The San Diego Padres scored nine runs in the fifth inning Friday night and extended their winning streak to four games by beating the host Boston Red Sox 9-2.
The big inning featured a two-run homer from Kyle Higashioka (his ninth), a three-run shot from Jackson Merrill (his 11th) and two-run singles from Jake Cronenworth and Donovan Solano. The first nine players who came to the plate in the inning scored.
The Padres, who have won eight of their past nine games, have hit 16 home runs in those eight victories.
Boston starter Nick Pivetta (4-5) was charged with five runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. He struck out four and walked one. It was the third time Pivetta has failed to make it through five innings in the past four starts.
San Diego starting pitcher Randy Vasquez exited the game after he was hit in the right forearm by a line drive to open the bottom of the fifth. Stephen Kolek (2-0) pitched two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win.
Boston’s Connor Wong extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI single in the fourth inning. The Red Sox reinstated Wong from the paternity list before the contest after he missed the maximum three games.
The Red Sox also received a solo home run from Rafael Devers, his 17th.
San Diego’s Jurickson Profar stretched his hitting streak to 11 games when he singled in the sixth. Profar had a 12-game hitting streak earlier this season
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, when Wilyer Abreu scored from second on Wong’s two-out single to right.
The Padres went in front on Higashioka’s home run with Ha-Seong Kim aboard in the fifth. Three batters later, Greg Weissert replaced Pivetta. The two-run singles by Cronenworth and Solano increased the lead to 6-1, and Merrill’s blast capped the frame.
Devers made it 9-2 when he homered leading off the sixth.
It was the first time the Padres played in Boston since 2013, when the Red Sox swept a three-game series.
–Field Level Media
