Xander Bogaerts knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and five San Diego pitchers teamed up for a win as the Padres edged the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Monday.
Jeremiah Estrada (4-2), the third Padres pitcher, worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the top of the seventh for the win. Tanner Scott struck out two and induced a flyout after Oneil Cruz’s leadoff double in the eighth, and Robert Suarez allowed a run in the ninth but still logged his 26th save in 29 chances this season.
Pirates starter Jake Woodford (0-4) lasted six-plus innings, the longest outing of his 86 major league games, but absorbed a tough-luck loss. The right-hander allowed just three hits and a run, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Woodford entered the seventh having retired 11 consecutive hitters before Jurickson Profar lined a leadoff double to right. Reliever Kyle Nicolas fanned Jake Cronenworth but tossed a wild pitch during Bogaerts’ at-bat that advanced Profar to third. Two pitches later, Bogaerts laced a 3-1 breaking ball to right field for an RBI single to break the scoring seal.
Kyle Higashioka added insurance in the bottom of the eighth when he lofted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left. The flyout plated Bryce Johnson, who had reached on a pinch-hit infield single with one out and moved to third on Ha-Seong Kim’s single that right fielder Bryan De La Cruz made a fielding error on.
That run became vital when Andrew McCutchen slashed a two-out single to right that scored De La Cruz in the ninth to draw Pittsburgh within one. Bryan Reynolds then ripped a liner to right-center, but reigning National League Player of the Week Jackson Merrill made a diving catch to seal the Pirates’ eighth straight loss.
It was the 17th win in 20 games for San Diego, which stayed within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Padres also remained in a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first NL wild-card spot.
San Diego’s Joe Musgrove made his first start since May 26 and lasted 4 1/3 scoreless innings, permitting two hits and walking one while striking out one. Musgrove, who has had two stints on the injured list this year due to right elbow inflammation, threw 43 of his 63 pitches for strikes.
–Field Level Media
