DBacks double down Padres 8-4

On the 8th game of the season, the schedule-makers determined the Padres would at last play a team outside of California. The Diamondbacks would come to town fresh off the heels of taking a series from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The young Snakes seemed full of confidence and jumped out to an early lead. Padres starter Andrew Cashner looked to have some control over the game, striking out 3 over the first 1 1/3 innings. However, an untimely throwing error by Yangervis Solarte with 2 runners on helped get an early run across. The fairly routine play not only plated that run, but extended the inning as it would have been the 2nd out with the pitcher coming up who Cashner would later strike out for what should have been the 3rd out. Buoyed by the extra at bats with runners in scoring position the top of the DBacks' order would drive 3 more across.

The Padres would find some ways to chip away, but not without another key mistake along the way. There was no mistake however Yonder Alonso launched a Rubby De La Rosa pitch that majestically soared over the right center field wall.

It wasn't the sort of hit you were expecting from Alonso. He has almost turned into a singles hitter these days. But this one took off from his bat like it would try to leave orbit, as you can see in the above gif. The only regret would be that a runner couldn't be on base to make this beautiful bomb to the beach more than a solo shot. The mistake would come later by Andrew Cashner on the bases. With one out Cashner would first single to center field. Wil Myers would follow that up with a grounder deep to shortstop that he easily beat out. Unfortunately the bearded flame thrower came into second base too hot and was caught off the bag when 1B Paul Goldschmidt relayed the ball over to the second sacker. Myers would score the 2nd run for the Padres when Yangervis Solarte to right field. A play where Cashner would have walked home from 2 bases away.

Undaunted, Cashner would keep whiffing rattlers, rack up 9 strikeouts and hold them to their 4 initial runs by the time the Padres would bat in the bottom of the 5th. Will Middlebrooks would draw base on balls to lead of the inning. Alexi Amarista lined a single to right field to follow. Cashner would fail to get a bunt down and Myers popped one up for the 2nd out. But that brought up Solarte. And like a man on a mission to methodically get back the runs he cost, he would slice a single to center to drive in the Padres' 3rd run of the game.

Once Cashner came out of the game for the top of the seventh the snakes were ready to strike. Brandon Maurer entered the game for the Padres in his first close-game-outing of the season. Sadly, he would allow an Ender Inciarte leadoff double to start the inning. The serpents would use some small ball returned the Arizona cushion to 2 runs with a Chris Owings sacrifice bunt and a Paul Goldschmidt groundout RBI. Shawn Kelley would also get bitten in the 8th when he entered. Another leadoff double, this time by Jake Lamb, would tack on another run. A Tuffy Gosewich single scored him then Gosewich would later score along with A.J. Pollock, who walked, on another Inciarte extra base hit.The score got to 8-3 when the damage was done.

The Padres would not go down lightly, but they would indeed go down. Myers started off the bottom of the 8th with a ground rule double, and Matt Kemp drove him in with a single. Justin Upton tried to keep the rally going with a single of his own, but Kemp got thrown out going from 1st to 3rd. Another costly baserunning mistake limited another rally attempt to a solitary run and locked in the final score of 8-4.