SAN DIEGO (AP) — Call them the San Diego Slammers.
Eric Hosmer hit a historic shot that made San Diego the first team in major league history to launch grand slams in four straight games, and the Padres needed an unearned run in the 10th inning for a wild, 8-7 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.
The Padres swept the four-game, home-and-home series, with a slam in each one.
Hosmer’s go-ahead shot against Kyle Gibson with one out in the fifth inning bounced off the top of the right field wall and into the seats for a 5-2 lead. Austin Hedges, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado were aboard for Hosmer’s third career slam and fifth homer this season.
Earlier this week, Tatis, Machado and Wil Myers slammed the Rangers.
The Padres’ slams in three straight games had been the most in the big leagues since 2006 and the most in the NL the Cleveland Spiders did it in 1895 against the Boston Beaneaters.
Hosmer said the slam streak feels “incredible, it really does. We were kind of talking about it before the game, just how amazing three was in three games. The situation came up and it’s not really something I was thinking about during the game, but as soon as I got back to the dugout I was thinking about it. Even sweeter is we came away with the win.”
He said he missed a good first pitch changeup, but “just tried to stay with my approach, try to get something in the air and find a way to get those runs in.”
The Padres are “doing a good job of loading the bases. They’re all doing a good job of missing the take sign. I don’t know,” rookie manager Jayce Tingler said with a chuckle. “I don’t know what to say. They’re creating opportunities, they’re getting pressure in the zone, guys are getting out of the zone and we load them up and they’ve been ready to hit.”
San Diego’s bullpen had another shaky performance, allowing the Rangers to twice overcome deficits in the late innings. Although Tingler had said earlier in the day that veteran reliever Drew Pomeranz was healthy, he said afterward that the left-hander was unavailable due to tightness in his shoulder and is day-to-day.
With the score tied at 7 in the 10th and Myers on second, rookie Jake Cronenworth singled to center and fielder Scott Heineman bobbled the ball, allowing Myers to score.
The Padres also won in the 10th on Wednesday night on Machado’s walkoff grand slam.
San Diego needed consecutive homers from Ty France and Hedges in the eighth inning to go up 7-6. Nick Solak homered leading off the ninth to tie it at 7 for the Rangers, his second.
Pierce Johnson (2-1) got the win and Luis Garcia (0-1) the loss.
But the Padres’ porous bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. The Rangers tied it at 5 with two outs in the seventh against Michel Báez when Danny Santana cleared the bases on what was ruled a double when the ball popped out of center fielder Trent Grisham’s glove.
Jose Trevino hit a go-ahead single off Luis Patiño in the eighth.
San Diego regained the lead when France and Hedges hit consecutive homers with one out in the bottom of the inning off Jesse Chavez.
The Padres' grand slam barrage started with Tatis’ drive Monday night at Texas, when the 21-year-old star shortstop hit an opposite-field shot on a 3-0 pitch with the Padres leading by seven runs in a game they won 14-4. That angered the Rangers, and even Tingler initially wasn’t too happy because Tatis missed a take sign before homering. The next day, Tingler said he was happy with the end result.
Myers hit a slam in a 6-4 win at Texas on Tuesday and Machado connected Wednesday night for a 6-3 win.
Jose Trevino had given the Rangers the lead with a two-run homer off Dinelson Lamet in the fifth.
Lamet held Texas hitless through four innings, but the Rangers ran up his pitch count and finally got to him in the fifth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a leadoff single and Trevino followed with his first homer.
Myers’ single in the first brought in Machado.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward called it “Probably the toughest loss I’ve been around, especially just how hard we fought. We’re down 5-2, we hit a big home run early, got the lead and obviously we gave it right back. For our ballclub to kind of fight the way they did, a few times tonight, to get back into it and tie it up. It is tough."
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: Placed SS Elvis Andrus (lower back strain) and OF Willie Calhoun (strained left hamstring) on the 10-day injured list. To take their places on the roster, RHP Kyle Cody was recalled from the alternate training site and INF Yadiel Rivera was selected from the alternate training site.
UP NEXT
Rangers: LHP Kolby Allard (0-1, 5.25 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game series at Seattle, which counters with LHP Nick Margevicius (0-1, 3.14).
Padres: RHP Garrett Richards (1-1, 3.45) is scheduled to start the opener of a home three-game series against the Houston Astros, who counter with RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 5.47). Houston has won eight in a row.
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