Joe Musgrove worked seven strong innings Sunday and Xander Bogaerts homered as the San Diego Padres avoided a series sweep by stopping the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 6-3.
Musgrove allowed five hits and three runs in his longest outing of the year, walking none and fanning three while throwing 67 of 99 pitches for strikes. Wandy Peralta pitched a clean eighth inning and Robert Suarez got the last three outs for his seventh save.
The Padres worked three Toronto pitchers for nine walks total in the game.
Chris Bassitt (2-3) permitted six hits and four runs, two earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four as Toronto lost for just the second time in eight games.
San Diego took the lead for good in the sixth inning with two runs, scoring both without putting the ball in play. Manny Machado singled with one out, followed by consecutive walks to Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim.
After a fielder’s choice grounder erased Machado at the plate, Luis Campusano drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Padres ahead. Danny Jansen committed catcher’s interference with Tyler Wade hitting to force in the second run.
The Blue Jays pulled within 4-3 in the seventh on Davis Schneider’s groundout to short, but Musgrove retired Jansen on a lineout to center to end the threat.
San Diego tallied two insurance runs in the eighth without a hit. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out. Bogaerts worked a walk for one run, and Fernando Tatis Jr. lofted a sacrifice fly to left that capped the scoring.
Victimized by big innings early in 5-1 and 5-2 losses in the series’ first two games, the Padres struck first on Sunday. In the first inning, Machado singled to right with Jake Cronenworth at first and George Springer booted the ball for an error, allowing Cronenworth to score.
Toronto grabbed a 2-1 edge on a solo homer by Schneider in the second and one by Ernie Clement leading off the third. But Bogaerts equalized in the bottom of the third, his second of the season, a solo blast to left-center.
–Field Level Media
