KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – AUGUST 26: Wil Myers #5 of the San Diego Padres hits a single in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
In their final game in Miami, a week ago Wednesday, the Padres scored 10 runs to beat the Marlins. Then they scored a total of nine runs in a 6-game homestand against Washington and Cleveland.
Maybe they just don't like hitting at Petco Park?
San Diego opened a road trip with another offensive explosion, pounding out 19 hits in a 13-5 win over the Royals in Kansas City on Friday night. For most of the season they've needed Joe Musgrove to pick them up. This time they were able to pick him up.
Musgrove was staked to a 6-0 lead, which was built with help from back-to-back home runs from Wil Myers and Jake Cronenworth, but started struggling in a big way and allowed four runs in the 4th inning before being pulled. With the lead cut to 6-5, San Diego's bullpen went to work. Robert Suarez, Adrian Morejon, Tim Hill, and Nabil Crismatt combined for 5.1 shutout innings and the bats kept bashing, led by Ha-Seong Kim.
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The shortstop hit leadoff for the first time and probably earned another look at the top of the order. In the 6th inning Kim had an RBI single to make it 7-5. In the 7th inning he doubled to bring home Cronenworth and Jose Azocar (who had four hits himself) to put the Friars on top 11-5.
In the 9th inning, 1st baseman Hunter Dozier was in for mop-up duty and Kim didn't go easy on him, blasting a 2-run homer to left field. Kim finished 3-for-6 with five RBI. Since learning about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 80-game suspension Kim has become a force, batting .348 with a .934 OPS and playing stellar defense.
The Padres can win the series behind Yu Darvish, just back from paternity leave, on Saturday evening.
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