One week to the day after getting no-hit by Diamondbacks rookie Tyler Gilbert it looked like the Padres were going to be on the wrong side of history again.
Oh, how quickly things can change in this wacky game of baseball.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola took a perfect game into the 7th inning and was one out away from a complete game … and got a no-decision because the Padres staged a 4-3 comeback win that might have saved their season.
Nola was flirting with perfection until Trent Grisham led off the 7th reaching base on an error by 1st baseman Brad Miller. Two batters later Manny Machado singled to score Grisham.
Not to be overlooked is Padres starter Joe Musgrove, who was fabulous, as well. Musgrove gave up a solo home run to Odubel Herrera on the 2nd pitch of the game, then gave up just two more hits and no runs while striking out nine over 6.0 innings of work.
The Padres bullpen faltered in the 8th inning. Nola led off with a double then Tim Hill walked a pair of hitters and nailed Didi Gregorious with a pitch to bring in Nola with the go-ahead run. Hill was replaced by Austin Adams, who leads the league in hit batters.
He added another one, plunking Miller to score Philly’s 3rd run. With the way Nola was throwing that felt like it would be enough.
The right-hander struck out Grisham to lead off the 9th, his 11th punchout of the 9th. Nola then walked Fernando Tatis Jr. and got Machado to line out to left field. Phillies skipper Joe Girardi decided to give his guy a chance to finish what he started.
On pitch 117, that strategy flew over the outfield wall. Jake Cronenworth ripped a game-tying, 2-run home run that put a long-awaited charge into Petco Park (even if folks at Petco Park couldn’t charge any food or drinks) and sent the game to the 10th inning.
Mark Melancon kept the Phillies off the board in the top half. Adam Frazier led off the bottom of the inning with a single to move Wil Myers to 3rd base. Ha-Seong Kim hit a hard grounder to 1st base that got Myers stuck in a rundown and moved Frazier to 3rd base with Grisham walking to the plate thinking about playing the hero.
He didn’t get a chance.
Connor Brogdon spiked a changeup that bounced to the backstop, a wild pitch that brought in Frazier with the winning run. Since the Reds beat the Marlins, the Padres stay deadlocked with Cincinnati for the 2nd National League Wild Card Spot.
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