Field Level Media
May 23, 2021
Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in six runs with a grand slam, a solo homer and an RBI single on Sunday as the San Diego Padres completed the second undefeated nine-game homestand in franchise history with a 9-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Starting pitcher Yu Darvish (5-1) allowed one run on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts over seven innings to win his fourth straight decision. The Padres are 9-1 in Darvish's 10 starts this season.
The Padres have won nine straight and are 12-1 over their last 13 games. Seattle lost a sixth consecutive contest and are 3-11 over the last 14 games.
Tatis was 3-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored. His homer to lead off the second opened the scoring was the 200th hit of his career, making him the fastest Padre to 200 hits (173 games).
Since returning from the COVID-19 protocol and moving into the cleanup slot for the first time in his career, Tatis has gone 11-for-14 in four games with four doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored.
Mariners starter Justin Dunn had almost single-handedly battled the Padres to a 1-1 draw over five innings.
Tatis' first homer was the only hit Dunn allowed in five innings. Dunn issued three walks and struck out four. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Dunn tied the game with an RBI double over the head of Padres' right fielder Wil Myers. The hit, which followed a leadoff double by Sam Haggerty, was the first hit of Dunn's career.
But the Padres opened the sixth with four straight hits against left-handed reliever Anthony Misiewicz (2-3). Jurickson Profar opened with a double, moved to third on a Jake Cronenworth single and scored to give the Padres a 2-1 lead on Tatis' line-drive single to left.
Eric Hosmer singled to load the bases. Cronenworth scored on Myers' sacrifice fly and Tatis scored on a groundout by Victor Caratini.
Tommy Pham tripled with one out in the seventh inning. The Padres loaded the bases on a walk and a catcher's interference ahead of Tatis' slam, his 13th homer of the season.
The Mariners second run came in the ninth inning on the first career hit of catcher Jose Godoy, an RBI single.
--Field Level Media