Pirates play Padres tough
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The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- Trent Grisham stood at the plate for a moment watching his fly ball sail into the right field corner of Petco Park, not knowing if it would come down fair or foul.
It clanged off the foul pole for a two-run walkoff home run to lead off the 10th inning, sending the San Diego Padres to a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a sellout crowd into a frenzy on Sunday.
The Padres needed something to go their way after Saturday night's brutal 4-2 loss when they stranded 16 baserunners, including leaving the bases loaded three times.
And on Sunday, they got two pivotal plays in the 10th, with Grisham's being the biggest.
He drove a 2-0 pitch from Chris Stratton (2-2) for his second career walkoff homer, which brought in automatic runner Jorge Alfaro.
"I just figured it was foul the way it was hooking," Grisham said. "The majority of the time those balls going down into the corner are foul so I was just sitting there waiting."
Grisham came into the game hitting just .161 with only one homer, one of the many Padres who are struggling at the plate. Grisham intended to bunt until the count went in his favor.
"It feels good but I want to do more of it, is about it," Grisham said.
"He has the ability to do that," Padres manager Bob Melvin said. "Hopefully this is a springboard for him. I'd love to get him up in the lineup doing what he normally does. That does a lot for your confidence when you're in a big situation like that. Typically a bunt situation for him; he swings away and hits a homer."
Alfaro, the catcher, made a huge play to end the top of the 10th. Pirates automatic runner Hoy Park, called up earlier in the day from Triple-A, broke for home on a wild pitch by Luis Garcia (4-2) to the backstop, but Alfaro played the carom perfectly and dove to tag out Park.
"The only thing that I can remember is just catch the ball, look at the runner, I have time, try to block home plate," Alfaro said. "I was trying to slide headfirst and block home plate. I wasn't thinking that much, just trying to make the out."
Said Garcia: "That was the best play of the day. That saved the day."
Padres rookie lefty MacKenzie Gore was impressive in pitching seven scoreless innings before the Pirates broke through against Nabil Crismatt to tie it at 2-2 in the eighth.
Crismatt's 11-inning scoreless streak ended when Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled to left with one out to bring in former Padres player Tucupita Marcano, who was aboard on a leadoff single. Josh VanMeter singled in Hayes with two outs.
The Padres loaded the bases with two outs against starter Roansy Contreras in the second before rookie Jose Azocar hit into a forceout.
San Diego's Jurickson Profar lined a two-run homer off Contreras to right field with two outs in the fifth, his sixth HR. It brought in Alfaro, who hit a leadoff single and advanced on a wild pitch and a groundout.
Azocar popped up a bunt to the catcher before Profar homered. Jurickson stopped before rounding first and looked at the Padres' dugout, and then raised both arms as he approached the plate.
Gore held the Pirates to two singles in seven scoreless innings -- his longest outing -- while striking out nine and walking three. He allowed only three baserunners to get into scoring position.
Gore said the goal "is just try to get a little better each outing. It was nice to be able to go seven today and be pretty efficient. Just keep building off of this."
Contreras allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, struck out three and walked one.
Health report
Pirates: Placed OF Ben Gamel on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring.
Saturday's game
Hayes hit a three-run homer off Taylor Rogers with one out in the ninth inning and the Pirates beat the Padres 4-2 on Saturday night.
It was the first time the Padres lost in Joe Musgrove's nine starts this season. The big right-hander from suburban El Cajon pitched six strong innings against his former team.
It was the second blown save in 19 chances for Rogers (0-1). Summoned to protect a 2-1 lead, he struggled right away, allowing Michael Perez's double and walking Tucupita Marcano. Rogers struck out Cal Mitchell but then served up Hayes' homer to center field, his first of the season.
The Pirates had been 0-24 when trailing after eight innings.
Anthony Banda (1-0) pitched one inning for the win and David Bednar worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save.
Friday's game
Wil Myers drove in Manny Machado with a shattered-bat single in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Pirates 4-3 on Friday night.
Machado, who came in with an NL-best .357 average, started the winning rally with a leadoff walk against Duane Underwood Jr. (0-1) and took third on Eric Hosmer's single to right-center. Myers brought in Machado with a single to center as his bat shattered.
Crismatt pitched a perfect eighth for the win and Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
The Padres' slumbering offense came to life when Luke Voit hit a tying three-run homer with two outs in the sixth.
The Pirates took a 3-0 lead against starter Sean Manaea on Bryan Reynolds' homer with one out in the first, his sixth, and Diego Castillo's two-run double with one out in the in the fourth.