SAN DIEGO (AP) — A night after hitting a home run clocked at 116 mph, All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres showed off his cannon arm.
Tatis, voted to start in the All-Star Game next week in Denver, nailed Starlin Castro at the plate in the second inning on a relay throw that was clocked at 96 mph, the defensive highlight of a night that otherwise belonged to San Diego's offense in a 7-4 win against the Nationals.
Wil Myers hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs, and Manny Machado celebrated his 29th birthday with three hits and three runs.
Castro tried to score on Yan Gomes’ double into the left-field corner. Jurickson Profar fielded the ball and threw to Tatis, who was set up on the line on the outfield grass and fired a one-hopper to Victor Caratini to get Castro.
“The big thing about those is they're such momentum plays, and they can shift one way or the other," manager Jayce Tingler said. “For us to execute that right — Profar gets to it, gets it to Tatis and throws a very good long hop in where Victor can handle it and tag, and it just swings momentum."
Tingler said it also gave rookie left-hander Ryan Weathers “confidence to get right back in the zone and get going. It's nice to see everyone pick everyone up. We needed that today.”
Castro tried to score on Yan Gomes’ double into the left-field corner. Jurickson Profar fielded the ball and threw to Tatis, who was set up on the line on the outfield grass and fired a one-hopper to Victor Caratini to get Castro.
“Obviously that's a game-changer,” Weathers said. “It's nice getting an out any way you can and an out like that is pretty cool. I was backing up so I got to see the whole thing happen.”
Asked to guess the speed of Tatis' throw, Weathers said: “Hard.”
Myers homered to right-center off Erick Fedde (4-5) for a 3-0 lead with no outs in the fourth inning. It was his 10th. Machado was aboard on a leadoff double and Eric Hosmer on a single.
“The right-center home run was big,” the right-handed Myers said. “That's definitely something that is a key for me when I'm going well, that's what I'm doing."
Josh Harrison tied it with a three-run homer to straightaway center field off Weathers with no outs in the fifth, his fifth. Starlin Castro was aboard on a leadoff single and Yan Gomes on a double.
The Padres chased Fedde in the three-run fifth. Trent Grisham hit a leadoff single and All-Star Jake Cronenworth walked with one out. Machado singled in Grisham and that was it for Fedde. Sam Clay came on and allowed Eric Hosmer's RBI single and Myers' sacrifice fly.
Machado doubled with one out in the seventh and scored on Myers' double.
Weathers (4-2) was trying to go six innings for the first time but got the hook after allowing All-Star Juan Soto's solo homer with one out in the sixth that cut the Padres' lead to 6-4. Weathers allowed four runs and seven hits, struck out two and walked none.
All-Star Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save in 30 chances.
UP NEXT
LHP Patrick Corbin (5-7, 5.56 ERA) of the Nationals and RHP Chris Paddack (4-5, 4.56) of the Padres are scheduled to start Wednesday night in the third game of the four-game series.
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