The Padres bullpen has been extremely good. In fact, since the All-Star break, no bullpen in baseball had a better earned run average or had allowed fewer baserunners than the relievers in San Diego.
But as good as they are, eventually everybody gets touched up. It happened on Sunday in a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
All three of San Diego’s runs were driven in by Hunter Renfroe. The outfielder hit a 2-run home run off Zack Greinke in the 1st inning. He added a run-scoring single in the 6th inning. Both of those hits gave the Friars the lead.
Both times that lead was erased by an Arizona long ball.
Rookie starter Brett Kennedy threw 5.0 innings and only allowed two runs, making it the best outing of his young big league career. He allowed a 3rd inning solo homer to David Peralta that tied the game 2-2.
Matt Strahm and Craig Stammen got the Padres through the 7th inning with a 3-2 lead but in the 8th rookie Trey Wingenter split the plate with a 98-MPH fastball and Daniel Descalso lofted it just out of the reach of right fielder Travis Jankowski’s glove. It’s the first MLB home run Wingenter has allowed and it tied the game 3-3.
In the 9th closer Kirby Yates left a heater on the inner half of the plate and A.J. Pollock ripped it out for what would be the game-winning home run.
The Padres finish their 10-game homestand with a 3-7 record and drop 21 games behind the 1st-place Diamondbacks in the National League West. After an off day on Monday the Friars start a 3-game set in Colorado with Robbie Erlin on the mound against Tyler Anderson.
