Padres halt Athletics’ winning streak with 7-3 series-opener victory
Walker Buehler pitches effectively as Manny Machado, Nick Castellanos, and Ramón Laureano power San Diego past Oakland in the first of three games.
The San Diego Padres defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-3 on Friday night, ending the Athletics’ four-game winning streak in the opening game of a three-game series. The victory allowed San Diego to rebound from their previous series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Oakland’s offensive momentum was stifled by key defensive plays and timely home runs from the visiting club.
Oakland took an early 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, driven by a groundout that scored Carlos Cortes and an RBI single from Henry Bolte. However, the Athletics failed to maintain the advantage, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position through the first three innings. San Diego starting pitcher Walker Buehler stabilized the game by retiring the side in the fourth inning after Oakland had threatened with runners on base.
The Padres seized control in the fifth inning when Nick Castellanos hit a solo home run off Oakland starter Jeffrey Springs. The ball cleared the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in left field, tying the game at 3-3. Castellanos’ fourth home run of the season shifted the momentum, as Springs struggled to contain the long ball after inducing nine groundouts in his earlier innings.
Oakland’s lead was short-lived, and San Diego took a 4-3 advantage in the seventh inning when Ramón Laureano hit a solo home run. The blast, Laureano’s sixth of the season, resulted in Springs being removed from the game after pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing four runs on three hits. Reliever Jack Perkins entered to finish the seventh but surrendered multiple runs in the eighth inning, including two on a hit by Gavin Sheets and a sacrifice fly from Xander Bogaerts.
Manny Machado opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-run home run, his eighth of the year, following a leadoff walk by Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres’ offense was further supported by strong performances from Nick Kurtz, who extended his on-base streak to 45 consecutive games with an RBI double, and Bolte, who recorded two singles and a walk.
San Diego closed out the game in the ninth inning with right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, who recorded the final three outs on just nine pitches. The Athletics will look to even the series in the next game, with J.T. Ginn starting against Padres right-hander Lucas Giolito. Ginn enters the matchup following a near no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the week.
