Gary Sanchez capped a five-run first inning with the Padres’ first grand slam of the season as San Diego routed the visiting Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Tuesday.
Padres starter Michael Wacha (9-2) worked five scoreless innings in his first outing since July 1. The right-hander, who was activated pregame after recovering from shoulder inflammation, allowed three hits and a walk while striking out five. Wacha threw 77 pitches.
Orioles starter Jack Flaherty, formerly Wacha’s teammate with the St. Louis Cardinals, gave up seven runs in three innings. Flaherty, who fell to 8-8 overall and 1-2 with the Orioles, yielded four hits and four walks while fanning three.
Ha-Seong Kim doubled to open the bottom of the first before Flaherty retired the next two Padres. However, Flaherty then walked the next three Padres — Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth — to force in the first run. Sanchez then drove a 1-1 fastball 380 feet into the seats in right center for his 16th homer of the season to make it 5-0.
All 10 Padres runs came with two outs in the inning.
In the second, Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled with two outs ahead of Juan Soto’s 101st walk of the season. Machado followed with a two-run double.
Bogaerts doubled in the fifth inning and moved to third on a single by Sanchez. Garrett Cooper (one RBI) and Ben Gamel (two RBIs) then hit back-to-back doubles off Nick Vespi.
Baltimore, which failed to score after loading the bases with one out in the fourth, got on the board in the sixth. Ryan O’Hearn doubled and Cedric Mullins hit a two-out RBI single against reliever Steven Wilson.
The Orioles scored twice in the ninth against Luis Garcia. Austin Hays hit his 11th homer of the season, and Gunnar Henderson had an RBI single.
The Padres went into Tuesday having lost seven of their previous eight games. The Orioles had won 11 of their previous 15 games.
–Field Level Media
