Before Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals, the San Diego Padres activated All-Star centerfielder Jackson Merrill from the 7-day concussion injured list (OF Brandon Lockridge was optioned to Triple-A El Paso). Manager Mike Shildt shook up the lineup a bit, batting Merrill 2nd and dropping Luis Arraez to the cleanup spot.
But it would be a 7th-inning substitute that made the difference for the Friars. Jose Iglesias entered late and drove in all three runs, as well as participated in a run-saving relay in the top of the 9th inning, in a 3-2, series-clinching win over the Royals on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.
People looking at the starting lineups and seeing Randy Vasquez and Seth Lugo on the mound might not have expected a pitcher’s duel but both right-handers got off to fantastic starts. Vasquez opened with 5.0 shutout innings while Lugo gave up a leadoff single to Fernando Tatis Jr. then proceeded to retire the next 18 Padres batters, including a rare strikeout of Arraez (his first punchout since May 25).
In the 6th, Vasquez finally flinched. He let a cutter leak out over the middle of the plate and future Hall of Famer Salvador Perez annihilated it, sending a rocket at 114 MPH into the left field seats to put Kansas City on top 2-0. It was the only blemish on Randy’s day.
An inning later Merrill finally ended Lugo’s reign of tyranny, ripping a curve ball down the right field line for a leadoff double and injecting some life into the sellout Petco Park crowd. Lugo stayed in to get Manny Machado to fly out before being replaced by southpaw Angel Zerpa, who was brought in specifically to get the left-handed hitting Arraez and Gavin Sheets out.
He got it half right. Arraez grounded out to shortstop but Zerpa walked Sheets on four pitches, then gave Xander Bogaerts a free pass to load the bases with two outs. Shildt sent in Jose Iglesias to pinch-hit for Jake Cronenworth. Royals manager Matt Quatraro countered by summoning righty Lucas Erceg.
Advantage, Iglesias. The veteran slapped a single to right field to bring home Merrill and Sheets, tying the game 2-2. Erceg was still out there in the 8th inning and started playing with fire, walking Tatis Jr. with one out and putting a pitch right down the middle to Merrill, who made a bid to play the hero role. Jackson launched a fly ball to deep right field that had the distance to leave the yard but rookie right fielder Jac Caglianone made the catch of the month, getting his glove high above the fence to bring the would-be go-ahead homer back in the yard.
Erceg got out of the inning with some more luck when Machado hit a rocket at 112 MPH right at shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who made the catch more out of self-preservation than anything else.
Robert Suarez came on for the top of the 9th and nearly let the lead get away. The closer walked Drew Waters with two outs then Freddy Fermin lined one to the gap in right-centerfield. This time it was Merrill’s turn to prevent a run. The All-Star grabbed the ball on a hop, spun and hit Iglesias, who fired a relay throw home to get Waters trying to dive by catcher Elias Diaz. It’s the kind of relay play that they work on from the very start of Spring Training and it worked to perfection on Sunday in late June.
Arraez led off the bottom half with a single and went to 3rd on a Bogaerts double, setting up Iglesias once more. He wasted no time hitting a grounder up the middle, just far enough away from Witt to allow Arraez to slide home with the game-winning run and a 3-2 win, giving them their first series victory since the first weekend of June in Milwaukee.
The Padres start a 3-game set against Washington on Monday night in the East Village.