JOSE M. ROMERO
Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — The final box score said the San Diego Padres committed one error in Sunday’s 8-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Padres made a number of mistakes in the field, and their bullpen faltered in the loss.
Still the Padres had chances to tie or take the lead late, but Arizona reliever Will Harris escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning to preserve his team’s lead.
Harris struck out Rymer Liriano and pinch-hitter Tommy Medica, and after Arizona scored three insurance runs, the Padres got two in the ninth and had the tying run on base when the game ended.
Odrisamer Despaigne (3-7) was hurt by a pair of Padres misplays in a five-run third.
“He had the one rough inning,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “We couldn’t get that third out.”
Diamondbacks starter Trevor Cahill was lucky to have escaped the first two innings having only allowed two runs. The Padres had runners on first and third three times and got RBI singles from Jake Goebbert and Seth Smith for a 2-0 lead.
The Diamondbacks responded with five runs in the third. Chris Owings drove in Didi Gregorius with a two-out single, then things got wacky.
With runners at first and second, Mark Trumbo singled to center field. Owings scored on the throw that was cut off by shortstop Alexi Amarista, whose throw home sailed over catcher Yasmani Grandal.
The ball went straight to Despaigne, who was backing up the play, as A.J. Pollock scored from first base.
The next batter, Miguel Montero, hit a fly ball into the left-field corner that Cory Spangenberg dropped for an error, allowing Trumbo to score. Aaron Hill’s single made it 5-2.
“You can throw that one on me,” Black said of Spangenberg. “He is a young player and we are exposing him to the outfield a little bit. We are giving him an opportunity to get some at-bats. It’s not a perfect scenario but he is trying his (expletive) off to make plays. He is a good young player and he dropped a fly ball.”
San Diego scored twice in the fourth on Cahill’s wild pitch and Spangenberg’s grounder.
The Diamondbacks scored three insurance runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Gregorius and pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco and a wild pitch.
Arizona closer Addison Reed gave up two runs in the ninth.
“Put the pressure on them, and it worked out for us,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said.
GIBSON’S SELF-ANALYSIS
Gibson fielded several questions that hinted at his future as Diamondbacks’ manager before Sunday’s game. He said he analyzes himself “all the time” and that “there’s nobody harder on me than me.” Gibson also said he’s not part of the club’s current search for a new general manager, and that he draws off of what he’s gone through in the past, positive and negative, to put the team’s 61-88 season to date in perspective.
“My mom told me yesterday she still loves me,” Gibson said with a grin.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Reliever Joaquin Benoit (shoulder) is scheduled to throw another bullpen session midweek, assuming all went well in Sunday’s session, Black said. Black also hopes to have pitcher Blaine Boyer (shoulder) throw off a mound later this week. … OF Abraham Almonte entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth after missing time with a sprained ankle, and OF Will Venable (back) returned to action as a pinch-runner in the ninth.
Diamondbacks: The club has yet to decide whether to shut down RHP Chase Anderson for the rest of the season, with only a couple of more scheduled starts left for him. It’s an issue of the amount of innings Anderson has pitched this season, his first in the majors.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner is set for his 17th start of the season when the Padres host Philadelphia on Monday. He is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in four starts since coming off the disabled list (elbow soreness).
Diamondbacks: LHP Wade Miley (7-11) makes his 100th career start Monday at home against San Francisco. He’s 15 strikeouts away from 500 in his career and 15 innings away from a second straight season of 200 or more innings.
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