Padres Leave Bases Loaded in 9th Inning, Drop First Game of Hurricane Hilary-Induced Saturday Doubleheader – NBC 7 San Diego

Sunday's anticipated arrival of Hurricane Hilary forced Major League Baseball to schedule a Saturday doubleheader between the Padres and Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Both teams had one regular, capable starter available on full rest and would have to figure something out in the other game.

Padres skipper Bob Melvin decided to have Yu Darvish start the nightcap and throw rookie Matt Waldron in the afternoon while Arizona's Torey Lovullo threw out one of his aces, Merrill Kelly, first and decided on a bullpen game late.

Waldron gave what he had. It just wasn't enough. He allowed five runs on five hits with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings and San Diego's offense couldn't build on some early momentum in a 6-5 loss to start the afternoon in front of 34,220 fans who thought they'd be watching this game on Sunday afternoon.

Waldron allowed two runs in the 1st inning but his bats got them right back. Kelly had allowed 15 home runs all season but was touched up for two in the first inning alone. Ha-Seong Kim launched the 2nd pitch of the game into the left field seats for his 5th leadoff homer of the year, putting him one behind the Padres franchise record set in 2019 by Fernando Tatis Jr.

Juan Soto singled but was picked off first base, which ended up being very bad timing because Manny Machado went deep a couple of pitches later. It would have been a 2-run shot but instead was a game-tying solo job. The teams traded runs (with Matt Carpenter, who hadn't started a game since July 23, driving in Luis Campusano with a single for San Diego) but in the 5th, Arizona took the lead for good on a 2-run homer by former Friar Tommy Pham. Tom Cosgrove allowed a run in the 6th to make it 6-3, the only run the San Diego bullpen surrendered on a day where they're likely going to be tested. Scott Barlow ate 2.0 innings and Steven Wilson struck out the side in the 9th to keep the Friars within striking distance.

In the 8th Machado lofted his second dinger of the day over the right field wall, another solo blast to cut the lead to 6-4 but, as has so often been the case for San Diego in 2023, they couldn't make it all the way back. They came awfully close, though.

Luis Campusano led off with a walk and Paul Sewald hit Garrett Cooper, who left for pinch-runner Jose Azocar. Grisham moved both runners up with a soft grounder, giving the Padres a pair of chances with the tying run in scoring position. One base hit would tie it.

Kim popped out on the infield but Tatis Jr. walked to load the bases for Soto. It was almost a storybook ending. Soto's fly ball to left-centerfield died at the base of the fence, a long flyout to end it and put the Padres in another borderline desperate situation.

If Darvish isn't able to give them some length in the final game of the 4-game series the Friars are in serious danger of losing three of four to a team they're trying desperately to catch in the race for the final National League Wild Card spot.

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