The Padres problems with the Pirates continue.
For the 5th time in 6 games this season, the San Diego Padres lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates are not beating many Major League Baseball teams recently, but they are beating the Padres.
Pittsburgh has won just 11 of 38 games since June 13th, but 5 of those victories have come against the Padres.
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The most recent Pirate win came Wednesday at Petco Park, as the Padres lost 3-2 in the final game of the series.
The defeat dropped the Padres record to 49-54 with 59 games left in the season.
After a one, two, three 1st inning, Padre starting pitcher Seth Lugo allowed a solo home run to Ji Man Choi in the 2nd inning for a 1-0 Pirates lead.
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San Diego drew even in the 3rd inning when a blooper by Manny Machado dropped in shallow left field, allowing Ha-Seong Kim to score all the way from 1st base.
The see-saw swung right back to Pittsburgh in the 4th inning, when Lugo gave up his second solo home run of the game, this time an opposite field shot by Bryan Reynolds for a 2-1 lead.
Outside of the 2 solo home runs, Lugo pitched well, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs, 3 hits, striking out 8 while not allowing a walk.
Pittsburgh starting pitcher Johan Oviedo entered the game with a 3-11 record and a 4.77 era, including 19 hits and 19 runs in his last 4 starts, but the Padres managed just 3 hits and 1 run through the first 6 innings.
Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been struggling at the plate recently, but made another highlight play with his glove. In the 7th inning, Choi hit a line drive to deep right field, Tatis appeared confused on the play at first, before making a whirling, twisting catch as he crashed into the wall.
Tatis Jr. almost tied the game in the 8th, but his line drive to deep center was caught just shy of the wall, leaving him hitless in 4 at bats Wednesday.
In the top of the 9th, Carlos Santana took Robert Suarez over the wall in right-center for the Pirates 3rd solo home run of the game.
The Padres are off Thursday, before welcoming the Texas Rangers to Petco Park for a 3-game series that starts Friday.
