Pirates Blow Three-Run Lead Late in Game, Fall to Padres 4-3

Things started out on the right foot for the Pirates, but a costly error followed shortly after by a home run propelled the Padres to a 4-3 victory over the Bucs on Friday night in San Diego.

The Pirates jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a first-inning home run courtesy of Bryan Reynolds, his sixth long ball of the season.

No doubter. pic.twitter.com/lpFCvt9dE3

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 28, 2022

The Bucs added on in the third inning when Diego Castillo doubled home both Ben Gamel and Josh VanMeter, who both reached base on walks.

San Diego tied the game at three after Luke Voit blasted a three-run homer in the sixth. It came with two outs, and the Pirates looked like they had three but VanMeter didn’t have his foot on the bag on what would have been an out earlier in the inning.

VanMeter was playing first base because Michael Chavis was removed from the game with left forearm discomfort.

The Padres took their first lead of the game in the eighth inning. With runners on the corners, Wil Myers broke his bat, but the bat died a hero as the ball fell in untouched in shallow centerfield to give San Diego a 4-3 lead.

Jose Quintana turned in another strong effort on the mound. He finished the night with 5.1 innings, two unearned runs, four hits, two walks, and four punchouts. His season ERA now sits at 2.15.

The Pirates and Padres will meet again on Saturday night. JT Brubaker (0-4, 4.64) will look to keep his strong stretch going against his former teammate Joe Musgrove (5-0, 1.90).

Takeaways

• Cool San Diego Breeze: For the second straight game, Quintana really had the swing and miss stuff going. In his last outing against the Cardinals, Quintana lasted only 3.2 innings but recorded 12 swings and misses, which at the time was his second-highest total of the season. Quintana eclipsed that mark, recording 14 empty swings by Padres batters, one shy of his season-high of 15 on Apr. 28 against the Brewers. All four of Quintana’s strikeouts on the night were of the swinging variety.
• Cal Impressing Early: The sample size is still small, but Cal Mitchell has looked like a veteran to begin his Major League career. He now has hits in all three games to begin his Major League career, including a double off of Padres starter Sean Manaea in this one. Mitchell also drew a walk against the left-hander and has shown a professional approach by only striking out one time so far through 12 plate appearances.
• The Game Of Inches: Baseball is the game of inches and inches allowed the Padres to tie the game in the sixth inning. The Pirates would have been out of the inning had it not been for VanMeter’s error and the home run from Voit came on a slider that was left a couple of inches too far over the plate; a play VanMeter and a pitch Crowe wish they could get back.