SAN DIEGO — All of a sudden.
That’s how the Padres spun an afternoon around, turning what would have been a disappointing end to another highly successful homestand into a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The worst team in the major leagues had just struck for three runs to take a rare lead against the Padres’ bullpen.
Then an offense that had gone dormant after two first-inning runs responded by starting the bottom of the seventh with five consecutive hits that scored three runs and gave the Padres their ninth victory in the 10-game homestand.
The Padres, who went 9-0 on a homestand in May, began this 11-day stay in San Diego by sweeping four games from the Cincinnati Reds and three from the Dodgers and winning Friday’s opener against Arizona.
The only thing between the Padres and their second perfect string of games at Petco Park was the Diamondbacks’ 10-1 victory Saturday night. That ended a major league-record run of 24 straight road losses. Sunday’s result dropped their major league-worst record to 22-57.
Jurickson Profar’s pinch-hit single started the seventh. He went to third on Tommy Pham’s single and scored on Trent Grisham’s third double of the game. Jake Cronenworth’s second RBI single drove in Pham. Grisham scored on a double Fernando Tatis Jr. chopped over third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera.
Three straight strikeouts ended the inning before Emilio Pagán and Mark Melancon closed out the Padres’ 38th victory in the 38 games in which they held a lead entering the eighth inning.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead when Pham hit their seventh leadoff home run of the season and a 2-0 lead six pitches later, on a double by Grisham and single by Cronenworth.
It was the fifth time in six games that the Padres homered in the first inning and the fifth time in six games they scored multiple runs in the first inning.
And then, virtually nothing.
The Padres’ two runs in the first inning were double what they had scored in 11 1/3 innings in Zac Gallen’s previous two starts against them, in 2019 and ’20.
The right-hander regained some mastery of them after Cronenworth’s single, retiring three straight to end the first and allowing just four baserunners over the next three innings. He was replaced with two outs in the fifth, having allow Grisham’s second double and walked Tatis. Eric Hosmer’s line drive to center field against left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter ended the inning.
Padres starter Yu Darvish got through six innings in 93 pitches.
He struck out seven and threw just 35 pitches in the first three innings, allowing only Josh Reddick’s two-out double in the second.
Pavin Smith began the fourth inning by getting his bat in front of a slider and lofting a ground-rule double down the right field line at 85.2 mph. David Peralta’s single off third baseman Ha-seong Kim’s glove at 90.2 mph moved Smith to third, and he scored when Darvish bounced a ball past Victor Caratini that bounced to the wall.
Darvish’s final inning lasted 12 pitches, the last of which was a 97 mph fastball.
But with a rested bullpen, Jayce Tingler pulled his ace.
The Diamondbacks had two left-handed batters due up, so the call was to the only left-handed reliever the Padres have. Tim Hill came in to make his major league-leading 38th appearance and was met with a bunt single and a line drive single to right field before walking the bases loaded with no outs.
A ground ball toward shortstop by pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar was fielded by Tatis, who appeared to have a play at home but chose to turn his body and throw to second to try to start a double play. His throw sailed wide of Cronenworth and into right field, allowing two runs to score, which gave the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead. They upped the lead to 4-2 on Cabrera’s sacrifice fly.
