The San Diego Padres played Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals almost like a postseason game by default.
Starter Ryan Bergert left in the fourth inning after absorbing a 103 mph liner off his pitching elbow, and Padres manager Mike Shildt, trailing 2-0, used all his top arms.
Chasing the game worked out for a 4-3 win, and now San Diego chases its second straight series win on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a six-game homestand.
“The bullpen has been our core,” catcher Martin Maldonado said. “You can see them keeping us in the ballgame.”
Two factors influenced Shildt’s strategy: San Diego’s other relievers were all pushed Monday night in a 10-6 defeat, and he felt like his team’s offense was going to make noise against Washington starter Trevor Williams and his 5.54 ERA.
“We knew we had some pen availability,” Shildt said. “We were down two and had a lot of confidence in our offense, so let’s go.”
Shildt is likely hoping for the first good start of the series from a Padres starter when Nick Pivetta (7-2, 3.64 ERA) takes the hill. The right-hander took a no-decision Friday night in a 6-5 defeat to visiting Kansas City, lasting only 4 2/3 innings and permitting four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Pivetta, who hasn’t lost this year at Petco Park, has struggled mightily in his career against Washington. In 13 appearances, 10 of them starts, he’s 1-7 with a 9.42 ERA in 43 innings.
A reversal of those fortunes might be useful for San Diego, which found out Tuesday night that Robert Suarez’s three-game suspension for hitting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani last Thursday has been reduced to two games. Suarez won’t be available again until Saturday in Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, the Nationals will try for a series win behind former Padres left-hander MacKenzie Gore (3-7, 3.19). He last pitched on Friday night, taking a 6-5 loss at the Dodgers after yielding seven hits and six runs (five earned) over 5 2/3 innings. Gore walked four and whiffed four.
Gore is facing his old team for the fourth time and is 1-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 14 2/3 innings in those encounters. He won’t have regular catcher Keibert Ruiz to throw to as Ruiz went on the injured list Tuesday after getting struck in the head with a foul ball in the dugout on Monday night. Ruiz told mlb.com that he felt dizziness on the short walk from the team hotel Tuesday to the ballpark.
“I don’t feel 100 percent and I don’t feel good to catch today,” he said before the game. “If I got another foul ball in my head, I don’t think that would be good. I’ve got two kids that need me and I’ve got to take care of my health.”
Ruiz’s injury is the latest blow to a team that has endured a month to forget. Washington is 5-17 in June and hasn’t won consecutive games since May 30-31 at Arizona, which was also its last series victory.
The team replaced Ruiz on the roster by calling up catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester. The switch-hitting Millas was batting .247 in 52 minor-league games this season.
–Field Level Media
