*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
With some hitters struggling, it's been Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer carrying the load, and it's been working so far. Hosmer and Machado each drove in runs, Matt Beaty hit an RBI double, and the San Diego Padres defeated the Miami Marlins with a 3-2 victory on Friday night in San Diego.
With the Marlins in a bit of a skid, the Padres got enough out of their offense to get the win. It's the 4th win in 5 games for the Padres, who are 18-9 and are currently tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in a tightly contested NL West. With Beaty's double, the Padres are hoping more guys can pick up some slack at the plate too.
Padres manager Bob Melvin said of the hitting game that "For me, I’m a bit of an optimist. We’re getting a lot of wins and not getting a ton of production. Those guys are carrying the load. But you know that a lot of these guys have some track records."
The Padres got on the board right away, with Hosmer cranking an RBI double to center field in the first inning, plating Machado and putting the Padres up 1-0. In the 5th inning, Beaty got an RBI double of his own, making it a 2-0 Padres lead. Beaty then scored on an RBI single by Machado, and it was 3-0 Padres just like that.
In the 6th inning, Jesus Aguilar continued to swing a hot stick for the Marlins. Aguilar whacked a two run home run to left field, cutting the Marlins deficit to 3-2 after 6 innings. Unfortunately, that was all the Marlins were able to get, with the Padres holding on to win.
Beaty said of the team hitting that "A lot of guys are putting together good at-bats. Machado and Hosmer are seeing results. They’re putting together great, quality at-bats, hitting the ball hard. They’re carrying the offense right now. Not that they’re going to scuffle, but hopefully when they need us to pick them up, hopefully we’ll be clicking at the right time, too."
Getting the start for the Padres was Yu Darvish, who got the win to improve to 3-1 this season. Darvish allowed two runs on 5 hits across 7 innings, striking out 3 hitters. Robert Suarez pitched a scoreless 8th inning, with Steven Wilson picking up his first save in the 9th inning.
It was Sandy Alcantara who got the start for the Marlins. Alcantara got the loss, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits while lasting just 4 2/3 innings. Richard Bleier pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, followed by appearances out of the bullpen from Tanner Scott and Cody Poteet, each throwing one inning of shutout ball.
Aguilar said of the Marlins struggles that "I just try to say, ‘Everybody stay positive.' It's the name of the game. But we've got to stay positive. It's a long season, a lot of ups and downs. Now we're in a down, but we know we're going to be all right."
Up next, the Marlins and Padres continue their series on Saturday night. Sean Manaea gets the start for the Padres, while Pablo Lopez will take the mound for the Marlins.
Comments
Post a Comment