SAN DIEGO – This is the team the San Diego Padres envisioned having when they acquired Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Drury at last week's trade deadline.
Yes, there was a five-game losing streak, including losing three games at the rival Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend and a flummoxing 26-inning scoreless streak. But when they broke out of the slump, the Padres did it impressively, scoring 20 runs in consecutive wins against the San Francisco Giants.
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Brandon Drury hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the sixth and Austin Nola’s two-run homer capped a seven-run rally — all with two outs — that carried the Padres to a wild 13-7 win against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
The Padres fell behind 4-0, surged ahead 6-4 after Manny Machado’s two-run double ignited a six-run rally in the third and then fell behind 7-6 in the sixth. But the Padres came through with another big rally in the bottom of the sixth, the second time they batted around in the game.
Drury said the outburst shows “The team that we are. I know that this is the lineup that’s capable of doing that, putting up seven-spot innings. It’s a crazy game. There’s going to be times where pitching’s good and we’re unlucky at the plate. That’s just part of the game."
To rally twice “says a lot about this club,” said Drury, who was acquired from Cincinnati. “The guys we have are so special that I don’t think anything's going to surprise me that I see with this ballclub.”
Drury lined a 1-2 pitch from Yunior Marte (0-1) into the seats in left field with two outs to make it 9-7. Machado and Josh Bell were aboard on singles. The Padres added on with Kim Ha-seong’s RBI double, an error and then Nola’s shot into a balcony on the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left field corner. It was Drury’s 22nd and Nola’s third.
Machado and Jake Cronenworth had three hits apiece and Drury drove in four runs. Wednesday's win followed Tuesday night's 7-4 victory, when Machado hit a three-run walk-off homer.
Robert Suarez (3-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win.
“You don't see too many six-spots and seven-spots in the same game,” manager Bob Melvin said. "We have the ability up and down the lineup to put together bigger innings.
“There's just a different feeling now to where when you're down, you don't feel like it's going to take a lot to come back. It's just a couple guys on base. One inning started with two outs and Manny gets a hit and the next thing you know the floodgates open. It can happen at any point in time now."
San Diego now heads to Washington, where Soto and Josh Bell will face their old team. They were acquired from the Nationals in a blockbuster trade on Aug. 2. The Padres hold a one-game lead over Milwaukee for the NL's third wild-card spot.
The Padres sent 11 batters to the plate in the third and scored six runs on six hits, two walks and a fielder's choice. They sent seven batters to the plate and scored four runs before making an out while chasing starter Jakob Junis.
For the third time in franchise history, they had four hits with the bases loaded. Besides Machado's double, the Padres got bases-loaded singles from Drury, Cronenworth and Trent Grisham. Another run scored on Nola's fielder's choice.
The Padres needed the big rally after the Giants scored three runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Two of those runs came in when Soto, the right fielder, misplayed Austin Slater's single into three bases, allowing two runs to score. Wilmer Flores then singled in Slater.
San Francisco went ahead 7-6 in the sixth with a three-run rally capped by pinch-hitter Joc Pederson's RBI single.
J.D. Davis homered with one out the second, his seventh, off Padres starter Sean Manaea.
Manaea allowed four runs, three earned, and six hits in five innings.
Junis allowed six runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.
BACK TO WASHINGTON
Soto, who helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series, said going back to Washington “is going to be pretty emotional. I'm excited to go back and see those guys again.”
UP NEXT
Giants: Have not named a starter for Friday night's series opener at home against Pittsburgh.
Padres: RHP Mike Clevinger (3-4, 3.60 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Washington, against RHP Cory Abbott (0-1, 5.68).
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