Rosales helps Padres salvage split versus Nationals
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres broke ties in both the fourth and fifth with a pair of two-run innings to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Sunday to gain a split of the four-game series with the National League East leaders.
The key plays were a two-run double by Adam Rosales in the fourth and a throwing error by Washington starter Gio Gonzalez in the fifth that led to two runs.
Although he allowed three solo homers, left-hander Drew Pomeranz (6-7) picked up the win after permitting three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in six innings.
Fernando Rodney secured his 14th save in as many chances and still has not yielded an earned run in 25 1/3 innings this season. Rodney struck out the side for the second straight game against the Nationals.
The left-handed Gonzalez (3-6) gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. He has lost five straight decisions since his last win on May 2.
The Nationals tied the game in the top of the fifth on solo homers by Danny Espinosa and Michael Taylor off Pomeranz, who allowed three on the day - including two to Taylor.
Washington scored on the game's first pitch as Taylor lined the game-opening fastball from Pomeranz 355 feet into the left seats. His second homer traveled 358 feet in much the same direction to give the center fielder his first career, multi-homer game.
Espinosa's homered on a 2-0 pitch, the drive carrying 426 feet to center.
The Padres got on top to stay in the bottom of the sixth thanks to the second costly throwing error by a Nationals pitcher in as many games.
Yangervis Solarte drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the fifth and Melvin Upton Jr. then dribbled a ball down the first-base line. Gonzalez had no play at either base and threw wildly to first allowing Solarte to reach third and Upton second.
Norris broke the 3-3 tie with a sacrifice fly to left and Alexei Ramirez made it 5-3, scoring Upton on a single to center.
The Padres made it 6-3 in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Ryan Schimpf opened the inning with a single, moved to second on Travis Jankowski's groundout to the right side and scored on Matt Kemp's two-out, RBI single to left.
In the bottom of the fourth, Rosales snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run double over the head of Nationals center fielder Taylor in the bottom of the fourth.
Upton and Norris opened the Padres' fourth with back-to-back singles before Gonzalez retired Ramirez on a foul popup behind third. Rosales, who was hitting .189 with 42 strikeouts in 106 at-bats, one-hopped the wall in center on a 2-1 fastball to drive in Upton and Norris. The Padres then loaded the bases on a hit batter and a full-count walk drawn by Wil Myers before Gonzalez retired Kemp on a grounder to end the inning.
The Padres countered Taylor's game-opening homer in the bottom of the first. Myers singled with one out, moved to second on an infield out and scored on a Solarte single.
NOTES: Padres CF Jon Jay left Sunday's game in the top of the sixth with a right forearm contusion two innings after being hit by a pitch. ... Travis Jankowski replaced Jay in center and made a leaping catch at the fence on Daniel Murphy's sixth-inning drive to rob the Nationals' second baseman of a game-tying homer. ... Taylor's first-pitch homer Sunday was the fourth game-opening blast by a Nationals lead-off hitter this season. It was the third by Taylor. ... Nationals RF Bryce Harper beat the Padres shift with a well-placed bunt up the first-base line in the first. ... Starting with Monday, the Padres have three days off in an 11-day span. But Padres manager Andy Green said he'll make no changes to the rotation until RHP Andrew Cashner (neck strain) returns from the disabled list. ... 2B Cory Spangenberg will start running on a treadmill this week and Green is hopeful he'll be running on the ground by the time the team returns from a road trip on June 28. Green is hopeful that Spangenberg, who has been sidelined with a quad strain since April 20, will return to action immediately after the All-Star break.