Phillies Lose 3-0, Swept By Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Padres' Clayton Richard took a shutout into the ninth inning for the second time this season. Unlike when he was disappointed with his earlier chance, Richard sealed the deal against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Richard pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout since 2012 and Wil Myers stole three bases in an inning as the Padres beat the Phillies 3-0 for a three-game sweep.
"You have to give so much credit in a game like this," Richard said. "The defense was outstanding and (Austin) Hedges was great behind the plate. It wasn't like I was punching everyone's ticket and doing it all myself."
Richard (6-12) relied on his effective sinker, inducing the Phillies to ground into 17 outs for his third career shutout. He struck out six and walked one and ended his four-game losing streak.
"I felt I was staying in the bottom of the zone," Richard said. "Fastball, changeup and mix in a slider. I stayed down with everything and threw strikes."
He finished off the Phillies, something he was unable to do when working 8 2/3 innings of scoreless ball against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 13. Richard, who missed most of 2014 with shoulder surgery, kept his poise to get the final three outs.
"You try to stay within the same framework you have been working the first eight innings, but sometimes that's difficult," he said. "There is the adrenaline and you know you are three outs away of getting to where you want to go."
Nick Pivetta (4-8) struck out nine of the first 10 batters, and fanned a career-high 11 in five-plus innings.
Myers, who has scuffled since the All-Star break, reached base four times. He became the first player since the Marlins' Dee Gordon in 2011 to swipe second, third and home in an inning and the first Padre to ever do so in the fourth.
Myers' final swipe came when he scored on the back end of a double steal after Hedges broke from first base. As Hedges was caught in a rundown, Myers headed for the plate and just got his hand in before Cameron Rupp's tag.
"When I was on first base after my walk in the first inning I noticed on the first pitch he was real slow," Myers said. "I took a chance of going on that first pitch (in the fourth) and once it got to 3-2 on second, and he hadn't really paid attention to me, I thought it was a good opportunity to get one there. The last one was kind of a botched play that ended up working out."
The Padres stole five bases, taking advantage of the Phillies' shoddy run defense.
"I wasn't really mixing up my holds, I guess, enough," said Pivetta, who was expected to optioned to the minors later in the day. "For the most part they ran a little bit extra today and that just was kind of the difference in the baseball game."
Myers, who was in an 8-for-31 rut, drove in Carlos Asuaje with a single for a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Myers then got active on the bases to give the Padres a 2-0 edge. It was his first three-steal game and gave him a career-high 14 on the season.
The first nine Padres didn't put the ball in play, with Myers reaching on a walk.
"He carried it for a while," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He needs to understand and learn how to carry that through five, six, seven, eight innings or more."
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