Manager Bob Melvin returned to the Padres dugout on Friday night. He had missed a week after having successful prostate surgery. The Friars celebrated their skipper's return in the best possible way, it just took a little longer than they hoped.
San Diego beat the Giants 8-7 in 10 innings in San Francisco, guaranteeing a winning record on their 9-game road trip.
The Friars got four runs in the 3rd inning. Jorge Alfaro doubled home Trent Grisham and scored on a 2-run homer from Jake Cronenworth. Then Manny Machado made something happen. The all-world 3rd baseman singled and tried to steal 2nd base. Eric Hosmer grounded out to shortstop, but with the shift on nobody was covering 3rd base so Manny kept chugging around to take an extra base.
That heads up display bought San Diego a run. Jakob Junis threw a breaking ball in the dirt, it skipped to the backstop and Machado was able to come home and make it a 4-1 Padres lead.
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Sean Manaea got the start and was pretty good against everyone except Darin Ruf. The Giants left fielder hit a pair of homers off Manaea, the last one a solo shot that tied it up 4-4 in the 5th inning. Manaea went 6.0 innings and whiffed five, handing the game over to Nabil Crismatt, and the right-hander is making a legitimate case to be an All-Star. Crismatt threw 1.2 innings of scoreless ball, dropping his ERA to a stellar 1.31 on the year.
In the top of the 8th the Padres put a couple runners on and Wil Myers ripped a double off the right-centerfield wall to score them both. It looked like that would be enough to get Crismatt a win.
Alas, this Padres bullpen gives us more wild rides than Mr. Toad.
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Closer Taylor Rogers was unavailable after a 4-out save on Thursday, Luis Garcia got a chance to close. He gave up a hit, walked two guys, then Wilmer Flores lined a single to left to bring in two runs and tie it up 6-6. So, it went to extra innings, where Machado kept playing like the MVP.
Manny lined a double to left-centerfield to bring home Cronenworth and scored on a single by Jurickson Profar to make it an 8-6 game. That second run was crucial.
Robert Suarez came on to throw the 10th and gave up an RBI single to Brandon Crawford to make it 8-7 ... but got a strikeout and ground ball to end it. The Padres can win yet another series on Saturday afternoon behind Joe Musgrove.
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