Michael King pitched excellently into the seventh inning, and Manny Machado hit a three-run homer in his former stadium, helping the San Diego Padres win 9-4 and extend their winning streak to seven games against the careless Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Three of San Diego’s four runs off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer (4-7) were unearned, as the Orioles lost their 18th game in their last 30. They remain in first place in the AL East only because the New York Yankees have also struggled.
King (9-6) gave up two hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine. He left with two men on base, and they both scored on a double by Cedric Mullins. However, this happened after the Padres had already established an 8-0 lead.
“We’ve just played good baseball,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “Pitching’s been outstanding. They’ve been able to go deep into games. The at-bats have been relentless.”
In the second inning, with men on second and third and two outs, Kyle Higashioka hit a popup behind third base.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson seemed to be calling for it, but third baseman Ramón Urías moved under the ball, and they both tried to catch it without success. Both runners scored on the error, which was charged to Urías.
In the next inning, Urías missed a grounder that turned into an RBI double by Xander Bogaerts. With men on first and second in the fourth inning, Jurickson Profar hit a grounder to second base, but Henderson’s throw to first for a possible double play was wild, marking his third error in three games. Another run scored on that play, making it 4-0.
“We haven’t played well defensively for a few weeks,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s going to be important for us going forward. Just been inconsistent in a lot of areas right now. Just got to battle through it.”
