One of the better qualities of the 2024 Padres is their ability to string hits together for big inning. That talent was only enhanced with the addition of Luis Arraez and it was on full display in the 8th inning on Friday night in Kansas City.
San Diego collected 11 of their 18 hits in that inning alone, a franchise record for a single frame, scoring nine times to turn a 3-2 deficit into an 11-8 win to open their 3-game weekend set against the Royals. The final score was not indicative of the way the starting pitchers threw.
Dylan Cease and former Friar Michael Wacha traded zeroes for the first five innings. The Padres broke though in the 6th when Fernando Tatis Jr. lined an RBI double to center and Jurickson Profar followed with a run-scoring single to make it 2-0 and chase Wacha. KC did not wait long to find an answer.
A walk, two singles a ground-rule double by Vinnie Pasquatino tied it 2-2 and ended the night for Cease. He was replaced by Jeremiah Estrada, who snapped his string of 13 straight strikeouts but got a pair of flyouts (one a sacrifice to put the Royals on top 3-2) to end the threat. It was still 3-2 in the 8th inning. Allow me to list what transpired in chronological order:
Arraez went 4-for-5, the 4th time he’s had four hits in a game as a Padre. Keep in mind he’s been with the team for less than a month. By the time the dust had settled the Padres had an 11-3 lead, which would seem insurmountable that late in a ballgame.
It got waaaaaaaaaaaay too close. Stephen Kolek came in for what was supposed to be mop-up duty in the 9th inning. Instead he imploded, allowing five runs on six hits and allowing the Royals to put the tying run in the on-deck circle. Not wanting to suffer an embarrassing loss, manager Mike Shildt went to closer Robert Suarez. He allowed an RBI single to Freddie Fermin to make it an 11-8 game.
Designated hitter Nelson Velasquez, who had already homered off Kolek in the inning, came to the plate with a chance to tie it. He hit a rocket, 104 MPH off the bat, to left field but it just didn’t carry. Profar made the catch just in front of the wall to end a wacky night in Missouri.
The Padres can win another series on Saturday afternoon with Joe Musgrove on the mound against Alec Marsh.
