During their 6-game losing streak the Padres were averaging two runs a game and hadn’t scored more than four since last Sunday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Through the first five games of their 8-game homestand the Friars had not had a lead even once.
So the 3rd inning on Easter Sunday must have felt really, really, really, ridiculously good.
The Padres got four runs and six hits in that one inning of a 4-3 win over the Reds.
The 3rd inning started with the Padres down 1-0. Catcher Austin Hedges led off with a solo home run, his 3rd of the year, to tie the game 1-1. After starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi struck out the Padres did something they haven’t done much of this year:
String a bunch of hits together.
Fernando Tatis Jr. ran his hitting streak to 10 games with a single to left field but was thrown out trying to steal 2nd base (although replays showed he likely avoided the tag with a swim move that would make J.J. Watt smile). That was followed by singles from Manuel Margot and Manny Machado and a 2-run double by Wil Myers that nearly sailed over the left field wall. Eric Hosmer followed with a double to plate Myers, giving the Padres five consecutive hits and a 4-run inning.
Lucchesi was the beneficiary of the uptick in offense. The lefty went 5.2 innings and allowed one run with eight strikeouts. After that the Padres bullpen made things a little dicey.
In the 7th inning Brad Wieck gave up a solo home run to Kyle Farmer and Craig Stammen was touched up by Eugenio Suarez for another solo shot to make it a 4-3 game. That was the score in the 9th inning when Kirby Yates got another shot at a save, something he hasn’t had since April 13th.
Yates stayed perfect, getting a game-ending double play to secure the win to get the Padres back over the .500 mark.
Before the game the Padres optioned infielder Luis Urias, one of the Top-30 prospects in baseball, to Triple-A El Paso. The 21-year-old was 2-for-24 so when Margot returned from the paternity list after the birth of his 2nd son the team decided to let Urias work on things in the minor leagues.
San Diego gets a day off on Monday before starting the 2019 Vedder Cup on Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners.
