SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres (27-17) fell two games behind in the Vepper Cup after their bats went silent in a 4–1 loss to the Seattle Mariners (25-19) on Saturday night at Petco Park.
San Diego went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and most came in key scenarios to take the lead, with multiple innings of having a runner at third base with less than two outs.
In the second inning, the Padres had runners on second and third with one out, but Jake Cronenworth and Elias Díaz struck out. In the fifth inning, the Friars loaded the bases with one out, only for Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill to strike out. The only run they scored came off a solo home run by Gavin Sheets in the fourth.
The lack of offensive production disregarded another great start by Nick Pivetta (5-2, 2.86 ERA). Pivetta worked six innings of one-run ball. He struck out seven and allowed only two hits and a walk.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the seventh inning, until the first pitch of the inning was delivered by Adrián Morejon, who had just relieved Pivetta. Cal Raleigh hit a 398-foot solo homer to left field, his 15th homer of the season, tying him for second in the majors in that category.
The Mariners extended their lead in the top of the ninth when Dylan Moore hit a two-out RBI single with the bases loaded to make the score 4-1.
The Padres have lost three of their last five and will look to avoid the sweep Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Michael King (4-1, 2.32) will take the rubber for the Padres against Mariners’ right-hander Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.84).