The Padres fell behind the Marlins 5-0 after some shoddy defense behind starting pitcher Dylan Cease. That's an extremely tough deficit to overcome.
They came about three inches shy of going just that.
Trailing 7-6 in the 9th inning, Ha-Seong Kim hit a 2-out blast that hit the top of left field fence, bounced off left fielder Kyle Stowers, and flew over the fence for what initially looked like a game-tying home run. An umpire review overturned the call and ruled it a ground-rule double, leaving Kim at 2nd base, which is where he would stay as Luis Campusano struck out to end it and snap San Diego's 7-game winning streak.
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It was an odd situation, to say the least. Kim's shot never touched the ground before being knocked over the wall. In real time it sure looked like a home run. Padres skipper Mike Shildt explained the situation after the game.
"The rule is if (the ball) hits the wall, hits the defender, then goes over the wall, it's a double. I think they got it right," says Shildt.
The call was, indeed, the proper interpretation of the rule book so any issues the Padres skipper may have are not with the umpires, they're with the way that book is written.
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"Whether I agree with the rule or don't agree with the rule, it's a tough play with the timing of it," says Shildt. "The ball went over the fence. It didn't touch the ground. Feels like a home run. But, the rule tells you differently."
San Diego needed that late run because Cease was not as sharp as we've seen him. He only threw 14 pitches in his last outing, a rain-shortened effort in Pittsburgh. The change in routine might have been enough to throw him off.
Cease allowed two runs in the 1st inning then three more in the 2nd, although those were not all his fault. Kim made a fielding error to allow one runner on then Luis Arraez dropped a throw at 1st base to let in a run. The two miscues allowed Jake Burger to come to the plate. Miami's slugger hit a Cease fastball at the tippy top of the strike zone into the right-centerfield seats for a 2-run shot and a 5-0 Marlins lead.
A trio of RBI groundouts cut into the lead and in the 7th inning things got very interesting. David Peralta doubled home Jackson Merrill to make it a 5-4 game and stir memories of recent comeback wins.
Even when Yuki Matsui allowed a 2-run homer to Jesus Sanchez in the bottom of the 7th to pump the lead back up to 7-4 the Friars had fight in them. In the 8th inning Donovan Solano pinch-hit for Jake Cronenworth and launched a 2-run homer to left field, cutting the lead back to one and setting up the unique 9th inning scenario.
The Padres still finish their road trip through Miami and Pittsburgh with a sparkling 5-1 record and come back home to start a 3-game series on Monday at Petco Park against the Pirates with a familiar face on the mound. Joe Musgrove will return from the 60-day Injured List and make his first big league start since May.
