Fernando Tatis Jr. belted a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night as the San Diego Padres rallied for a 6-4 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels.
Elias Diaz started the ninth by drawing a walk from Kenley Jansen (0-2). Tatis jumped on a 2-2 cutter over the heart of the plate and drilled it an estimated 430 feet into the San Diego bullpen behind the left-center-field wall for his 11th homer of the year.
Jason Adam (4-0) worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning as San Diego won for just the third time in seven games. It was the fourth loss in six games for Los Angeles.
Both starters got a no-decision despite leaving with a late-game lead.
Los Angeles’ Jose Soriano worked seven innings, allowing four hits and two runs, both unearned, with three walks and five strikeouts. San Diego’s Dylan Cease gave up five hits and two runs over 6 2/3 innings, walking one and whiffing 10.
The Padres trailed 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth before tying the game with two runs on four walks and just one hit — Gavin Sheets’ two-out bloop single to left-center that scored Tatis. Ryan Zeferjahn tossed a wild pitch with Xander Bogaerts at the plate that enabled Manny Machado to score the tying run as the reliever dropped the throw from catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
The Angels took the lead with three two-out runs in the seventh. Luis Rengifo worked a walk that forced Cease out of the game for Jeremiah Estrada. Jo Adell rifled Estrada’s first pitch for a double that scored Rengifo, and pinch hitter Matthew Lugo drilled a tiebreaking two-run homer on the next pitch, his second of the year.
Los Angeles initiated the scoring just two pitches into the game as leadoff batter Zach Neto jacked a solo shot to left, his sixth long ball of the season.
San Diego took the lead in the fifth. With two on and no outs, O’Hoppe threw wildly to second trying to erase Jake Cronenworth, enabling Bogaerts to score. Cronenworth moved to third on the error and scored on Martin Maldonado’s sacrifice bunt.
–Field Level Media
