CLEVELAND _ Consecutive comebackers had Luis Perdomo teetering on the brink Wednesday at Progressive Field. The first grounder ricocheted off his foot, resulting in an RBI double to shallow right field. The second caught him on the hand. The ball dribbled away as the batter legged out a single. Pitching coach Darren Balsley paid a visit to the mound.
Perdomo mustered a deft response. He completed the bottom of the fifth, and preserved a lead, by inducing a double play. Then his offense created a wider berth.
A two-run, seventh-inning homer by Cory Spangenberg punctuated the Padres' 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. On a night Perdomo dealt with an elevated pitch count and buzzard luck, a barrage of hits buoyed the young right-hander.
Neither starting pitcher was at his best. Perdomo allowed two runs, one earned, on nine hits. He required 90 pitches to record 15 outs. Trevor Bauer also went five innings. The Indians righty yielded four runs, three earned, on eight hits and two walks.
Had it not been for emphatic conclusions to each inning, the damage against Perdomo could have been worse. He ended the first and second frames with a strikeout. A double play shut the door on the third. Perdomo struck out another batter for the final out of the fourth. With two outs and the corners occupied in the fifth, Edwin Encarnacion sent a routine grounder to shortstop Erick Aybar.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Aybar, who had been hit by a pitch, scored on a single by Carlos Asuaje.
The Indians tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Erik Gonzalez, who led off with a single and went to second on a Spangenberg error, scored on a single by Francisco Lindor.
The Padres took a 3-1 lead in the fifth. Luis Torrens, who led off with a single, scored on a triple by Jose Pirela. Pirela scored when a rocket off the bat of Hunter Renfroe ticked off Lindor's glove at short.
Gonzalez opened the bottom of the inning with a double and scored on Lindor's comebacker. Michael Brantley reached on another comebacker. Perdomo responded impressively.
The Padres opened the sixth with three consecutive singles. The last, by Asuaje, extended the lead to 4-2.
Wil Myers led off the seventh with a double, his first hit in 16 at-bats. Two batters later, Spangenberg padded the lead, smacking an opposite-field shot over the left-field fence.
For the second night in a row, the Padres bullpen prevented the Indians from crossing the plate. Rookie Phil Maton inherited a pair of runners and recorded a career-high five outs. In the bottom of the eighth, Renfroe cut down Jose Ramirez at home with a rocket from right. The rookie's seven outfield assists are the most among major league right fielders this season.
The Padres were outhit, 14 to 13, but they edged the Indians in timely offense. For the first time this season, San Diego began a road trip with two straight victories.
Indians manager Terry Francona missed a second consecutive game as he continued to undergo tests to determine why he has experienced an increased heart rate and lightheadedness. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, told reporters Francona likely will not be present for Thursday's series finale, either. Bench coach Brad Mills has led the Indians in Francona's absence.
