Hedges leads Padres to 4-3 win over Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Austin Hedges got excited when he saw the bunt sign with the game on the line.
That plan didn’t work out, but the San Diego Padres backstop still came through.
Hedges hit a pair of solo homers and had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth, Jose Pirela also went deep and the Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Friday night.
After Cory Spangenberg and Carlos Asuaje hit singles off Hector Neris (2-3), Hedges fouled off a safety squeeze before hitting a fly ball to right-center that drove in the go-ahead run.
“I wanted it,” he said about being asked to put down the squeeze. “I love that moment. I take a lot of pride in my bunting. I’ll probably work on it tomorrow.”
Hedges got the job done, anyway.
“To get that sac fly, I was very pleased after I didn’t get the bunt down,” he said.
Padres manager Andy Green had no hesitations about asking a guy who has 13 homers to bunt.
“He’s really good at getting the safety squeeze down,” Green said.
“And as well as he had swung the bat today, you’ve got a strikeout pitcher on the mound with a very good split and a very good high fastball and if you’re evaluating where his strengths and weaknesses reside, that’s not the greatest matchup, which is great credit to him that even with two strikes he managed to get the job done. That was a great job after not getting the safety squeeze down.”
Padres starter Clayton Richard allowed one run and five hits in six innings before a 94-minute rain delay forced him out. Brad Hand (2-4) got four outs for the win and Brandon Maurer finished for his 18th save.
Richards was more impressed with Hedges’ performance calling the game and swinging the bat.
“It’s extremely impressive,” Richards said. “I think catching at this level is the toughest thing to do in athletics.”
Following the long rain delay before the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies rallied off San Diego’s bullpen.
Cameron Rupp got it started with a single off Phil Maton, and pinch-hitter Nick Williams followed with a double. Rupp scored on a groundout, and Freddy Galvis hit an RBI single off Hand to tie it at 3-3.
Phillies starter Nick Pivetta gave up three runs and five hits, striking out nine in seven innings.
“Excellent job by (Pivetta),” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “Two of the three homers were on hanging curve and hanging slider but he pitched very well and should’ve won.”
Pirela launched a 450foot shot to left-center in the first. Hedges connected in the third and fifth . He missed the previous two games because of neck stiffness.
Philadelphia’s Tommy Joseph hit an opposite-field shot to right for his 15th homer in the fourth. He also had a double and walked twice.
“Still some things I’m working on but I’ve done a better job of putting the ball in the air which helps with extra-base hits,” he said.