The Sports Xchange
Jul 27, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- Rookies Manuel Margot and Luis Torrens drove in five runs with two swings of the bat Wednesday night to lead the San Diego Padres to a 6-3 victory over the New York Mets at Petco Park.
Center fielder Margot, 22, hit a two-run homer in the first while Rule 5 catcher Torrens, 21, hit a bases-loaded triple in the third to up the Padres lead to 6-1.
Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin ran his record to 10-7, although he wasn't as sharp as he has been at Petco Park. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Chacin, who entered the game with the lowest home ERA in the National League, is 6-2 in 11 starts at Petco Park with a 2.05 ERA.
Left-hander Brad Hand, who became the Padres leading closer option following Monday's trade of Brandon Maurer to Kansas City, picked up his fourth save.
The Padres had a 2-0 lead before Mets' left-handed starter and loser Steven Matz (2-4) recorded an out.
Jose Pirela opened the game with a single and Margot followed with his sixth homer of the season, a 419-foot drive to center on a 2-0 pitch.
The Mets got one of the runs back in the second. Jay Bruce drew a lead-off walk and came around on back-to-back singles by Lucas Duda and Jose Reyes.
The Padres broke the game open in the third, scoring four runs with Torrens' two-out, bases-loaded triple high off the wall in right-center being the big blow.
Margot followed his first-inning homer with a lead-off triple and immediately scored on Wil Myers' double. Matz then hit Hunter Renfroe with a pitch.
With one out, Cory Spangenberg bounced a grounder off Reyes' glove at short that was ruled a hit, loading the bases. But Matz had a chance to get out of the jam because the next two hitters were both Rule 5 rookies.
Matz struck out shortstop Allen Cordoba.
But Torrens, who entered the game with a .187 average and three RBIs, hit a drive that fell a foot shy of being a grand slam for the catcher's first career homer. Still, it doubled his career RBI total.
A great play by the Padres other Rule 5 starter cut short a Mets' rally in the top of the sixth.
Back-to-back singles by Asdrubal and Yoenis Cespedes and a one-out walk drawn by Wilmer Flores loaded the bases and forced Chacin out of the game after 5 1/3 innings. Buddy Bauman came on to retire Lucas Duda on a fly to right before issuing a bases-loaded walk to Reyes to make it 6-2.
Mets catcher Rene Rivera then hit a drive to the left of rookie shortstop Cordoba, who made a diving stop and threw out Rivera to save two runs.
Flores homered off Padres right-handed reliever Craig Stammen to cut the Padres' lead to 6-3 in the eighth.
NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said INF Neil Walker, who has been on the disabled list since June 15 with a partial tear of his left hamstring, could return as soon as this weekend, possibly playing some third base. ... LF Yoenis Cespedes was back in the Mets lineup Wednesday after leaving Tuesday night's game with tightness in both quad muscles. But Collins said Cespedes' quads remain an issue moving forward, ... Padres C Austin Hedges remains on the concussion disabled list 12 days after taking a foul tip off the mask in San Francisco. Padres manager Andy Green said he hopes to have Hedges back as soon as this weekend, but not before he can catch a bullpen session. ... Padres INF Yangervis Solarte, who has been out since June 20 with a left oblique strain, could be within a couple days of starting a rehab assignment. ... San Diego tries to salvage a split of the four-game series Thursday night.