D-backs leave 13 runners on base in 24th straight road loss to Padres

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost their MLB-record 24th straight road game on Friday night in an 11-5 defeat to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Despite the D-backs giving up a total of five home runs — four of which came on two back-to-backs in the opening two innings — Arizona managed to stay in the ballgame for most of the night.

But unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, the lack of timely hitting and San Diego’s power plagued any chance of the D-backs snapping their losing skid.

Arizona had a total of 13 hits, but left 13 runners on base and went 3-for-13 (.231) with runners in scoring position.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo was also forced to used five pitchers on the night after starter Corbin Martin only lasted 25 pitches and recorded just one out.

The right-hander allowed four runs on three hits, two walks and two home runs, the latter of which were back-to-back jacks from Padres’ Tommy Pham and Fernando Tatis Jr. to lead off the game.

Martin departed the contest with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and was replaced by Riley Smith, who was able to get out of the jam after allowing a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 Padres after the opening frame.

“He just had trouble getting into a rhythm and they kind of jumped him,” Lovullo said via Zoom postgame. “He was missing with his fastball. Location is obviously is real important. He just couldn’t get into that rhythm and was missing out over the plate.

“It’s one of those things where unfortunately we had to make a tough decision to get him out to try to keep that first inning under control.”

The Diamondbacks managed to battle back thanks to a two-RBI single by Josh Rojas, who was brought home by Josh VanMeter to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the second inning.

Nick Ahmed knocked in the D-backs’ other two runs with a two-RBI double in the third.

“We came out and I felt like we answered back in a big way a couple times and continued to make a game of it, but they kept at it and I think we created too many run-scoring opportunities for them,” Lovullo said. “They’re a good ball club and they put the barrel on the baseball when they have runners in scoring position, eventually they’re going to break through.

“But I felt like we kept answering, we kept answering back and that’s one of the key ingredients for a successful team. We have to just build off of that, continue to keep pounding away and try to put up those big crooked numbers.”

But Arizona couldn’t get Tatis Jr. out, let alone keep the ball in the ballpark, as the shortstop hit three homers in his first three at-bats on the night — the first Padre in franchise history to do so.

He finished the game 4-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored.

“He’s a great player,” D-backs catcher Daulton Varsho said postgame.

“He doesn’t miss his pitch ever. So you just have to locate on him, just make good pitches and he’ll get himself out like every other hitter does.”

After taking an 8-5 lead in the fourth, the Padres tacked on a couple more insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and one more in the eighth to bring the game to its final score of 11-5.

The only innings San Diego didn’t score on Friday night were those in which Tatis Jr. did not have a plate appearance.

“The theme for the day today was being able to place your fastball when you need it,” Lovullo said. “When you do, you’re going to have very positive results and when you don’t, you’re going to pay the consequences.”

UP NEXT

The D-backs will look to snap the 24-game road losing skid in Game 2 of the three-game set against the Padres in San Diego, with a pitching matchup of Merrill Kelly vs. Dinelson Lamet.

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. Catch all the action on ESPN 620 AM.

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