SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 8: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on August 8, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Every time he steps on the field, Fernando Tatis Jr. does something special. It used to be amazing because he's only 21 years old. Now it's amazing for anyone at any age.
Tatis Jr. hit a pair of home runs, including his 8th career leadoff shot (in just 98 career games and he didn't lead off in all of them), but the rest of the Padres offense let opportunities get away from them in a 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday night at Petco Park.
The shortstop phenom went deep on the 2nd pitch of the game, then hit another solo blast in the 8th inning to account for the entirety of the San Diego run-scoring output. It was his third hit, a single, that should have been part of a rally that never happened.
Greg Garcia led off the 3rd inning with a double and Tatis Jr. singled up the middle. It was hit too hard for Garcia to score but there were runners at the corners with nobody out, a fantastic opportunity to get a run home.
Instead Trent Grisham struck out and Manny Machado grounded into a double play to end the inning. Leaving that runner on was the difference in the ball game.
In the 4th inning the Diamondbacks put runners on the corners with less than two outs and didn't miss their chance. Stephen Vogt hit a fly ball to right field to score Starling Marte and tie the game 1-1.
It was still tied in the 6th inning when Padres starter Chris Paddack, who was sharp for the first five innings, left a couple of pitches out over the plate and it hurt him. Marte and Vogt both hit solo homers to put the Diamondbacks up 3-1.
Local
Tatis Jr.'s second bomb made it a 1-run game but that last run never materialized. The Padres fall to 8-7 on the year but can still win the series on Sunday afternoon if Dinelson Lamet can beat Madison Bumgarner.
LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.
