San Diego likes to call itself "America's Finest City." But since 1971, they've lost the NBA's Rockets in 1971 and Clippers in 1984; the World Hockey Association's Mariners in 1977; the NFL's Chargers in 2017; and almost lost MLB's Padres twice: Coming with inches of losing them to Washington in 1973-74, and barely passing a stadium proposition in 1998.
If you don't count soccer, which now has both men's and women's top-flight teams in the city, the Padres are all they have left, and they almost lost them twice. And despite spending a lot of money over the years, they've won just 2 Pennants: 1984, losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers in 5 games; and 1998, when the Yankees swept them 4 straight.
Nevertheless, none of that meant anything as the Yankees visited Petco Park in this past weekend's series. Max Fried gave them a good start on Friday night, but, knowing he was still trying to work his way back to full strength after missing most of the season due to injury, manager Aaron Boone took him out after 5 2/3rds innings, 72 pitches, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. Will Warren got through the 6, the 7th and the 8th, and David Bednar the 9th, allowing no runs and just 2 baserunners (a hit and a walk).
But Walker Buehler and the Padre bullpen were equally strong. Ben Rice led off the game with a single. Trent Grisham led off the 2nd with a walk. Both were stranded. Rice hit a solo home run in the 3rd. Luis García Jr. led off the 4th with a single, but was erased on a double play. Jazz Chisholm led off the 5th with a walk, and Rice hit a 1-out single in the 6th. Both were stranded.
The game went to extra innings, and Spencer Jones singled "ghost runner" García home to make it 2-1. But Heloit Ramos grounded into a double play, and Chisholm struck out -- the 15th Yankee strikeout of the game. In the bottom of the 10th, with Dustin Harris as the ghost runner, Paul Blackburn struck former Red Sock pain in the ass Xander Boegarts out, and then gave up a home run to Luis Campusano. Padres 3, Yankees 2.
Carlos Rodón started on Saturday, going 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 1 of them a home run by Manny Machado, and 3 walks, striking out 7. The bullpen allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks the rest of the way. They got considerably more support than Fried and the bullpen got the night before. A double, 2 singles and 3 walks led to 4 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Another run came in the 4th, making for the final score of Yankees 5, Padres 1.
Gerrit Cole started yesterday afternoon. Unlike Fried and Rodón, he lasted 7 innings. But, also unlike them, and unlike any Yankee pitcher ever, he allowed 3 home runs to start the game, to Fernando Tatís Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Machado. Campusano hit another homer in the 7th. For the most part, the Yankees couldn't touch the Padres' starter, former Yankee Michael King. They pulled 3 runs back in the 8th, but ended up losing, 4-3.
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There are 19 games to go in the regular season. The Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 4 games in the American League East. And Grisham was added to the Injured List. Giancarlo Stanton isn't coming off it anytime soon. Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Weathers and Angel Chivilli might be.
And, today, Aaron Judge was activated from the IL.
So there is good news. Hopefully, he can provide the run production the lineup badly needs.
Here's what's left: 3 games at home to the Colorado Rockies, 3 at home to the Mets, 3 away to the Minnesota Twins, 3 away to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4 at home to the Rays, and 3 at home to the Orioles.
Come on you Pinstripes!
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