Blake Snell took the mound for the San Diego Padres for the first time Friday, striking out eight and giving up no runs in the Padres’ 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He couldn’t notch the win though, as he left the game after pitching 4 and 2/3 innings, just short of the required five to qualify for a win.
Most of the Padres’ scoring came early, as Eric Hosmer continued his hot start.
After the team loaded the bases in the 2nd inning on singles by Hosmer and Wil Myers, and a walk to Jake Cronenworth, Jurickson Profar hit a sacrifice fly. Hosmer scored, but Arizona held the damage to just one run.
The next inning, Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado walked, but Tatis was thrown out trying to steal third. Hosmer followed with a homer off starter Merrill Kelly to make it 3-0.
Craig Stammen, who took over for Snell, cruised until the 7th, when Ketel Marte tagged him for a two-out, two-run home run.
The Padres, though, promptly added an insurance run on Hosmer’s single to drive in Tommy Pham.
“He’s got some ice in his veins, that’s for sure,” Cronenworth said of Hosmer in a post-game interview on Bally Sports San Diego.
After scoreless work from Taylor Williams and Emilio Pagan, Mark Melancon entered the game in the 9th, but after an error by Fernando Tatis Jr. – his second of the night – and a hit, Arizona had two on with one out.
The Padres’ new closer earned his second save though by striking out Tim Locastro and inducing Marte to ground out to Cronenworth. Pagan got the win, while Kelly took the loss.
Yet another newcomer to the Padres pitching staff, local boy Joe Musgrove, gets the start at 5:40 p.m. Saturday against Arizona’s Caleb Smith.