Suarez strikes out with bases loaded in 9th
CINCINNATI — Francisco Mejia hit one off the foul pole. Manny Machado had another big hit off Trevor Bauer. The San Diego Padres were in position for a third straight victory with the NL’s leading closer on the mound.
Kirby Yates came close to giving it up, but found the pitch he needed to finish it off.
Yates fanned Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded Monday night, preserving a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that reminded the Padres of the importance of having a dependable closer, even when he’s not having his best day.
“The best thing about him is it doesn’t matter how highstress the situation, he settles in, he makes good pitches,” manager Andy Green said. “That’s a really good hitter, probably the guy they choose to have up in that moment, and to punch him out to end the game, it’s clutch. It’s Kirby.”
Yates gave up three hits, including Josh VanMeter’s RBI single. Suarez struck out swinging to end it, giving Yates his NL-leading 36th save in 39 chances.
“The way he approaches every batter, the way he approaches every inning is perfect,” starter Eric Lauer said.
Bauer (10-10) recovered from one of the worst outings of his career by giving up three runs and fanning 11 in seven innings. San Diego scored one of the runs on Jose Peraza’s fielding error in left field.
Bauer gave up a careerhigh nine runs in 4 1/3 innings of a 17-7 loss at Washington on Wednesday, getting hit hard in his final inning. He shrugged it off as an oddity.
“I thought I threw the ball really well in Washington,” Bauer said. “That was just one of those innings that come out of nowhere.”
Machado had an RBI single in the first inning, leaving him 10-for-15 in his career off Bauer with four homers, two doubles and six RBIs. Mejia connected in the fourth, his slicing fly ball deflecting off the foul pole in right to put San Diego ahead to stay. San Diego is three homers shy of the club record of 189 from 2017.
Lauer gave up Freddy Galvis’ homer in four innings on a humid, 94-degree night. Luis Perdomo (2-3) fanned four in two innings.
The Padres had a run-saving play in the second inning. Left fielder Josh Naylor threw Suarez out at the plate as he tried to score from second on Peraza’s single.