With the series on the line for the Padres in the 10th and final game of their home stand, Seth Lugo got the start and delivered big time. Lugo spun 6 innings of work and allowed no runs to come across for Miami. On the other side of things, Juan Soto gave the Padres the early lead with an RBI single in the 1st to go up 1-0. Xander Bogaerts would provide some insurance in the 6th with a monster 2-run blast and Fernando Tatis Jr. added on in the 7th with an RBI single. The bullpen made things look easy for the final three innings, and the Padres took the rubber match to head into an off day feeling good about themselves.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Lugo Dominates in 5th win of the year
After a rough start against the Dodgers on August 7th in which Seth Lugo allowed 8 runs, he has been on a roll. In his 3 starts since, he has allowed just 2 ER total and helped the Padres play competitive games while he has pitched. Wednesday afternoon was no exception, as Lugo completely controlled the Miami lineup through the first 6 innings of the game. He struck out 4 while only walking one batter and lowered his ERA on the season to 3.70. With just 3 hits allowed, the Marlins struggled mightily against him to make things happen and Lugo would eventually grab his 5th win of the year to go to 5-6.
The combination of Snell, Darvish, Lugo, and Wacha has seen great potential this season although the team has not nearly met expectations so far. If these 4 can show their best for the remainder of the season and keep playing competitively, it will greatly help San Diego toward a potential comeback in the Wild Card race.
Another day, another solid game for the bullpen
Despite a loss in Tuesday’s contest, the bullpen was not to blame. They pitched very well in the contest and kept things rolling once again in the rubber match against Miami. First out of the bullpen was Steven Wilson, who got through the 7th inning on just 11 pitches and kept the Marlins off the board. The 8th inning was handled by Tim Cosgrove, who also pitched a scoreless inning and now holds an ERA of 1.69. Finally, it was Josh Hader, who has been automatic as of recent. Hader did walk 2 batters to cause a little bit of drama, but ultimately struck out the side to seal a nice win after 28 pitches. In total, it was 3 more scoreless innings of work for the bullpen unit as well as 5 strikeouts. Fans will continue to hope for more of the same down the stretch as the San Diego schedule gets shorter and shorter with the end of the regular season approaching and no time to waste.
Padres take advantage of Alcantara’s struggles
Just one year after taking home the NL Cy Young award by unanimous vote, Sandy Alcantara has looked very different. His 2023 campaign thus far has come with much more struggle than people would have ever expected. The Padres were the latest team to get on him for some runs, as they tagged him for 4 ER in the 6.2 innings that he pitched. His 11th loss on the year brought his record to 6-11 as the Marlins lost the series in disappointing fashion. San Diego’s biggest moment in the game against Alcantara came in the 6th inning, where Xander Bogaerts hit a 2-run home run to center field that would give the team a 3-0 lead.
For Bogaerts, it was his 14th home run on the season. He now holds a .263 average with an OPS of .732 as his debut season with the Padres contains a little more than a month remaining. After a slow start to the year, he heated things up and has provided San Diego with some big moments and offensive showings.
Xander and the Padres will take the day off on Thursday before returning to action on Friday against the Brewers in Milwaukee. They currently hold a record of 70-57 and sit atop the NL Central with a 3.5-game lead over the Chicago Cubs.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. PT.
