The coronavirus depleted San Diego Padres, with five players on the injured list either due to a positive COVID test or contact tracing, split a double-header against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday in Colorado.
The Padres won game one 5-3 after 7 innings before the Rockies earned the split with an extra-inning 3-2 win in game two, taking the Padres to the eighth frame.
Padres catcher Victor Caratini had the big hit in the first game when he hit a bases-loaded shot over the wall in right field to break a 1-1 tie in the 6th inning. It was Caratini's first grand slam with the Padres and the team's first this season, reviving the "Slam Diego" moniker for the first time in the 2021 MLB season.
Game two was tied at 2 after 7 innings, but it didn't go much further. In the 8th inning (the first extra inning), Padres reliever Nick Ramirez gave up a walk-off double to Josh Fuentes that scored Charlie Blackmon with the winning run/
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The Padres played without Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers, both out due to positive COVID tests. The team was also without Eric Hosmer, Jorge Mateo and Jurickson Profar due to contact tracing, so the Padres were missing five key players.
After the double-header, Padres Manager Jayce Tingler had this to say when asked about the current state of his team after the crazy 20-hour period before Wednesday's double-header that saw the Padres temporarily lose a major portion of their roster due to COVID-19.
"The guys are feeling well, so that's the most important thing. I guess things can change, but right now they don't have symptoms which is a very good thing. Our guys are following the protocols and following the rules and so I guess the main thing is checking in on our guys, and right now we don't have any symptoms and I think that's a really good thing," Tingler said.
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Next up for the Padres is a Friday home game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
