In the midst of a critical 10-game home stand, the Padres entered Saturday with a critical doubleheader in front of them. After losing the first game, they needed to bounce back and salvage a split of the series. However, Yu Darvish allowed the team to get into a hole early and things only got worse. Darvish was pulled in the 6th inning without retiring a batter and the Padres were down 4-1. Things would only get worse once the bullpen came in, as Nick Martinez would allow a grand slam in the 7th inning to catcher Gabriel Moreno that would serve as the exclamation point on an ugly day for San Diego. With an off day tomorrow, the team will need to regroup and try their best to make the most of their next series versus the Marlins.
Here are three takeaways from the game 2 blowout loss:
Darvish struggles, takes ninth loss on the year
The Padres entered game 2 of the day needing Yu Darvish to come out with his best stuff and give the Padres a chance to muster up a win. Unfortunately, things did not go as well for him as fans would hope. The Diamondbacks would get to him for the first time in the 2nd inning, as Gabriel Moreno grounded out and scored 2 thanks to an error from Jake Cronenworth. A single from Christian Walker in the 5th would make it 3-0, and Corbin Carrol’s RBI single in the 6th would make it 4-1 and knock Darvish out of the game. His final stat line saw him pitching 5 innings with 4 ER and 9 hits allowed to Arizona. His ERA on the season stands at 4.35, and his level of play thus far into the season has not been at the level that fans might expect. With time dwindling down, Darvish will need to figure things out fast before the Padres officially fall out of the playoff race and become eliminated from playoff contention.
Moreno, Carrol lead the way for the Diamondbacks
From the jump, Gabriel Moreno helped make an impact in game 2 for Arizona. He grabbed an RBI in the second inning as 2 came home to score on a groundout with an error. Later on in the game, he blasted a grand slam to quiet the San Diego crowd and give the Diamondbacks an 8-1 lead. Moreno has had a solid season so far, as he’s hitting .276 with a .704 OPS. His grand slam comes as just his 5th home run on the year, and for the Padres it could not have come at a more unfortunate time. The 23-year-old catcher is full of potential and will look to be a key piece of the Arizona roster for years to come.
As for Corbin Carrol, who has slowed down since the second half of the season began, he also came up big in the game. Carrol went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored to help in the victory. Carrol will be a main candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year, as he’s slashing .273/.354/.856 with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs. The duo are part of the reason for Arizona’s recent hot streak which has involved quite a few games against the Padres. Luckily for San Diego, they won’t have to see the Diamondbacks anymore for the rest of the regular season.
Bogaerts provides the only offense
The Diamondbacks and Padres had polar opposite games on offense. Arizona spread the hits around, tallying 13 as a team. San Diego was only able to tally 5 hits in the game, with the only impactful one being a solo home run from Xander Bogaerts. Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. went a combined 0 for 10 in the game and left the team lacking any sort of excitement or action. The 8-1 loss once again points to the back-and-forth tendencies of the Padre offense and proves that inconsistency does not lead to series wins.
After the game, manager Bob Melvin expressed his thoughts about the day and what it means for San Diego going forward.
The Padres will have an off day tomorrow before starting their series against the Marlins on Monday. Miami, who sits 0.5 games back of a playoff spot in a tie with the Diamondbacks, will be motivated to grab a series win of their own against San Diego.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PT.
