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By Liz Alper
Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter
May 21, 2016 (San Diego) - The Padres were riding a momentum wave after last night’s walk-off homer by Melvin Upton Jr. They were still hungry, though, and looking for a repeat. Alex Wood started on the mound for Los Angeles against Cesar Vargas for San Diego.
This was probably the longest a Padres game has gone scoreless this season and it was partially thanks to Vargas’ improved command of his pitches. Wood was pitching up a firestorm as well.
The Padres finally ended the pitchers’ duel in the sixth by getting a couple of men on base in the sixth. Matt Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Jon Jay and San Diego was the first on the board, 1-0.
But you know how the Ottawa Senators are called the Pesky Sens? We should call the Dodgers the Pesky Dodgers. In the seventh, Trayce Thompson, brother of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, hit a two-run homer that put LA up 2-1.
Luckily, the Padres are just as pesky (when they want to be). Alexi Amarista hit a sacrifice fly in San Diego’s half of the seventh to bring home Derek Norris and tie the game at two.
Another pitcher’s duel began, this time with the relievers and the game went to extra innings. But if you were expecting a 16-inning thriller like that Pirates-Cubs opening day last year, you thought wrong. If you were expecting another Melvin Upton Jr. walk-off dinger (and it almost happened again!), you thought wrong. This game ended in the most undramatic fashion possible: a walk. A bases loaded walk to Yangervis Solarte issued by Chin-hui Tsao gave the Padres a 3-2 win.
The first pitch of tomorrow’s series finale is at 1:40 p.m. The Padres will look for the sweep.
In transaction news, Yangervis Solarte has been reinstated from the 15-day disabled list and Jose Pirela has been sent back to AAA El Paso.
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