Christian Walker’s 2-run single in the 10th gives the Diamondbacks a 7-5 win against the Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Christian Walker’s two-run single with no outs highlighted Arizona’s three-run 10th and the Diamondbacks won 7-5 Saturday night against the San Diego Padres, who scored once in bottom of the inning and then left the bases loaded.
With Corbin Carroll as the automatic runner, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases against Wandy Peralta (2-2) on Geraldo Perdomo’s bunt single down the third base line and pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk’s walk. With the infield playing in, Walker then singled past diving shortstop Ha-Seong Kim into center field. Jake McCarthy’s grounder brought in Grichuk to make it 7-4.
“Wandy’s changeup is gross,” Walker said. “I wasn’t looking for it but he throws a lot of them and in that situation, I was just trying to get a ground ball there. I saw the location; it ended up being off the plate a little bit. Luckily it found the middle a bit. The infield playing in helped for sure. That was lucky, for sure.”
The teams combined for nine runs in the ninth inning Friday night, when the Padres walked it off 10-8.
Walker said Saturday night’s game was “Fun, stressful. You try to embrace it and enjoy it.
“I don’t know what it is, but sometimes, it’s like year to year, it feels like you just play gnarly games against certain teams and San Diego seems to be the team this year,” Walker said.
The Padres loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning against Thyago Vieria and Donovan Solano hit an RBI double to bring in automatic runner Jake Cronenworth. Rookie Jackson Merrill walked and Bryce Johnson struck out.
Humberto Castellanos came on and earned his first save by striking out Ha-Seong Kim and getting Kyle Higashioka to fly out to left to end it.
Kim had tied the score at 4 with an RBI double in the eighth.
Ryan Thompson (4-3) got the win.
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt was knocked out of the game with a bruised left ankle after getting hit by Luis Arraez’s comebacker with one out in the fifth. The ball caromed all the way into foul territory on the third base side, allowing Kim, aboard on a leadoff double, to advance to third.
Pfaadt was checked by a trainer and manager Torey Lovullo and came out. Lovullo made the decision to take him out.
“It feels good,” Pfaadt said. “X-rays came back negative and I think we’ve just got to deal with swelling from here on out. There shouldn’t be any missed time as long as the swelling goes down a little bit.”
Kevin Ginkel came on and struck out All-Star Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth.
“I think we dug pretty deep into our reserve and I think our character showed up today,” Lovullo said. “We had some moments that didn’t go our way. The Padres are a hot team right but we had guys step up and get the job done.”
After the Diamondbacks took a 4-1 lead in the seventh, the Padres pulled within a run with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Profar hit an RBI double and Cronenworth laid down a safety squeeze bunt along the third base line.
With runners on the corners, Manny Machado struck out. Machado, who turned 32 on Saturday, hit a two-run, walk-off homer Friday night.
Pfaadt allowed one run and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking none.
Three of the first four Padres batters in the first hit singles, including an RBI hit by Machado.
The Diamondbacks tied it in the second on a two-out RBI single by Kevin Newman, who grew up in suburban Poway. That brought in Walker, who reached on a single to deep shortstop and advanced on Eugenio Suárez’s walk.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then gave the Diamondbacks the lead when he homered off the facade of the upper deck in left field leading off the fourth off knuckleballer Matt Waldron. It was his 13th.
The Diamondbacks made it 4-1 in the seventh on Jose Herrera’s RBI double and Geraldo Perdomo’s RBI triple.
Waldron allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: All-Star 2B Ketel Marte was held out of the starting lineup after leaving in the eighth inning Friday night with lower back stiffness.
Padres: Placed RHP Yu Darvish on the restricted list to deal with a personal matter. Darvish is currently on the injured list for the second time this season.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (5-6, 5.42 ERA) and Padres RHP Dylan Cease (7-7, 4.24) are scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale.
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