Saturday afternoon was the offensive showing that the Friar Faithful have been waiting for. The San Diego Padres erupted for nine runs against the Baltimore Orioles. It’s the most the team has scored since their 10-5 rout of the San Francisco Giants on May 5. More than that, it forced their third consecutive rubber game after a dismal Game 1 to the O’s.
Starter Randy Vásquez pitched well despite some early trouble. He surrendered two runs in the first inning but settled in for the next four. The ‘pen
took over from there, allowing just one run and four hits between five relievers.
But the offense stole the show. Baltimore starter Trey Gibson struggled to get through the first, surrendering four runs on two homers before the O’s had even batted. Samad Taylor was one of those home runs (the first of his MLB career). Unfortunately, Xander Bogaerts and Freddy Fermin exited the game after being hit by pitches. The two were removed as a precautionary measure but will be monitored closely.
Taking the mound
Trevor Rogers (BAL) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
Rogers hasn’t had exactly the season that Baltimore hoped he would. He’s pitched to a 6.15 ERA with just 44 strikeouts through 60 innings pitched. His 1.48 WHIP is ridiculously high, even when compared to his 1.32 career WHIP.
The lefty has pitched even worse in his last seven games, with an 8.04 ERA and 1.63 WHIP across his most recent 31 1/3 innings. His last start was decent, pitching 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball against the Seattle Mariners, but Rogers will need to do much more to best the Friars.
Buehler has been on the other side of that pendulum, looking much better in his most recent starts than the rest of the season. Across his last seven outings, the righty owns a 3.62 ERA compared to a 4.33 mark through the season. His last three outings have been spectacular, giving up just four runs in 16 innings.
The right-hander hasn’t had much success against this Baltimore lineup in the past. The club boasts a combined .283 career batting average against Buehler (53 at-bats). He’ll need to limit them if San Diego hopes to take the rubber match.
Batter up!
It almost felt like the recent woes of the San Diego offense disappeared immediately as the team unloaded on the Orioles’ starting pitcher. The lineup went deep five times. Jackson Merrill and Taylor in the first inning, Gavin Sheets in the seventh, Rodolfo Durán in the eighth and Manny Machado in the ninth to cap a nine-run victory.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, 1B
- Samad Taylor, LF
- Will Wagner, DH
- Nick Solak, RF
- Freddy Fermin, C
Only five of the Padres have faced Rogers before, and none of them to much success. The new additions have certainly stepped up. Taylor is having the best week of his MLB career. Wagner has gone 4-for-8 at the plate with a 1.292 OPS. Nick Solak had a 1-for-2 debut on Saturday with an RBI. They’ll need that to continue to win their second consecutive series for the first time since April.
Relief corps
Plenty of relievers toed the rubber for the Padres on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. Much of that is due to Vásquez’s inability to pitch deep into games. Yuki Matsui, Bradgley Rodriguez and Jason Adam each pitched an inning of work.
Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the ninth and recorded two outs before being ejected for hitting Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. It was likely unintentional, but Marinaccio and manager Craig Stammen were both ejected nonetheless. Adrian Morejon recorded the final out, inducing a ground out by Pete Alonso.
Morejon will likely still be available in today’s game, having only thrown two pitches. The same is true for Marinaccio, who threw four. Behind them remains Mason Miller, David Morgan and Wandy Peralta. Hopefully, San Diego will gift Miller with a lead in the ninth to take the rubber match.
