Cash blows out back, Friars put game on theirs

Andrew Cashner's pitch count to strikeout ratio was phenomenal tonight. In just six pitches, he struck out one batter. Then, he got stressed out, particularly in his upper back/neck area, and promptly left the game. Now that's what I call situational pitching.

Update from the clubhouse: Cashner left tonight's game with upper back/neck tightness.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 11, 2016

So Luis Perdomo took over as the "starter", and put in 5-and-some innings. He kept things within clawing distance, at least in Coors distance, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) and striking out 7 all night. Brad Hand made an appearance, to walk Charlie Blackmon, then left even more quickly than Cashner. Basically the opposite of Cashner's appearance. Kevin Quackenbush and Fernando Rodney picked up the rest of the slack, allowing the Pads to pull off some late magic.

Cashner exits with injury

The magicians waited until the top of the 9th. Before that, though, Jon Jay and Wil Myers both put up some sacrifice runs. To tip things in the Friar's favor, Melvin Upton Jr. popped his 7th home run of the season into left. It was negated the next inning, and San Diego was trailing 3-4 by the end of the fourth.

With more insurance for the Rockies, the Pads were held to a 3-5 deficit until the back-end of the game. With Jake McGee looking to shut things down, Jon Jay returned from his first RBI to score Alexei Ramirez on a ground-rule double. The Pads needed one more run to tie, and Wil Myers went ahead and scored three on a 3-run bomb into center field, scoring Alexi Amarista and Jon Jay in the process.

Myers' go-ahead homer, dead silent Coors Field

Cue Rodney. Ground out, ground out, strike out. Friars win.

At this point, Cashner's health isn't verifiable. With that slot possibly opening up, we're timing Erik Johnson's first start for tomorrow. His last two starts have been less-than-stellar, and he's opening up in Colorado, but if the Pads can pull a win from a 6-pitch starting pitcher, who says we can't clinch the series tomorrow?