Eugenio Suarez and Gabriel Moreno on Thursday hit consecutive home runs in the second inning, before Ketel Marte singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 for their fifth victory in six games.
The Padres lost their fifth straight, tying their longest losing streak of the season.
They were coming off being swept in a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels, who have the American League’s second-worst record.
Photo: Denis Poroy-USA Today
The Padres had plenty of scoring chances, including in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Manny Machado grounded out with runners on second and third and two outs. Machado did not start after leaving a game at Anaheim with what was described as a mild hip flexor strain.
Fernando Tatis Jr singled, doubled and singled in his first three at-bats to tie the Padres’ record with hits in eight straight at-bats. It had been done five times previously, most recently by Kevin Kouzmanoff on Aug. 12 and 13, 2009.
Tatis grounded out in his fourth at-bat. A night earlier, he had the seventh four-hit game of his career.
Photo: AFP
Tatis drove a ball to the wall in right in the ninth inning that Jake McCarthy caught for the second out.
Kevin Ginkel (5-1) got the win and Jeremiah Estrada (2-1) took the loss.
Paul Sewald pitched the ninth inning for his seventh save. He struck out Jake Cronenworth with a runner on second to end it.
The Padres went one for 14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.
“The most important thing is we’re always on the same page,” Marte said through a translator about the team’s recent success. “We know what kind of team we are.”
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo liked the way the game unfolded.
“The way we were matching up, the way we were duking it out and getting big outs, making pitches,” Lovullo said. “We just kept moving down field. We finished the game and it was exciting. The dugout erupted. It was a big win for us.”
The Diamondbacks took a 3-0 lead off Randy Vasquez. Christian Walker hit an RBI double with two outs in the first inning, and then Suarez and Moreno hit consecutive homers opening the second. It was Suarez’s fifth and Moreno’s second.
The Padres wasted scoring chances in each of the first four innings before breaking through in the fifth against Slade Cecconi.
Kyle Higashioka hit a leadoff homer into the lower balcony of the brick warehouse in the left field corner, his third.
Luis Arraez and Tatis hit consecutive singles and were sacrificed by Jurickson Profar. Jake Cronenworth hit an RBI double that fell just in front of diving left-fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr, whose throwing error allowed Tatis to score the tying run.
The Diamondbacks regained the lead in the seventh inning when Corbin Carroll greeted Estrada with a two-out double off the foul pole in right and scored on Marte’s single to left.
Marte said his approach was to “stay short, try to go up the middle or the other side. Thankfully, I was able to make it come through.”
Carroll was three for five to raise his batting average above .200 to .201.
Elsewhere, the Red Sox routed the White Sox 14-2, the Blue Jays edged the Orioles 6-5, the Yankees tamed the Twins 8-5, the Royals pipped the Guardians 4-3 and the Dodgers pummeled the Pirates 11-7.
The Rockies overcame the Cardinals 3-2, the Mariners mastered the Athletics 3-0, the Reds crushed the Cubs 8-4 and the Braves beat the Nationals 5-2.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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