ECM PADRES REPORT: ERROR COSTS PADRES GAME ONE AGAINST BUCS

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By Liz Alper

Photo:  Eric Hosmer drove in an RBI in the Padres' loss to the Pirates.  Via @Padres on Twitter

May 17, 2018 (Pittsburgh) - The Padres are finally getting some variety in their schedule with an East coast road trip to face the Pirates.  Eric Lauer started on the mound against Chad Kuhl for Pittsburgh.

Kuhl was stoning the Padres until the third when Travis Jankowski beat a throw to first with runners on second and third to score Freddy Galvis.  Eric Hosmer did the same thing to score Manuel Margot to put the Friars up 2-0.

The Pirates struck back in the fourth when Corey Dickerson lined a ball to left that Franchy Cordero tried to dive for, but couldn’t come up with it.  A run scored and the Pirates were on the board.  David Freese tied the game on a sac fly to left that scored Josh Bell.  Then the Pirates jumped out in front with Sean Rodriguez’s RBI double that scored Dickerson, again to left and a three-run inning gave the Bucs a 3-2 lead.

The Padres came right back in the fifth with Hosmer’s two-RBI double off the center field wall.  It forced Kuhl out of the game, to be relieved by Grossmont High alum Steven Brault, who retired the side.  The Padres still led 4-3.

The Buccos tied it up again thanks to Bell’s RBI single in the home half of the fourth straight up the middle that scored Max Moroff and kick Lauer out of the game.  He was replaced by Craig Stammen who ended the inning, the score now tied at four.

The Bucs got their big break in the seventh when Dickerson grounded hard to Christian Villanueva, who bobbled the play and allowed Gregory Polanco to score from third and one error by the Padres was all it took for the Bucs to secure a 5-4 win in game one.

Game two tomorrow is at 4:05 p.m.  Tyson Ross will start against Ivan Nova for the Pirates.