Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Elias Diaz all homered Saturday night as the San Diego Padres eased to a 5-1 win over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
Playing a few hours after the Chicago Cubs clinched home-field advantage for their National League wild-card series starting on Tuesday, San Diego (89-72) used the game as the first of two tune-ups for postseason play.
Starting pitcher Michael King was hooked after 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while fanning three. Yuki Matsui (3-1), the first of five relievers, worked 2 1/3 innings to earn the win.
Eduardo Rodriguez (9-9) allowed five runs on six hits in six innings for Arizona, walking one and striking out six. The Diamondbacks (80-81), eliminated from playoff contention during Friday night’s 7-4 loss to the Padres, rested key players such as All-Stars Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll.
Most of the Padres’ lineup, save for third baseman Manny Machado, was in there for this game. Two of the players made immediate contributions with long first-inning homers.
Tatis drilled the game’s second pitch an estimated 413 feet into the third level of the Western Metal Supply building behind the left field fence for his 25th homer of the year. After Luis Arraez singled, Bogaerts ripped a 424-foot blast not far from where Tatis’ homer landed, his 11th of the year. Bogaerts had missed four weeks with a broken left foot before returning to action on Tuesday.
San Diego’s Ryan O’Hearn led off the second with a double down the left field line and trotted home when Diaz jumped on the first pitch for a 390-foot shot over the wall in left-center, his ninth of the year. But Diaz had to leave during his next at-bat in the fourth inning with an apparent injury to his side.
Geraldo Perdomo accounted for Arizona’s only run when he touched Matsui for a leadoff homer to left in the fifth, his 20th of the year. Perdomo needs one RBI to reach 100 for the season.
Arraez’s first-inning single extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
–Field Level Media
