Xander Bogaerts broke a 10th-inning tie with an RBI single and the San Diego Padres scored three times in the frame before holding on for a 9-8 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
Facing reliever Colin Holderman (3-5), Bogaerts brought in automatic runner Luis Arraez with a hit to left for a 7-6 lead. Manny Machado lined out to score Ha-Seong Kim, and Bogaerts came home on an error by Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal at the plate.
San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, who went 4-for-6, tied it 6-6 in the ninth with his second home run of the night. The Padres went on to record their fourth straight win and their 13th victory in the past 15 games.
In the bottom of the 10th, Oneil Cruz started as the automatic runner and scored after reliever Tanner Scott (7-5) walked Michael A. Taylor, Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds in succession. Taylor came in on a wild pitch from reliever Adrian Morejon, who replaced Scott.
With two runners on, Morejon retired the next three batters to pick up his first career save.
Pittsburgh has lost three straight and five of its past six.
In the sixth inning, McCutchen put the Pirates up 6-5 when he brought in Ke’Bryan Hayes and Ji Hwan Bae with a two-out single.
The Padres went ahead 5-4 in the fifth. Machado singled, stole second, then scored when Merrill put a two-out single into right field.
San Diego took its first lead of the night in the fourth inning. Donovan Solano and Merrill each singled to open the frame, and Kyle Higashioka belted a first-pitch changeup over the center field wall to put the Padres in front 4-3.
McCutchen quickly responded for Pittsburgh in its half with a solo shot inside the left foul pole to tie it 4-4.
Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead in the first. Isiah Kiner-Falefa tripled with two outs and scored on Rowdy Tellez’s single to center field. Then, after Grandal drew a four-pitch walk, Hayes knocked a single to right to drive in Tellez.
The Padres cut the deficit in half in the second when Merrill smashed a 442-foot home run to center.
The Pirates quickly regained their two-run advantage in the bottom of the second. Jared Triolo made it to third on a throwing error by third baseman Machado and put the hosts ahead 3-1 on a single from Reynolds.
–Field Level Media
