Padres deliver crushing reality check after Pirates’ Konnor Griffin celebration

The Pirates had every reason to make Wednesday feel like a celebration. They had just handed Konnor Griffin a franchise-record nine-year deal worth at least $140 million, putting a huge public stamp on the teenager they believe can shape their future. For a little while, Pittsburgh got to sit in that excitement. Then the Padres gave the whole thing a quick reality check.

San Diego closed the series with an 8-2 win at PNC Park, took two of three, and left town looking a lot more settled than a team that opened the year wobbling around on offense. 

The one loss in the series came against Paul Skenes, and there is no shame in that because plenty of teams walk away from a Skenes start looking annoyed with life. San Diego still won the set, finished the road trip 4-2 after also taking two of three at Fenway, and pulled itself back to .500. 

Padres crash Pirates’ Konnor Griffin extension party with telling road series win

Craig Stammen called it a “really good road trip,” and that feels right, because this trip had a little more edge to it than just stacking a few wins. The Padres looked more like a team settling down and remembering what it is supposed to be. 

Wednesday’s finale was especially encouraging because the Padres had to wait. They dealt with Mitch Keller throwing six scoreless innings and keeping the game in neutral. Michael King matched him, giving San Diego six strong frames of his own while allowing only two runs and limiting Pittsburgh to two hits through the first six innings. Then, in the seventh, made the inning expensive. Xander Bogaerts reached on an error, Miguel Andújar doubled, Nick Castellanos ripped a two-run double, and Jake Cronenworth followed with a two-run shot that turned a tense 0-0 game into a 4-0 Padres lead.

Manny Machado got his first day off of the season, and instead of the lineup feeling hollowed out, Andújar stepped in and helped spark the rally. Castellanos, who has been bouncing between first base, DH and left field, kept showing why the Padres valued his bat and versatility enough to bring him in.

And then there was the other part the Padres should feel good about: they did not fold when Pittsburgh pushed back. Konnor Griffin’s sacrifice fly and Joey Bart’s RBI single cut the lead to 4-2 in the seventh, and there was a moment there where the crowd could feel the script trying to swing back toward the home team. Instead, San Diego held the line. Kyle Hart, Jeremiah Estrada and Mason Miller finished it off, with Miller extending his active scoreless streak to 26 2/3 innings. Ramón Laureano’s sliding catch on Griffin’s liner was one a sneaky turning point. It was the kind of play that keeps a celebration from becoming a comeback. 

Griffin still got his headline. But the Padres got the better ending. They left looking like a team that may have found some traction on the road, handled the emotional temperature of the series, and made sure the biggest story in the ballpark did not become the final word.