Padres Use Four Run 6th Inning To Survive In Seattle

The Padres won the first leg in the quest for the Vedder Cup, taking game one in Seattle, 5-4. The Padres scored four runs in the sixth inning, and held off a Mariners rally in the bottom of the ninth.

The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd inning, when Chase Headley blooped a flair into left field, scoring Everth Cabrera. The Padres missed out on a golden opportunity to score in the 4th, after Chris Denorfia led off the inning with a triple. He was left stranded, as the Padres could not put the ball in play off of Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. With the score even at 1, the Padres broke it open in the 6th.

The Friars played a little small-ball, scoring 4 times. Cameron Maybin, and Nick Hundley delivered with RBI singles, and Everth Cabrera laced an RBI triple into the center field gap. When the smoke cleared, the Padres sent Hernandez to the showers, scoring five earned runs off of the Mariners ace.

Clayton Richard turned in one of his best outings of the year for the Padres, pitching 7 innings, and allowing just one earned run. It was also Richard’s first road victory since July of 2011. Richard improved his record to 3-7.

The Padres seemed to have the game in hand, taking a 5-1 lead into the 9th inning. Joe Thatcher gave up a homer to Michael Saunders, and a double to Chone Figgins. The Mariners brought the winning run to the plate, but Huston Street recorded the final two outs for his sixth save of the year. The Padres improved their record to 21-41 with the win in Seattle.