Jake Cronenworth was at the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the second inning and he looped a ball through the middle of the infield that kicked off the second base bag and rolled into left-center field. Two runs scored to give the San Diego Padres a 2-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants.
The base hit and carom off the bag led to a seven-run inning for the Padres that allowed them to cruise to an 11-1 win, and a three-game sweep, over the Giants at Oracle Park, Wednesday.
After the Cronenworth two-run single, Elias Diaz walked to load the bases for Fernando Tatis Jr. He hit a line drive through the middle of the infield that gave San Diego a 4-0 lead and left runners at the corners. Luis Arraez hit a sacrifice fly that pushed the score to 5-0. Manny Machado added an RBI-double to make the score 6-0, and he advanced to third on a Jackson Merrill single. Machado came in to score on a passed ball and the Padres had a 7-0 lead after the second inning.
San Diego added three runs in the top of the fifth inning after back-to-back doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Ryan O’Hearn to make the score 8-0. The Padres pushed their run total to double digits when the next batter, Ramon Laureano, hit a two-run home run to left field to put San Diego up, 10-0.
The final run of the game for the Padres came in the top of the seventh inning when Tatis Jr. hit a two-out, RBI-single to left field that allowed Laureano to score, extending the lead to 11-0.
The seven runs scored by San Diego in the top of the second inning allowed starter Nick Pivetta to pitch without pressure and he did just that. Pivetta completed 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The one run allowed by Pivetta came in the bottom of the seventh inning when Jung Hoo Lee hit a one out triple and scored a batter later on a sacrifice fly ball to ensure San Francisco avoided the shutout.
The Padres got contributions from their entire lineup. Each starter had a hit and Laureano led the way, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk with a strikeout.
San Diego is off Thursday, and returns to action, with at least a share of the NL West Division lead, on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday at 7:10 p.m.