The Sports Xchange
Aug 19, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- Pitching for the first time in 19 days, Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg made one mistake Saturday night.
But it was one mistake too many.
Padres shortstop Yangervis Solarte hit a first-inning, two-run homer off Strasburg to lead the Padres to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego native at Petco Park.
Strasburg (10-4), who had been out since his last start on July 23 because of a nerve impingement in his left elbow, allowed two runs, four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in six innings. He threw 91 pitches, with 61 strikes.
Unfortunately for the Nationals and Strasburg, Padres left-handed starter Travis Wood (2-1) outpitched the San Diego State grad.
Wood allowed one unearned run -- thanks to his own error -- three hits and two walks in seven innings. Wood and relievers Kirby Yates and Brad Hand combined to retire 13 straight Nationals, with Hand getting his 11th save.
Solarte gave the Padres a 2-0 lead with his 13th homer of the season after Jose Pirela's two-out single in the first.
The 406-foot drive to right center on a 1-and-2 pitch was Solarte's first homer since Aug. 8 and only his second since July 30, when he returned after missing 33 games with a left oblique strain.
Strasburg then retired the next 10 Padres he faced before Cory Spangenberg legged out an infield single to open the fifth. Strasburg then struck out the side.
After issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the first, Wood retired nine straight before Howie Kendrick dropped a two-out single in front of center fielder Manuel Margot for Washington's first hit with two outs in the fourth.
Jose Lobaton singled with one out. Strasburg then sacrificed Lobaton to second with a bunt that Wood fielded, only to draw second baseman Carlos Asuaje off the bag at first for an error. After Wood struck out Andrew Stevenson, Adrian Sanchez doubled home Lobaton to halve the Padres' lead.
The Padres widened their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh against the Nationals' bullpen.
Walks to Wil Myers and Jabari Blash around a single by Spangenberg loaded the bases against left-hander Sammy Solis with none out. Right-hander Matt Albers replaced Solis and got Austin Hedges to ground into a double play, with Myers scoring. Pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez then flied out to left to end the inning after hitting two long fouls.
Padres right-hander Kirby Yates struck out the side in the eighth.
NOTES: The Padres optioned RF Hunter Renfroe, who started 107 of the first 122 games, to Triple-A El Paso. He was hitting .230 with 20 homers in 404 at-bats but also had only a .285 on-base percentage with 125 strikeouts. To replace Renfroe, the Padres recalled OF Jabari Blash from El Paso. ... Jack McKeon, the former general manager (1980-90) and manager (1988-90), was the 14th inductee into the Padres Hall of Fame. ... The Nationals rested 2B Daniel Murphy for "general leg soreness" and manager Dusty Baker said he might also rest Murphy on Sunday ahead of Monday's scheduled day off. SS Wilmer Difo also was out of the lineup, although he entered the game in the ninth.