After a shaky start in Baltimore, San Diego rallied behind its bullpen and a wacky 7th inning comeback to beat the Orioles 10-7.
Pedro Alvarez smashed two home runs off of Padres starter Luis Perdomo to help Baltimore out to a 6-3 advantage.
Perdomo lasted only five innings and struck out eight batters while allowing six earned runs on seven hits. His earned run average ballooned to 9.00.
Matt Kemp contributed four hits and knocked in a couple of runs to help the cause.
Kemp had two doubles and two singles and raised his RBI total to 49. After totaling 100 RBI last season, the Padres right fielder is on pace to knock in 110 runs this year.
In the 7th, the Padres loaded the bases down 6-4 and Derek Norris was able to work a walk.
After Yangervis Solarte scored to cut the deficit to 6-5, Melvin Upton junior touched home when Baltimore reliever Oliver Drake threw a wild pitch.
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It was an unconventional way to tie the game and brought back memories of little-league but the Padres weren’t complaining.
Catcher Christian Bethancourt then promptly put the ball in play and manufactured the go-ahead run by scoring Ryan Schimpf with a groundout to second base.
San Diego would tack on three more insurance runs in the top of the 9th inning thanks to a single by Alexei Ramirez, a well-timed sacrifice bunt by Travis Jankowski and Kemp’s 4th hit (a RBI single) to center.
Padres Closer Fernando Rodney was charged with his first earned run of the season when Alvarez tapped a grounder towards the first base side in the bottom of the 9th.
The ball went through Wil Myers’ legs but the play was ruled a hit instead of an error.
Other than that minor snafu, Rodney figured out how to finish the deal and earned a four-out save.
Myers was later seen on the television broadcast apologizing to Rodney after the reliever sent his imaginary arrow into the sky after the final out.
San Diego returns to action Wednesday at Camden Yards at 4:05 p.m.
Newcomer Erik Johnson (0-4, 7.66 ERA) will try again for his first victory as a Padre since coming over in the James Shields trade while the Orioles counter with right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (3-4, 7.34 ERA).
