Tenacious Padres rally in 9th, complete sweep of Pirates

"We play 27 outs till that last out is made. We still got a chance to come back and win a game."

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Those words from Padres third baseman Manny Machado singlehandedly describe the fire in this Padres team. When the going gets tough in games, these Padres know how to claw back.

Facing Pirates starter Luis Ortiz, San Diego's bats kept the pressure from the last two nights on against the Buccos, with Manny Machado lacing a hanging slider 402 feet to left field. There was no doubt about that one, as the ball left Machado's bat at 107.1 mph. It was Machado's fourth home run since the All-Star Break, a span during which Machado is hitting .288 with a .879 OPS.

David Peralta joined in on the fun in the second, as the man they call "The Freight Train" cleared the Clemente wall in right field for his fourth homer of the season. While Peralta has not had a solid starting role for the Pads in 2024, he has produced in limited opportunities.

With a 4-0 lead established, right-hander Randy Vasquez cruised through the first five innings of the ballgame. Vasquez has definitely made strides as of late in the season, and in this game he showed more effective use of his cutter and sinker, which produced a total of seven ground ball outs and limited fly balls. The right-hander also continued to get whiffs on his big curveball, as has been the trend this season. The Padres needed a long outing from Vasquez, given the beating their bullpen has taken from an innings perspective over the last two games (eight innings on August 6, five innings on August 7), and Vasquez delivered 5.2 innings, departing the game with two on and the score at 4-1.

Reliever Carl Edwards Jr, who had just been selected to the roster pre-game, was called upon to exit the jam. However, the right-hander's command was not on point, as Edwards allowed three batters to reach on two walks and a base hit, departing with the game now at 4-3, still in San Diego's favor. Mike Shildt made the call to turn to Yuki Matsui to extinguish a jam for the second consecutive day, and Matsui delivered a ground ball that Manny Machado got to first just in time to throw out Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Matsui's next frame opened with a strikeout, but Oneil Cruz reached on a single. Matsui then reached a full count against Joey Bart, who turned on an up-and-away fastball to give the Pirates the lead. Matsui's pitch selection was not a bad one, as his fastball has a 29.7% whiff rate when thrown in that area of the zone.

Facing a 5-4 deficit going into the ninth, the Padres did what they have done so many times this season: fight back. Facing Pirates closer (and former Friar) David Bednar, Xander Bogaerts reached base on a swinging bunt up the third base line before Jackson Merrill worked a four-pitch walk.

Bednar did not have command of the splitter early on, with his best splitter getting David Peralta on a swinging strike three. Ha-Seong Kim drew a five-pitch walk where no pitch was ever in the zone, bringing up Kyle Higashioka with one away and the bases loaded. Higashioka (who had a .841 OPS with runners in scoring position entering the game) bounced a grounder to second base, but Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz rushed the throw to first, trying to get the double play, with the ball going past first baseman Rowdy Tellez. The Pirates' miscue allowed for Bogaerts and Merrill to score, giving San Diego a 6-5 lead. Luis Arraez then doubled in Higashioka for an insurance run, with the Padres going to the bottom of the ninth up by two.

Robert Suarez entered the game for the second consecutive day, striking out Bryan Reynolds and getting a groundout from Oneil Cruz. Joey Bart would double off the Padre closer, scoring on a base hit from Rowdy Tellez. With the tying run on base, Suarez faced off against Bryan De La Cruz, and in a moment reminiscent of the film Major League, Suarez punched out the Pirate left fielder on three consecutive fastballs at 100, 99.8, and 99.7 mph to seal the game and the Padres' first sweep of the Pirates at PNC Park since August of 2011.

The Padres continue their six-game road trip in sunny Miami, Florida, tomorrow in the first of three games against the Marlins. It will be rush-hour baseball from Miami, as the first pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. Pacific, with Martin Perez on the mound for San Diego.