If I knew that the Padres were going to wait until the 18th inning to fall to the Arizona Diamondbacks late Sunday afternoon, I’d have preferred that they not make the comeback at all. Because in a game that lasted 5 hours and 45 minutes, the Padres used all their relief pitchers, an additional starter Chad Gaudin, and infielder Josh Wilson. Wilson ended up giving up the go-ahead home run to Arizona’s Mark Reynolds in the 18th inning, but let’s start at the beginning.
Josh Geer took the mound for the Padres, pitching 5 innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs. The Arizona 4-run fifth inning against Geer included a 3-run double from Josh Whitesell. The D-Backs then tagged Joe Thatcher for 2 more runs in the sixth, and the Padres found themselves down 6-0. On top of that, they were facing one of the league’s better pitchers in Dan Haren. Haren kept the shutout going until 2 outs in the 7th, when he gave up a solo home run to Kevin Kouzmanoff. Haren finished the sevn innings, only giving up that one run.
He certainly deserved better.
That’s when the D-Backs bullpen came in. The Padres have found success against the D-Backs bullpen this season, and that’s why they weren’t out of it yet. Down 6-1 in the bottom of the 9th, the Padres were to face Juan Gutierrez. Immediately, the Padres came out swinging the bats. Adrian Gonzalez doubled and Chase Headley’s single drove him in to make it 6-2. Gutierrez then walked Giles and retired Kevin Kouzmanoff before being removed for the closer Chad Qualls. Against Qualls, Nick Hundley roped a ground ball that the diving Mark Reynolds couldn’t quite smother and make a play on. With the score 6-3, Chris Burke grounded into a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and third and 2 outs, David Eckstein was to be the pinch-hitter. NOT the guy you’d expect to tie the game with one swing of the bat. Eck wasted no time however, parking a home run down the left field line. The remaining fans at the ballpark went nuts…the score was now tied.
“Nothing Eck does surprises me anymore,” said manager Buddy Black. “He’s a guy who always rises to occasion.”
Unfortunately, no other Padres hitter rose to the occasion on this afternoon. In fact, the Padres didn’t get another HIT after Eckstein’s home run.
The Padres offense is the definition of streaky: one moment they’ll rally for 5 runs to tie up the ballgame, then they’ll go hitless for the rest of it. The “rest of it,” happened to be a whole other game. The Padres’ bullpen did what they could, with even Chad Gaudin pitching 2 innings. In the 18th inning, Josh Wilson was sent out to the mound. Wilson had last pitched in high school, but he descibed the whole pitching thing as “natural to him.” He almost got out of it, but with 2 runners on and 2 away (on a full count pitch I might add), Mark Reynolds drove an opposite field home run over the out of town scoreboard in right field. The Diamondbacks fans that had stayed at the ballpark rejoiced. (Because who wants to be in Arizona in the summer..?)
Jake Peavy is going to have to pitch the game of his life tonight, whether he’s hurt or not. A complete game would be nice, and Jake has thrown the Padres’ only complete game of the season. Peavy, who is 5-6; takes on Jon Garland, a guy that the Padres’ anemic offense has never fared well against.
