Memorial Day meant fireworks night. Who knew the Padres’ offense would provide the most explosive performance of the evening?
San Diego erupted for a Petco Park record 18 runs on 19 hits in an 18-6 laugher over the New York Mets on Monday night. The victory cinched another winning homestand for the NL-leading Padres (31-20), and gave their pitching staff a much-needed breather.
The Padres, who had managed just 16 runs total over the first six games of the homestand (winning four of six), scored in double digits for the fourth time in 51 games this season. Amazingly, three of those four outbursts have come with Kevin Correia (5-4) on the mound. The San Diego starter scuffled, allowing six earned runs in six innings, but still secured his fifth win of the season.
“We have an understanding,” joked Correia after the game, “before I go out there, (the offense knows) that they need to score some runs. They’ve been unbelievable. I think I just broke my own record for run support.”
The middle of the lineup broke out in a big way against a beleaguered quintet of Mets hurlers. Chase Headley led the attack with four hits, including a 7th inning homer, his 4th of the season. Headley scored four runs and drove in one.
Watch: postgame video interview with Chase Headley
Mets starter Hisanori Takahashi (4-2) set the tone by allowing a two-out grand slam to Jerry Hairston Jr. in the second inning. The frame began with three straight singles, one of four innings on the night where the Padres opened with the first three runners reaching base. Takahashi almost wriggled out of the jam, getting Luis Durango on a shallow fly and striking out Correia. But Hairston roped a floater into the second deck of the Western Metals building for his third homerun of the week and second career grand slam.
Embedded soundbyte: Padres manager Bud Black says the Hairston slam helped lift the Padres:
San Diego put the game well out of reach against a Mets’ bullpen that apparently wasn’t a priority for GM Omar Minaya this season. Lefty middle reliever Raul Valdes failed to retire any of the five batters he faced in the 5th inning. Right-hander Ryota Igarashi matched Valdes by letting five straight reach to start the 6th, then did him one better by allowing six earned runs.
Enjoying the romp, Chris Denorfia drove in three runs on three hits, Nick Hundley had three hits, 2 RBI and two runs scored, and Luis Durango knocked in the first two runs of his MLB career.
While Correia gave ground with three runs allowed in the 5th and two more in the 6th, he felt good overall about his performance on Monday (embedded soundbyte):
Kevin Correia allowed six runs but still picked up his 5th win of the year (AP photo courtesy SDNN)
When a team is on a roll like the Padres, everything seems to come together perfectly. On a night when the bullpen was in need of rest, the top three reliever combo of Gregerson, Adams and Bell was rendered unnecessary. Now, they will be fresh for a stretch in which the Padres will face top pitchers Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and Roy Halladay in consecutive games.
And, just in time for an upcoming road trip, Adrian Gonzalez showed signs of breaking out. The Padres first baseman, who entered the night hitting under .200 at home, came up with a 2-for-3 night, walking twice and scoring three runs. Gonzalez’s line single to the opposite field in the third seemed to indicate to this reporter that he was on the verge of regaining his swing. Adrian wasn’t so quick to proclaim his recent slump over, however (embedded soundbyte):
Black, however, agreed that when Gonzalez is hitting to the opposite field, he’s usually soon to start hitting to all fields (embedded soundbyte):
Remarkably, in a year of anemic offense the Padres have now broken their park’s single-game scoring record twice in two months. At 31-20, San Diego enjoys the best record in the National League and a two game lead over the second-place Dodgers. Wade LeBlanc will look to turn around his recent string of poor starts when he takes on Mike Pelfrey of the Mets on Tuesday night at 7:05pm.
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
