Padres 4, Dodgers 3: Margot and Pirela beat LA

After a rough trip to Cincinnati, the Padres have returned to the Best Coast, and they are feeling it. Manuel Margot hit a pair of home runs today, and Jose Pirela joined that party. Meanwhile, Brad Hand bounced back from yesterday’s troubles with a fantastic four-out save, and Clayton Richard put up a pretty solid six innings.

Richard fell behind in the first inning when Justin Turner hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Cody Bellinger. Margot answered that run with a one-out solo shot in the third. Carlos Asuaje kept the inning moving with a single, then Hunter Renfroe hit a two-out single. A Wil Myers walk loaded the bases for Cory Spangenberg, who singled to right to take the lead. Renfroe tried to score behind Asuaje, but challenging the arm of Yasiel Puig proved to be an inning-ending mistake.

The lead didn’t last long, as Richard had a rough third. Chris Taylor led off with a double, and Corey Seager put runners on the corners with a single. Clayton beaned Turner, and the bases were loaded for Bellinger. His single tied the game and gave former Friar Logan Forsythe an opportunity. The Aristocrat did his old friends a favor and grounded into a double play. One more ground out ended the inning without more damage.

The Dodgers took the lead back one more time in the fifth off a Bellinger single, a wild pitch, and an Austin Barnes double. Thankfully, the Friars had some bombs left in their armory. Margot took Ross Stripling yard in the seventh, and then Pirela did him dirty in the eighth. Hand came in with two out in the eighth to start his save early, and shut LA down.

Game two starts at Chavez Ravine at 6:10 PM Saturday.