Wild Pitch In 10th Inning Sends Padres Past Phillies 4-3
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adam Frazier scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Philadelphia's Connor Brogdon in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres overcame a strong outing by Aaron Nola and beat the Phillies 4-3 on Saturday night.
"I'm so proud of the guys. Everything has been tough as of late. Nothing has come easily. ... Runs are tough to come by right now," Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. "It (the win) can definitely jump start us now."
Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run homer to center field with two-out in the ninth inning off Nola to tie the game at 3-all. Phillies centerfielder Travis Jankowski made a heroic leaping effort to try and snag the ball over the fence and missed by only a few inches.
"Nola was making great pitches all night. I honestly was just looking for something to drive," Cronenworth said of his ninth inning at-bat. "I ended up getting one over the plate and put a pretty good swing on it."
Mark Melancon (3-2) earned the win by pitching scoreless ninth and 10th innings. Brogdon (5-3) took the loss.
"Mark was outstanding," Tingler said. "That is really hard to do, to hold the runner at second base with no outs."
Nola, who didn't figure in the decision, pitched a perfect game through six innings and lasted 8 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs, two earned, and two hits with 11 strikeouts. He threw 117 pitches (76 strikes), tying his highest number of pitches in an outing in his career (July 2, 2019, at Atlanta).
"Nola was so good tonight, he had all the pitches tonight," Tingler said. "Jake is just a special player and he keeps getting better. It's one of the biggest hits he has had and he has had some big ones."
Nola also led off the eighth inning with a double to the right-center field gap off Padres reliever Daniel Hudson with the scored 1-1. With the bases loaded, Nola scored after being forced home when Didi Gregorius was hit by a pitch by Padres reliever Tim Hill.
Hill was replaced by Austin Adams, who let in another run when he hit Brad Miller, scoring Jean Segura, to give Philadelphia a 3-1 lead.
San Diego's win ended a four-game losing streak and keeps the Padres tied with the Cincinnati Reds in the race for the second NL wild-card spot.
"This was a big, big win for us to keep us in the race and get things turned around," Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove said.
Nola, who came in with a 4.48 ERA, was in control from the get-go and perfect through six innings, including against his brother Austin, who was the starting catcher for the Padres. Nola lost his perfect game in the seventh on a fielding error by first baseman Brad Miller on a grounder by Trent Grisham, who then stole second. Nola his no-hit bid and shutout via a sharp single to center by Manny Machado, scoring Grisham with an unearned run.
Musgrove got in immediate trouble in the first inning. He surrendered a leadoff homer to center to Odubel Herrera for a 1-0 Phillies lead. Musgrove recovered, however, and lasted six innings, giving up one run and three hits while striking out nine.
"I felt real slow at the start. I had a tough time getting stuff in the zone," Musgrove said. "But I know how to compete. ... I felt like I did a good job hanging in there long enough to give us a chance to win the game."
NOLA VS NOLA
In a match-up between brothers Nola — Aaron, 28, and Austin, 31 — the siblings battled each relatively evenly. Aaron struck out Austin and induced a pop out in Austin's first two at-bats before surrendering a walk in Austin's third at-bat. It was the first time the brothers have faced each other professionally, and the first time they have met as adversaries since an intra-squad game early in Aaron's freshman year at LSU. The brothers grew up in Baton Rouge. The two were teammates at LSU for one year. Their father, A.J. Nola, was in the stands wearing Austin's brown Padres jersey under Aaron's white Phillies uniform.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Zach Eflin (right knee tendinitis) allowed one hit and no runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Reading. The next step for Eflin hasn't been determined. ... 1B Rhys Hoskins (left groin strain) said on Saturday that his groin felt better after a Friday workout. He may return on Sunday. ... RHP Sam Coonrod (right forearm tendinitis) made his second rehab appearance, throwing seven pitches in one scoreless inning for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. Manager Joe Girardi said the plan is for Coonrod to make another outing, which might come on Aug. 23/24 with his expected return next week.
Padres: RHP Yu Darvish (lower back tightness) is scheduled for another bullpen session on Sunday. If all goes well, Darvish could be slated to return to the rotation this week — potentially in time to make a crucial start against the Dodgers
UP NEXT
Phillies: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-2, 4.70) takes the mound in the three-game series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Padres: RHP Craig Stammen (5-3, 3.16) will start in a bullpen game.
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