EXTRA-INNINGS BATTLE SLIPS OUT OF PADRES' HANDS, LITERALLY. LOSE 7-6

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

July 26, 2016 (Toronto) - Canada welcomed the Padres head-on yesterday.  Today, the tables turned; Melvin Upton Jr. was on the other team, in his new home stadium, facing his old team.  Kind of like Adam Banks in the second Mighty Ducks movie.  He and the Jays faced Andrew Cashner, while the Padres faced Jays rookie Marcus Stroman.

The curse was real. Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer in the first and the Jays took a 2-0 lead.

The Pads got a run back on Ryan Schimpf’s double in the second that scored Yangervis Solarte and the Padres went up 2-1.

But the Jays pulled back out by two on Justin Smoak’s homer in the fifth that put them ahead 3-1.

But the Poway kid saved the day.  After Solarte’s failed homer that was caught by Kevin Pillar, Alex Dickerson exacted revenge with a three-run homer that put the Pad Squad ahead 4-3.

But things got away from Pads reliever Brad Hand in the seventh.  Jose Bautista struck out, but it was a wild pitch with the bases loaded and Russell Martin scored and the game was tied at four.

And so we went to extra innings.  On and on we went until Matt Kemp decided that in the 12^th, he had had enough and blasted his 23^rd homer of the season, a two-run bomb for the Pads to lead in extra innings 6-4.

But they weren’t going to win that easy.  With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12^th, Joey Bats walked, bringing home a runner and making the score 6-5.  The Jays tied the game on a single from Josh Donaldson and so we pressed on.  But not for long because a ball got away from Derek Norris and Devon Travis came home and in a matter of seconds, game two was handed to the Blue Jays, 7-6.

Hope you're ready to wake up early tomorrow or stream the game at work as the Padres try to avoid the sweep; the series finale between the Pads and the Jays is at 9:37 a.m.  Luis Perdomo will start for the Padres.