Four errors. A four-game losing streak. Two unwelcome season firsts for the San Diego Padres, who saw their ten-game wining streak on Sunday come to an ugly end.
Cole Hamels rebounded from a shaky start to shut down the Padres offense, retiring the final sixteen batters he faced, as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Padres 5-0 to cap a three-game sweep. It was only the second time all year the Padres have been swept in a series, the other coming at home to the Dodgers back in early May.
“Hamels was really good today,” said manager Bud Black, “His velocity is back, good cut fastball, good change, we got a couple singles but couldn’t really get to him.”
Hamels (8-10) came into the game with a lifetime 2.18 ERA in 3 starts at Petco Park and improved on those numbers in a masterful performance. He threw 50 pitches in the first two innings, working out of a two-out two-on jam in the first, then found a rhythm and was unhittable.
From the 3rd through the 8th innings, Hamels retired 16 straight Padres, needing only 65 pitches to do so. Hamels allowed four hits total over eight frames, walking none while striking out six.
“He kept throwing strikes, didn’t walk anybody,” said Black, “even when we were fouling some balls off, he was around the plate. He pitched a good game.”
Clayton Richard committed two of the Padres' four errors
Clayton Richard (12-6) was almost as good, but saw a personal five-game winning streak come to an end mostly at his own hands. Richard made a pair of errors which both led to Philadelphia runs, and issued a two-out walk in the 7th which preceded Mike Sweeney’s first Phillies homer, a two-run liner into the left-field “Klesko Corner” and the ground floor of the Western Metals building.
“One good thing about this team is, we learn from every loss,” said Richard, “and we’ll learn from this loss and keep working. Nothing has changed.”
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the third inning in unusual fashion. Carlos Ruiz reached on a one-out infield single to deep shortstop. With Hamels at the plate squaring to bunt, Richard tried to keep Ruiz close with a pickoff throw, but his errant toss skipped away for an error.
Hamels, freed from bunting, then grounded out on the right side, advancing Ruiz to third base. He scored on Jimmy Rollins’ two-out single to right, making it 1-0 Philadelphia.
Both Richard and Hamels hummed through the middle innings like they were parked with the meter running. While Hamels retired 12 of 13 from the third through the sixth, Richard allowed no hits or walks over a span of twelve straight batters.
Mike Sweeney is greeted at home plate after hitting a two-run HR off Clayton Richard
The streak ended suddenly in the seventh. After striking out the first two men he faced, Richard jumped ahead of Jayson Werth before being battled for a full-count walk. Mike Sweeney then got a pitch low and in and launched a one-iron just over the left-field fence down the line, bouncing into the Padres store in the ground floor of the Western Metals building on one hop.
Things unraveled further in the eighth, as Richard committed his second error of the game, throwing away a bunt attempt at second base. With runners at first and second and nobody out, Rollins’ sinking liner to right was grabbed by a diving Ryan Ludwick. Looking for the double play, Ludwick jumped up and tried to throw behind the runner Hamels at first base, but missed everything and threw the ball into the Padres dugout for a two-base error.
Jayson Werth’s 18th homer of the year, a liner just over Scott Hairston’s leaping glove in left field, capped the scoring in the ninth off reliever Luis Perdomo.
The Padres had not lost four in a row since August 13th-16th of 2009, but their skid has coincided perfectly with a San Francisco collapse. The Giants dropped two out of three at home to the lowly Diamondbacks, allowing San Diego to nurse a five-game lead in the NL West through the weekend.
Now, San Diego travels to Chase Field to take on those same Diamondbacks for the final time this year, a three-game set which opens at 6:40 on Monday night, with Wade LeBlanc taking on Joe Saunders.
This story will be updated later with a complete postgame video report, including interviews with Bud Black, Cole Hamels and Clayton Richard.
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
