Jackson Merrill and Samad Taylor hit two-run home runs in the first inning as the San Diego Padres posted a 9-3 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Gavin Sheets, Rodolfo Duran and Manny Machado also homered as part of San Diego’s five-homer outburst while starter Randy Vasquez brushed off a rough first inning to pick up the victory. Taylor finished with three of the team’s 10 hits and recorded three RBIs.
Pete Alonso homered, provided a run-scoring double and came a triple short of the cycle. Blaze Alexander also notched three hits for the Orioles, who had a three-game winning streak end.
It was Merrill’s seventh homer of the year, but just his third in nearly six weeks as he helped the Padres even the three-game series at one game apiece. Taylor’s first career home run came in his 45th game covering parts of four seasons in the big leagues.
Vasquez (6-4) was done after 100 pitches in five innings, allowing two first-inning runs and six hits and two walks while striking out five. He registered his first victory since May 15.
San Diego’s Yuki Matsui, Bradgley Rodriguez, Jason Adam, Ron Marinaccio and Adrian Morejon all pitched in relief. Marinaccio was ejected with two outs in the ninth after hitting Gunnar Henderson with a pitch, also resulting in Padres manager Craig Stammen getting tossed.
Despite the first-inning woes, Orioles starter Trey Gibson lasted 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with six runs, with the final two crossing the plate when reliever Keegan Akin loaded the bases with a walk and then gave up Taylor’s single and pinch hitter Nick Solak’s sacrifice fly.
The Padres punished Gibson (1-2) in the first inning with eight batters going to the plate.
The Orioles bounced back in the bottom of the first after the first two batters were retired. Alonso launched his 16th home run of the season and Leody Taveras roped a run-scoring triple.
Sheets homered in the seventh before Alonso’s double in the bottom of the inning got the Orioles within 7-3. Duran went deep in the eighth and Machado knocked one over the fence in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
