The Diamondbacks dropped their second consecutive game to the San Diego Padres 13-1 at Petco Park. Ryne Nelson struggled to put away hitters, which came back to bite him in long innings and the long ball, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks while only striking out one batter. That dug the Diamondbacks too deep a hole to climb out of, as they trailed 8-0 after four innings.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!On the other side of the ball, Arizona hitters could not solve Matt Waldron. Waldron retired the first 12 batters of the game before Christian Walker led off the fifth with a double. Eugenio Suárez’s RBI single put the Diamondbacks on the board, but they were unable to cash in on a bases-loaded, no-out situation.
Nelson got through a scoreless first inning, pitching around a leadoff single by Luis Arraez. However, fortunes reversed in the second inning. After back-t0-back singles, Jackson Merrill rolled a ground ball to Walker. Walker’s throw sailed into left field, allowing the Padres to score. Ha-Seong Kim followed with a three-run home run. San Diego tacked on four more in the fourth. A double and a walk spelled the end of Nelson’s night. Logan Allen coughed up a three-run home run to Jake Cronenworth, then back-to-back doubles to put Arizona down eight.
The game never got much better as the Padres continued to pound the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff. Allen coughed up another four-spot in the fifth and Thyago Vieira allowed a solo home run in the sixth. The only positive with the bullpen came from Scott McGough, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Pavin Smith pitched the eighth inning for Arizona, marking the first time a position player took the mound for the Diamondbacks in 2024.
Arizona will be looking for the series split against San Diego on Sunday. They have not announced a starter for that game, while the Padres will go to rookie right-hander Adam Mazur. First pitch at Petco Park will be at 1:10 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
