Nestor Cortes was the last starting pitcher to record a win for the San Diego Padres and he took the mound, Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles hoping to lead the Padres to another win. The Orioles had other plans and hit four home runs off Cortes in 2 1/3 innings and earned a 7-5 win, and a three-game sweep at Petco Park.
Jackson Holliday started the game with a solo home run to right field to put Baltimore ahead 1-0. Cortes worked into and out of trouble in the top of the first, having to work out of a one-out
bases loaded jam. He did so by getting a strikeout and a pop out to keep the deficit at one.
Cortes worked a scoreless second inning, but fell apart in the top of the third. Cortes allowed consecutive one-out homers to Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson. Cowser hit a three-run home run and Mayo and Jackson hit solo home runs to put the Orioles on top of the Padres, 6-0.
Cortes was taken out of the game by manager Mike Shildt and was replaced by Sean Reynolds. He immediately walked the first two batters he faced before inducing a fly out for the second out of the inning. One of those walks came in to score when Reynolds allowed an RBI-single to put Baltimore ahead, 7-0 heading to the bottom of the third.
San Diego did not get a runner past first base until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jose Iglesias hit a one-out double. Elias Diaz followed with a single that moved Iglesias to third, but Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Padres cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning after Luis Arraez reached with a leadoff single. Manny Machado followed with a home run to left that made the score, 7-2.
San Diego continued to apply pressure to the Baltimore starter Cade Povich with a single by Ryan O’Hearn and a walk by Ramon Laureano. With runners at first and second, Jackson Merrill drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Povich was taken out of the game after the walk and Jake Cronenworth stepped to the plate. He faced reliever Keegan Akin and reached on an infield single that drove in O’Hearn to make the score, 7-3.
Iglesias came up with no outs and the bases still loaded. He bounced into a double play, but Laureano scored to cut the deficit to 7-4. Diaz struck out to end the inning, but San Diego had clawed its way back into the game.
The Padres added another run on a Tatis Jr. solo home run to center in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score, 7-5.
The home runs by San Diego and fighting back into a game that saw them down by six runs before they batted in the bottom of the third inning was good to see, but Mason Miller stole some of the spotlight and delivered just the second Immaculate Inning in team history in the top of the eighth.
In the top of the ninth inning, Laureano made an amazing catch to take away a home run that might be the best home run robbery of the many made by Padres outfielders this season. Despite the late-game heroics, the deficit created by the home runs allowed by Cortes in his short outing proved to be too much for San Diego to overcome.
The Padres are off Thursday before opening a series against the Rockies in Colorado, Friday at 5:40 p.m.
