Lamb, Diamondbacks beat Rodney, Padres
Apr 16, 2016, 12:23 AM
San Diego Padres' Melvin Upton Jr. s;ides under the tag of Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb while stealing a base during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, April 15, 2016, in San Diego. The umpire is Laz Diaz. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
(AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
SAN DIEGO — When the San Diego Padres opened the bottom of the ninth inning with consecutive singles to put runners on first and third, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale had to think ahead to possible extra innings because the Padres were in great shape to at least score the tying run.
It didn’t come to that. Brad Ziegler struck out Alexi Amarista, intentionally walked pinch-hitter Brett Wallace to load the bases and then got Jon Jay to ground into a game-ending double play.
“It was relief, for sure,” Ziegler said after getting his second save. “I tried to just keep focus because I knew with the defense I have behind me, all I had to do was get the ball on the ground, hopefully it’s at somebody, and if it is, they’re going to turn it. The strikeout was big, just to be able to put us in that position.
“I told my wife, two of the first three pitches I threw were probably the worst pitches I threw this season, and then I came back with some of the best I’ve thrown.”
Zack Greinke, who pitched 7 1/3 strong innings after losing his first two starts with Arizona, was impressed.
“Two really tough situations, especially Ziegler’s,” Greinke said. “It worked out, but it wasn’t easy.”
Daniel Hudson (1-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief of Greinke to get the win.
“It was exciting,” Hale said.” That’s the one thing Brad can do is get that groundball double play. He’s shown that for us. Probably bigger was the stirikeout of Amarista.”
Jake Lamb dashed home with the go-ahead run on a soft infield single by pinch-hitter Phil Gosselin with one out in the top of the inning.
Lamb reached on an infield single against Fernando Rodney (0-1) to start the ninth, stole second and went to third when the throw by catcher Derek Norris bounced into center field for an error. Lamb then scored when Gosselin hit a dribbler to first base.
The Padres dropped to 0-4 at home. However, Alexei Ramirez and Alexi Amarista drove in the team’s first runs in San Diego this season.
“We just couldn’t get the job done,” manager Andy Green said.
“A defensive miscue caused it to unwind for us,” he said of Norris’ errant throw.
Greinke was lifted after allowing Wil Myers’ double in the eighth. He allowed two runs and six hits, struck out five and walked one.
Ziegler earned his second save. The Padres put runners at the corners with nobody out on singles by Cory Spangenberg and Ramirez before Ziegler struck out Amarista as Ramirez stole second. After an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Brett Wallace, Jay grounded into an easy 6-4-3 double play.
The Padres have set a handful of big league records for futility at the start of the season. Their 3-0 loss at Philadelphia on Thursday, in which Vince Velasquez struck out 16 in a three-hitter, was their fifth shutout in their first 10 games, the first time that’s happened in the majors. They became the first team to be shut out in their first three games when they were outscored 25-0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego then extended its MLB record for scoreless innings to open a season to 30 before winning 13-6 at Colorado on April 8.
Arizona’s Welington Castillo homered off James Shields leading off the second.
San Diego finally got on the scoreboard at Petco Park this season in the bottom of the inning. Melvin Upton Jr. was thrown out trying to score from third on Spangenberg’s grounder. Spangenberg took second on the play and scored on Ramirez’s single. Melvin Upton Jr. originally had been called out trying to steal third but it was overturned after Green challenged.
The Padres took their first lead at home this year when Norris scored on Amarista’s single with two outs in the fourth.
Arizona tied it in the seventh when Yasmany Tomas doubled with one out and scored on Nick Ahmed’s two-run double.
Shields allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked four.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Green said RHP Tyson Ross won’t be back by Wednesday when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list. Ross, sidelined with a sore right shoulder, has yet to resume throwing. “We’re hoping to see him pick up a ball in the next couple of days, maybe Monday at the latest,” Green said.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: RHP Shelby Miller (0-1, 8.18 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday night.
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner (0-1, 8.00) pitches for San Diego.
