Sep 20, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres aid pitcher Robert Suarez (75) seems to be on after a two-run dwelling run hit by Chicago White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa (not pictured) in the course of the ninth inning at Petco Park. Obligatory Credit score: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Photos San Diego Padres supervisor Mike Shildt has defended nearer Robert Suarez currently however the query should be requested: Does a probable playoff-bound staff with World Collection goals have a severe query to reply about Suarez?
The Padres’ 3-2, 10-inning win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday went additional innings solely as a result of Suarez allowed his third crucial homer within the final 15 days. Lenyn Sosa handed him his third blown save in that span with a two-strike, two-out homer within the ninth inning.
If there is a save scenario for San Diego when it tries for a sequence win Saturday evening in opposition to visiting Chicago, will Suarez get the decision? Supervisor Mike Shildt nonetheless appears to trust in his nearer, who has 33 saves and 6 blown saves on the season.
“I’ll take him tomorrow in a one-run recreation, I’ll inform you that,” Shildt stated Sunday after a 4-3, 10-inning win in San Francisco that noticed Suarez give up a game-tying homer to Heliot Ramos that despatched the sport to extras.
That fear apart, the Padres (88-66) made important strides towards clinching a playoff spot. Their magic quantity is down to a few coming into Saturday evening’s recreation after the Atlanta Braves’ 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.
They personal a two-game lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the Nationwide League’s first wild-card spot and stay 4 video games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead.
San Diego will ship left-hander Martin Perez (4-5, 4.36 ERA) to the mound on Saturday. Perez obtained a no-decision on Sunday, permitting one run on two hits in 5 innings with a stroll and two strikeouts. He is 2-0 with a 2.72 ERA in eight begins with the Padres, who’re 7-1 in his video games since he was acquired in a July commerce with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Perez is 4-3 with a 5.50 ERA in 9 profession begins in opposition to the White Sox, who’ve touched him for 63 hits and 35 runs over 54 innings.
In the meantime, Chicago (36-118) is simply two losses away from tying the 1962 New York Mets for essentially the most losses in a 12 months in MLB historical past. It appeared for a second that it’d delay the march to infamy after Sosa’s homer nevertheless it as an alternative could not money within the automated runner within the tenth, then misplaced two pitches into the underside of the inning on a game-winning hit by Fernando Tatis Jr.
The White Sox flip to Chris Flexen (2-14, 5.09), who obtained a no-decision of their 7-6 win over Oakland final Saturday. Flexen tossed 5 scoreless innings, permitting six hits and two walks whereas struck out eight. He is struggled in 4 earlier outings in opposition to San Diego, going 1-2 with an 8.78 ERA and yielding 22 hits in 13 1/3 innings.
Flexen is hopeful he can duplicate the environment friendly, dominant efficiency of teammate Garrett Crochet. Pitching the primary 4 innings Friday evening, Crochet permitted only one hit and no walks, putting out eight in a efficiency interim supervisor Grady Sizemore praised.
“Nearly as good as he is appeared all 12 months,” Sizemore stated of Crochet. “They appeared like they weren’t getting good swings on him in any respect. The ball was popping out. It was electrical.”
–Area Stage Media