The Padres were on the verge of getting swept for the first time since July 14 when Luis Perdomo pushed them over the edge by giving up a 7th inning, tie-breaking grand slam to Ketel Marte.
Chris Paddack got the start for San Diego, and pitched well, going 5⅓ innings without giving up a single run to a hot-hitting Arizona lineup. Paddack also struck out 8 hitters in back-to-back for the first time in his career. The 6-foot-4 right-handed hurler was taken out after striking out Christian Walker on his 90th pitch of the night.
The opposition, 24-year-old right-hander Zac Gallen, was lights out in his 13th career start, and 6th start with his new team. Gallen went 6⅓ innings before giving up his first hit of the game, a Manny Machado single to right field. However, 5 hitters reached on him tonight; once on a hit by pitch, once on an error, once on a strikeout wild pitch, and once on a walk and a hit each. He did strikeout 8 Padres on 103 pitches over the course of the ballgame.
The D-Backs gathered just 4 hits off starter Paddack, but did all their damage off the bullpen. Craig Stammen, who pitched the final two outs in the 5th, walked 2 hitters and hit one to load the bases for Luis Perdomo. Perdomo then gave up a single and a grand slam to end the tie. Perdomo finished the night with 2 runs and 5 hits given up over 1⅔ innings, with Craig Stammen earning the loss.
San Diego made some noise in the top of the ninth. Wil Myers led off the final frame with a lead-off pinch-hit jack to left. Seth Mejias-Brean, the third baseman who played a total of 914 games in the minors, made his big league debut and grounded out to third base on a 3-1 count. Naylor singled and Machado walked before Hosmer and Renfroe ended the game with a pair of groundouts.
The Padres will get a travel day back to San Diego on Thursday before Dinelson Lamet takes the mound against former Padre and current Rockie Tim Melville. Lamet has had swing-and-miss stuff since he came back from Tommy John Surgery and struck out 70 hitters in just 51 innings. Melville will make his first career start against the Padres as he is coming off a game in which he gave up 5 runs in 2 innings.
