The Padres picked up a much-needed win on Saturday, defeating the Kansas City Royals 5-1 in the second game of a three-day series at Petco Park.
The team has now won two of its last three after losing four of its previous five.
The victory came mainly thanks to the bat of Fernando Tatis, Jr. He broke the game open in the seventh inning with a bomb of a three-run homer to left centerfield, driving in Jose Iglesias and Bryce Johnson.
The homer, the 14th of the year for Tatis, broke his streak of 101 plate appearances without one, dating back to May 27.
Not only did the Padres strike last, they also struck first.
They went up 1-0 in the second after Gavin Sheets, who had been on second, scored courtesy of a ground ball by Jake Cronenworth.
The Royals (38-39) quickly struck back during the bottom half of the inning, when John Rave doubled on a sharp line drive to right field that allowed Drew Waters, who had been on first, to round the bases and tie the score. But that turned out to be all she wrote for the Royals’ offense.
San Diego (41-35) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Luis Arraez singled on a groundball to centerfield that allowed Martín Maldonado to get home from second.
Xander Bogaerts finished with two hits, one in the second and another in the eighth, giving him 10 hits in his last 12 at-bats dating back to Wednesday. He was the only player in the game with multiple hits.
Also playing a big part in the victory was solid pitching by Dylan Cease (3-6), who not only held the Royals to one run, but also just three hits during his time on the mound, as well as three walks and four strikeouts.
He exited after six and two-thirds innings, pulled for Jeremiah Estrada. By going nearly seven innings, Cease was able to relieve some pressure on San Diego’s bullpen, which had been heavily utilized in recent weeks, something that played a part in the team’s sub-.500 won-loss record this month.
Tatis took the pressure off too, giving the Friars a cushion. In a post-game interview, the slugger called his homer “huge, what we needed as a team to give a break to our bullpen.”
Despite Saturday’s win, the Padres still have dropped 11 of 20 games so far in June.
Their three-game series against the Royals is tied at one game apiece, with the rubber match taking place at 1:10 p.m. Sunday.
San Diego then welcomes the Nationals for another three-game series, before getting their first day off in two weeks on Thursday. They’ll then hit the road for a three-game set at Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
Notes: Before the game, outfielder Jason Heyward was designated for assignment. Heyward, 35, had been on the injured list with a left oblique strain since May 24. Also, right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing was activated from the 60-day injured list. He had been out since late March due to a right shoulder strain. To make room for him on the roster, San Diego optioned RHP Sean Reynolds to Triple A El Paso.
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