Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. both hit RBI singles in the sixth inning, helping the San Diego Padres win against the New York Yankees 5-2 on Sunday. This victory prevented the Padres from being swept in consecutive home series.
Joe Musgrove pitched well for the Padres in his second start back from injury, and Jeremiah Estrada (2-0) struck out five batters in a row to secure the win.
In the ninth inning, Alex Verdugo hit a home run off Robert Suarez, marking the Yankees’ sixth home run in the series. Suarez came in to pitch in the eighth inning after Wandy Peralta walked two batters with two outs. Suarez struck out Aaron Judge but allowed a run, ending his streak of 15 consecutive saves.
The Yankees struck out 12 times during the game. The Padres praised Estrada’s performance, especially his ability to relieve Musgrove in the sixth inning and strike out key batters like Judge and Verdugo.
After the Padres took the lead, Estrada struck out the side in the seventh inning, starting with Giancarlo Stanton, who hit a home run in Friday’s game.
Tatis complimented Estrada’s performance, saying he’s pitching exceptionally well and has a lot of confidence. Estrada has struck out 15 of the last 18 batters he’s faced since May 17. He’s also set a new Padres record by striking out 10 consecutive batters, surpassing the previous record set by Jake Peavy in 2007.
Estrada shared his mindset during the game, saying that once he’s on the mound, he’s focused solely on working together with the catcher to face the opponent.
“Joe did really well today, and when you see him shutting down the other team, it gives us confidence and makes us feel like we can win this game,” said Estrada.
The Padres were losing 1-0 going into the sixth inning but managed to score four runs with a combination of singles, an error, and two walks. This was the first time they took the lead at home since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on May 12.
They didn’t have the lead when they were swept by the Colorado Rockies, who have the worst record in the NL, from May 13-15, and then lost to the Yankees 8-0 and 4-1.
The Padres’ rally in the sixth inning started with an error by second baseman Gleyber Torres, allowing Jake Cronenworth to reach base. Starter Clarke Schmidt then walked Manny Machado, and Victor González came in to pitch, but he loaded the bases with a walk to pinch-hitter Donovan Solano. Jackson Merrill hit into a forceout, bringing in Cronenworth, and Ha-Seong Kim’s bunt single scored Machado, giving the Padres the lead.
With two outs, Luis Arraez hit an RBI single, and Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a bunt for another RBI single. “We just need to keep making contact with the ball. That’s how we’re going to win games here,” said Tatis.
Cronenworth and Machado hit consecutive doubles in the seventh inning. Musgrove pitched for 5 1/3 innings, giving up one run and six hits, while striking out five batters and walking none.
