Machado homers, Snell earns first win for Padres
Credit: AP Photo
Petco Park- San Diego, California
An up and down season continues for the San Diego Padres, as they won their third straight game on Saturday.
Manny Machado slugged a 3-run homer in the first inning, and that powered the Padres to a 6-2 win against the first-place Giants. Machado went 1-for-3 in the contest and provided his usual stellar defense at the hot corner.
Starting pitcher Blake Snell pitched well and earned his first win as a member of the San Diego Padres. “It feels good. I am ready for more,” Snell said.
The left-hander went five innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. Snell was cruising early in the game but battled through the fourth and fifth innings for the Padres, which led to an earlier exit than planned. The result (the win) in 91 pitches counts as far as the Padres are concerned. “I thought early on he was super sharp,” Tingler said after the game. Snell explained to the media that he thought he needed to attack the zone better.
The southpaw wants to go deeper in the game but could not make it deep on Saturday. That is something that is still frustrating for the pitcher. “If it wasn’t for the 30 pitches in the fifth, he would have probably gone back out,” manager Jayce Tingler explained to the media. The Padres seemed to contemplate allowing Blake Snell to start the 6th but decided against it as Jorge Mateo pinch-hit for the pitcher in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Austin Nola made his first start of the season and went 0-for-3 in the contest. The catcher displayed a smile on his face after the game despite the off night with the bat. “It was exciting and good to be with my teammates again,” Nola said. A broken finger cost Nola the first month of the season, and this was his first chance to start at Petco in front of a crowd. The catcher spoke about the energy that the crowd brought and how it was a great feeling behind the dish.
The Padres added on in the 8th inning as Jurickson Profar starting the frame with a home run to right on the first pitch. A clutch base hit by Jake Croneneworth provided the other two runs for the Padres in the inning, making it 6-2 San Diego. “We were able to add on there late, and that was huge,” Tingler said after the game.
With the victory on Saturday, the Padres are now half a game behind the Giants and tied with the Dodgers.
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With a win on Sunday, the Padres could move into first place in the National League West. No pitcher has been announced by the Padres as of yet. Ryan Weathers or Dinelson Lamet could take the mound for San Diego is a game in which the Padres will go for the sweep.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
I was very pleased with getting Snell this off season. I think he’s still finding himself this season. He needs to bring his per inning pitch count way down if he has his sights on going deeper into games.
It would be nice for all our starters to be more efficient and get to, or through, the seventh at least. While the strike out is sexy, we do have a good defensive team (minus the early season tatis errors) that they can utilize for early at bat outs. We have one of the most utilized bullpens in MLB and that needs to change if we’re serious about contending.