The San Diego Padres continued their dominant rise to the top Wednesday at Petco Park with an 8-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the Padres’ sixth straight win against Pittsburgh this season.
MLB insider Yonder Alonso believes the credit for the win goes to key players like Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Higashioka, Donovan Solano, David Peralta, Martin Perez, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez. Alonso believes the team’s long-awaited success started with Bogaerts’ return.
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“It starts with Bogaerts and it ends there with Bogaerts,” he said. “And I think when you look at the Padres, it’s not just the stars; it’s those glue guys too, Harold. And you know that’s how I had to look at it. It’s just so much fun to watch.”
The Padres are riding on a purple field, marking the first time they have won 19 of 22 games. Meanwhile, the Pirates suffered their 10th straight loss for the first time since last season.
Padres manager praises his players
The Padres earned a second sweep victory against the Pirates. and their dominant selection is the reason for that. Martin Perez allowed just one run in five hits, with eight strikeouts and a walk in 5 1/3 innings against his former team.
Perez was acquired by the Padres from the Pirates at the trade deadline this season. Manager Mike Shildt thinks it was one of the team’s best decisions.
“He’s been huge,” Shildt said. “He’s just a real veteran with moxie and he’s got the stuff to match.”
Meanwhile, Jake Cronenworth and David Peralta hit home runs to contribute to Wednesday’s win. On his 37th birthday, Peralta hit a two-run drive in the third, putting his team ahead 8–0.
Shildt praised Peralta for his presence on the field:
“He just continues to put out good at-bats. He’s a positive presence on the field and in the clubhouse.”
The manager also said that he always expected every player to perform best on the pitch, which was clear on Wednesday afternoon:
“We talked a lot about getting contributions from the whole 26. Today it was on display again.”
The San Diego Padres will look to end this season with a bang in the upcoming series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Edited by Bhargav
