Padres Offense Turns It Around to Defeat Astros 8-2

After being shutout in the series' opening game, our Padres were able to deliver last night in their 8-2 Victory over the Astros. Yonder Alonso hit a two-run blast in the second inning to take the lead. Then Houston scored a run in the third to tie.

The game still tied going into the fifth inning, and it was after that when our Padres turned up the offense. Logan Forsythe, Chase Headley, Mark Kotsay, and Yasmani Grandal hit consecutive one-out base hits to score two runs in the inning. Ohlendorf pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 6th and then our Padres scored another insurance run on an Alexi Amarista RBI single.

Brad Brach came in to relieve Ohlendorf in the 7th and set the Astros down in order again. In the home half of the 7th, Chase Headley lead off and reached base with a hit by pitch. He later scored on a two-out double by Alonso. Will Venable followed with a walk. With runners at first and second and two outs still, Cameron Maybin hit a ground-rule double that was caught by a fan, allowing Alonso and Venable to score and putting San Diego on top 8-2.

Ohlendorf had a decent night on the mound. In his first appearance since July 6th, and first start since June 25th, he pitched a season-high six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk. He also struck out six on the night, and had a couple of 3-up, 3-down innings. The bullpen, consisting of Brach, Joe Thatcher, and Luke Gregerson, each put up scoreless innings to finish the game and secure the victory.

Run production has gotten better each month since April, when it stood at 3.13 runs per game. After last night, our Padres' have increased to 4.38 runs per game in July. Lots of improvement can be seen after our rough start this season, and hopefully the team can continue to trend upwards.