For seven innings Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates hung around against the San Diego Padres, having rallied from a multi-run hole to within one.
But in a game delayed 1 hour, 12 minutes by rain and featuring four lead changes before San Diego busted things open late, the Padres managed 14 hits, overpowering the Pirates to take the series opener 9-4 in front of a crowd of 12,349.
Mitch Keller (1-3, 4.38 ERA) started for the Pirates and lasted five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking one with three strikeouts.
The Pirates (12-21), who fell to a season-worst nine games under .500, trailed 5-4 entering the eighth inning, but the Padres padded their lead off reliever Caleb Ferguson, who allowed four hits and three runs.
“Came in for the left-handers and gave up three hits to the left-handers,” manager Derek Shelton said of Ferguson, who entered the game with a 1.88 ERA. “Looked like just lack of execution — balls up out over the plate. Got in some positive counts and then didn’t finish guys.”
The Pirates scored first in the third inning when Bryan Reynolds drove in Oneil Cruz.
Reynolds gave his club a 1-0 lead but was erased at second to end the inning after trying to stretch his hit into extra bases.
Cruz, who walked, stole his 13th base, getting in scoring position for Reynolds.
The lead was short-lived as Gavin Sheets took Keller deep for a solo homer to lead off the fourth, tying the score.
The Padres (20-11) then went ahead 2-1 courtesy of a Tyler Wade RBI single, which scored Xander Bogaerts, who singled, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by Jose Iglesias.
In the bottom of the fourth, Joey Bart walked, Ke’Bryan Hayes singled on an infield hit and Adam Frazier was hit by a pitch from Dylan Cease, loading the bases with two outs.
To the plate came Alexander Canario, who, after falling behind 0-2, worked a walk, picking up an RBI to tie the score 2-2.
But the Padres again struck back quickly, retaking the lead in the fifth to go up 5-2.
After Oscar Gonzalez, who replaced Fernando Tatis in the third after the latter was plunked in the forearm by Keller, led off with a single, an RBI double by Luis Arraez brought him around to score, putting San Diego up 3-2.
Arraez, who had three hits and three RBIs Friday, then scored after Manny Machado singled.
Cruz made an unsuccessful head-first diving attempt on the ball, with Reynolds fielding it and firing it into the infield.
But Reynolds’ throw got by Enmanuel Valdez and bounced to the Pirates dugout, allowing Arraez to score and giving the Padres a 4-2 lead.
The mishap, charged as a throwing error on Reynolds, put Machado on third base with one out.
“The throw was not a good throw, but Valdez has got to block it,” Shelton said. “That throw’s offline, so we’ve got to move our feet and block it.”
Then, with the Pirates’ infield playing in, Sheets was able to deposit an RBI base hit out of Frazier’s reach at second base, making the score 5-2 Padres.
In the bottom of the fifth, lefty Wandy Peralta took over for Cease, who allowed two runs on three hits over four innings.
Cruz led off with a walk and Reynolds singled before pulling off a double steal, which set up Valdez, who trimmed the deficit to 5-3 with an RBI groundout to first base.
Keller, who threw 64 of his 88 pitches for strikes and took the loss, was also done after five frames.
“Besides the home run, I just gave up a bunch of broken-bat singles, weak contact, (the Arraez) double down the line — I’m not really too upset about it,” Keller said of his outing.
“Obviously, we lost. I’m upset about that, that they scored, but looking back on it, I’m not too displeased on where I was throwing the ball or how it was coming out. It felt good coming out.”
Frazier made it 5-4 in the sixth, lifting a pitch from Alek Jacob over the Clemente Wall for his second homer of the year.
In the eighth, after Ferguson took over, Valdez was involved in another defensive hiccup that led to the Padres plating a run.
With Wade aboard on a single, Jason Heyward grounded up the middle. Jared Triolo fielded the ball but made a low throw to first.
The throw went under Valdez’s glove at first, allowing Wade to advance to third, with Brandon Lockridge eventually scoring him on a single to center field, making the score 6-4.
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Triolo, like Reynolds in the fifth, was charged with a throwing error.
“I think the (throw from Triolo) was a little to (Valdez’s) right,” Shelton said. “(Valdez) also made three really good picks, so I think he’s getting better (at first base). … The pick was just an offline throw.”
Soon thereafter, a two-run single by Arraez put San Diego up 8-4.
In the ninth, Heyward collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly with Colin Holderman pitching.