mitchell. Hayes then drove his first homer of the season over the fence in center.
Anthony Banda (1-0) got the win, and David Bednar earned his ninth save with a perfect bottom of the ninth. Rogers (0-1) blew his second save in 19 chances.
Luke Voit scored from second on Trent Grisham’s two-out single to right in the seventh inning to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Voit opened the inning with a walk against reliever Dillon Peters, who departed the game after being hit by a sharp grounder back to the mound by the next batter, Jake Cronenworth. Chris Stratton entered and walked Wil Myers, got Austin Nola to fly out, and then surrendered Grisham’s hit.
The Padres went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners. Three times they had a batter strike out to end an inning with the bases loaded. The Pirates were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners stranded.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run against Pirates’ starter JT Brubaker in the second.
Jake Cronenworth led off the inning and reached when Brubaker failed to catch a toss from first baseman Josh VanMeter. Myers singled Cronenworth to third, and he scored on Nola’s sacrifice fly to right.
The Pirates tied the game in the fourth, ending a run of 12 straight scoreless innings by Padres starter Joe Musgrove.
VanMeter led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a ground out to the right side and reached third on Jack Suwinski’s single. Michael Perez then topped a roller up the first-base line, with VanMeter scoring ahead of Musgrove’s glove-toss to the plate. Catcher Nola’s ensuing throw to first hit Perez in the back, keeping Pirates at first and third with one out. But Musgrove struck out Marcano and Mitchell to end the inning.
Brubaker departed after five innings, allowing only the unearned run on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Musgrove gave up the one run on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.
Padres third baseman Manny Machado missed Saturday’s game with what was described as tennis elbow.
–Field Level Media