The San Diego Padres are slowly finding their groove.
The Padres won the first game of their American League Central Division series against the Cleveland Indians 6-3 on Thursday at Petco Park in front of 40,197 fans, their 23rd sellout of the season, to improve to 32-34 on the season.
However, Kim has been in a mini-slump since his multi-hit performance against the Chicago Cubs on June 4, when he hit .250. He batted eighth in the lineup against the Cardinals and went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. In his last eight games, he has one multi-hit game and is just 4-for-27 (.148), dropping his season average to .236.
The Padres scored four runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Zander Bogaerts and a three-run homer by “The Rolling Stone” Gary Sanchez (No. 6) to take control of the game. In the top of the second, former teammate Josh Bell hit a run-scoring homer (No. 6), but Fernando Tatis Jr. responded with a one-run shot (No. 13) shortly afterward to take the pressure off starter Joe Musgrove.
Sanchez, who was released by the 스포츠토토 New York Mets on May 26 and acquired on May 30, has been the centerpiece of the Padres’ offensive line with six home runs and 16 RBIs in 16 games in a Padres uniform. He has an OPS of .981. Inside-the-park walks have been his biggest liability since his days with the Yankees, but against the Padres, Musgrove (six innings, three runs) and three scoreless innings from the bullpen negated that weakness.
Josh Hayder, who faced four batters in the bottom of the ninth with a 6-3 lead, extinguished the flames with one hit and three strikeouts to earn his 16th save of the season. Musgrove improved to 4-2 with a 4.37 ERA on the season.
Cleveland held a 9-8 advantage in hits, but they were scattered and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They also struck out nine times. The team’s clutch hitter, Jose Ramirez, was particularly ineffective with multiple strikeouts. In 62 games this year, Ramirez has only three multi-strikeout games.
The Padres, who swept the Miami Marlins on April 2, have gained momentum, going 8-5 in their last 13 games. On the 15th, the top of the starting rotation, Michael Wacha (6-2, 3.18), gets the start.
