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The San Diego Padres are slowly building momentum after an underwhelming past week. They defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 in tonight's game in the second of their three-game series. The win pushed the Friars' record to 70-58, while the Royals fell to 51-77.
Wil Myers kept his home run streak going in the series. After yesterday's solo shot in the second inning, the 31-year-old homered once again. This time, it was a two-run blast in the second inning that sparked a comeback for the Padres after being down 3-0 in the first inning.
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Manny Machado and Brandon Drury each singled home a run in the third and that would be all that's needed to overcome Kansas City.
Yu Darvish also had a respectable start for the San Diego Padres. The star hurler pitched seven innings, issuing only three runs on five hits while striking out six batters. This improved Darvish's record to 11-7 and a 3.41 ERA.
The San Diego Padres bullpen also did a superb job in the contest. Robert Suarez had an impressive outing for the second-straight night. He pitched another scoreless inning after being rewarded with the victory yesterday. Nick Martinez, who has been up and down the Padres' rotation, also impressed. He clinched the save after a one-hit and one strikeout final inning.
The two teams will once again face each other tomorrow to close out their three-game series.
San Diego Padres are slowly carving out a playoff spot
The Padres are performing just according to expectations, even if they've been mildly inconsistent this season. Pre-season predictions have them pegged into the mix along with their California counterparts, the Dodgers and the Giants, to duke them out for the division title this year.
The Dodgers have performed as usual, dominating the National League West. The Giants have fallen off massively. The San Diego Padres, meanwhile, have managed to hang on.
The real test of the Padres, however, will come just after their series with the Royals. They will have four series against National League West opponents. This will start off by facing the Giants and Dodgers on the road for a pair of three-game sets. They will then host the Diamondbacks for three games before welcoming the Dodgers at Petco Park.
The next opponents of the Padres will be a good test of attrition for the team to try and solidify themselves as legitimate contenders in the division and the league.
