MIAMI- The San Diego Padres held on to take game one from the Miami Marlins on Monday night with a final score of 2-1.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts started a second-inning rally with a first-pitch leadoff double off starter Eury Perez (3-3, 3.23). Bogaerts continues to be hot and is slashing .321/.410/.434 in his last 15 games.
Center fielder Jackson Merrill followed up with an RBI single to bring Bogaerts in. Merrill (.259 BA, .758 OPS) fell behind in the count 1-2, but went down and got a low slider to put the Padres on the board 1-0.
Catcher Martin Maldonado kept the rally going and pulled an inside fastball down the line for an RBI double. Merrill put the burners on and scored from first base to extend the lead to 2-0.
Starter Randy Vasquez pitched well, despite traffic on the bases in almost every inning. Vasquez (3-4, 3.73 ERA) seemed to pitch better with runners on and finished his outing allowing one run and one walk in 4 ⅓ innings pitched.
Vasquez’s only run allowed was to all-star left fielder Kyle Stowers, who jumped all over a hanging changeup for his 22nd home run of the year. Stowers (.295 BA, 934 OPS) is red hot at the plate and has hit six home runs in his last seven games.
Despite the Friars’ offense going ice cold and not recording a hit since the fifth inning, the 2-1 lead was more than enough for the San Diego bullpen. The four horsemen were untouchable against the Miami offense.
Relievers Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Robert Suarez combined for zero runs, two hits and four strikeouts in 4 ⅔ innings pitched. Suarez shut the door on the Marlins for his 29th save of the season.
The Padres (55-45) will face the Marlins (46-53) for game two of the four-game series on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m.