SAN DIEGO — Just as the Padres seem to be brightening a gloomy June, the cloud hanging over their season darkened.
In the middle of Saturday’s 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the Padres’ third in a row after 13 defeats in a 17-game stretch that began May 30, their most dangerous player was injured.
Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. departed the game in the fifth inning after appearing to jar his left shoulder diving for a single. The Padres had not announced the reason for Tatis’ departure by game’s end.
Tatis was replaced in the field and in the batting order by Ha-seong Kim, who in the eighth inning responded to many in the crowd of 38,765 chanting “Let’s go Kim” by lining a two-run homer off the second story of the Western Metal Supply Co. building to provide the final margin.
The victory was at least a temporary salve for the loss of the player who leads the National League with 22 home runs.
Tatis was attended to by athletic trainer Ben Fraser and then spoke with manager Jayce Tingler before walking off the field.
Tatis had played 49 games without aggravating the left shoulder dislocation that had required a 10-day stay on the injured list in April.
After having his shoulder pop out twice in a three-week span between the end of spring training and first six games of the season, it was considered a danger the shoulder could dislocate again at any time. But, playing with a slightly torn labrum, Tatis had altered the follow-through on his swing to assure he was in control and had also worked on how he backhanded grounders in an attempt to not aggravate the injury.
Tatis was injured diving to his right for a single by Tyler Naquin, which scored Jonathan India to bring the Reds to within 5-3. Tatis stayed down for several seconds before getting up but resting his hands on his knees as he bent over.
As Tingler came out to replace pitcher Daniel Camarena, the trainer checked on Tatis, who stretched out his arm a few times as he walked toward the mound. After a minute of discussion, Tingler patted Tatis on the side and they began to walk off the grass.
James Norwood walked the next batter to load the bases before Eugenio Suarez tied the game with a single.
Nabil Crismatt followed with three scoreless innings, retiring eight of the nine batters he faced.
Mark Melancon, who allowed four runs in blowing a save Thursday night, worked a scoreless ninth inning for his major league-leading 20th save.
It was quite a night at Petco Park.
For an inning that began with a single and double that gave the Reds a 1-0 lead, the top of the first went about as well as it could for Miguel Diaz and the Padres.
He struck out No. 3 hitter Nick Castellanos and cleanup hitter Joey Votto, who believed he had checked his swing. As he walked toward the dugout, he shared that opinion with third base umpire Chris Guccione.
While Votto was facing third, it appeared home plate umpire Ryan Additon ejected him. When Votto learned he had been tossed, he walked toward Additon screaming as Reds manager David Bell got between the two. The more Votto yelled, the more animated he got, and he was continually restrained by Bell and then third base coach J.R. House. His tantrum lasted a good two minutes, and he appeared to make contact at least once with multiple umpires, who were also attempting to restrain him. Bell was also ejected.
After Votto stalked off the field and down the steps toward the clubhouse, Reds players and a Padres fan got in a shouting match, and the fan was ejected by Guccione.
As play resumed, Bell remained in the dugout. When told he had been ejected, he resumed an animated conversation in front of the dugout that lasted another 90 seconds.
With Jesse Winker still on second base, Naquin grounded out on the first pitch he saw.
The Padres, who rapped a season-high nine extra-base hits Friday, started their half of the first inning with another one. Tommy Pham lined a double to left but was left standing at third when the inning was over.
Pham was the one who couldn’t turn a runner in scoring position into a run in the second inning.
After Webster Rivas drew a two-out walk, pitcher Joe Musgrove pinch-hit for Diaz. Musgrove bunted himself aboard and moved Rivas to second before Pham popped out in shallow right field.
Camarena, called up before the game, came in to make his major league debut.
After Jake Cronenworth’s homer tied the game 2-2 in bottom of the third the third inning, Camarena began the fourth inning with a walk and a single that put runners at the corners. A shallow fly ball to right field, strikeout and groundout to second got him out of the jam without allowing a run.
He got in line for the win when the Padres loaded the bases on Pham’s second double of the game and walks by Tatis and Cronenworth, and Manny Machado cleared them by lining a first-pitch fastball to left field.
Camarena fell out of line in the eventful fifth inning, as he allowed successive singles before getting two outs. That brought up Naquin, who grounded a ball between Tatis and Machado.
