On Friday night Manny Machado hit the Padres first grand slam of the season. They weren’t going to wait another 97 games to hit the next one.
Xander Bogaerts demolished a 1st inning salami, his first slam in a Padres uniform, to spark an 8-1 Friars win over the Nationals that gave San Diego a series win in Washington, D.C. to start their 10-game, 10-day road trip. Teams will talk about getting off to a good start but the Padres took that concept to a whole new place.
Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a walk, Luis Arraez singled, Manny Machado walked, and Bogaerts launched the first pitch he saw from All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore over the left field fence. Four up, four in, 4-0 after just 17 pitches.
What’s really encouraging is they didn’t stop there. Jose Iglesias and Jake Cronenworth doubled to add another in the 1st inning, never letting their former teammate off the hook. The Padres got another run on a Gavin Sheets RBI single and knocked their former teammate out of the game in the 3rd when Elias Diaz ripped a 2-run home run to left field to make it an 8-0 game. Suffice it to say, that was more than enough for Nick Pivetta to work with.
The right-hander who had a real case to be an All-Star tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Pivetta, a last-minute addition at the start of Spring Training, is going to receive Cy Young votes. He now ranks in the Top-10 in the National League in wins (10), ERA (2.81), strikeouts (127), opponents batting average (.202), and WHIP (1.00). He’s been a stabilizing force in a rotation that’s dealt with multiple injuries.
The Padres continue their Comic-Con Road Trip on Monday night when they open a three-game set in Miami against the Marlins.