WASHINGTON -- San Diego and new slugger Juan Soto repeatedly failed to come through in the clutch against his former club, and the last-place Washington Nationals beat the wild-card-chasing Padres 4-3 when the go-ahead run scored thanks to an overruled call on a play at the plate Saturday night.
Playing their second game since learning of Fernando Tatis’ steroid suspension, the Padres built a 3-0 lead thanks in part to solo homers from Manny Machado and Trent Grisham. But Yu Darvish (10-6) gave away that edge on back-to-back deep balls off the bats of Yadiel Hernandez and Joey Meneses in the sixth.
With Luis García on in relief, Victor Robles, who came into the day batting just .229, smacked a single to right, where his good pal Soto plays, and César Hernández — who had three hits and a stolen base for the night — raced home from second base.
Soto’s throw reached home just as Hernández did — and the immediate on-field ruling was that the runner was out. But Washington challenged, saying catcher Austin Nola blocked the plate, and the appeal succeeded, meaning the run counted and the Nationals snapped the 3-all tie.
Padres manager Bob Melvin came out to argue with crew chief Paul Emmel, even walking over to step on the plate while making his point, and eventually was ejected. That came hours after Melvin reached out to Tatis for a phone conversation a day after the All-Star shortstop was banned for 80 games — meaning he is gone for the rest of 2022 and the start of 2023 — after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The Padres left 12 runners on base, including two in the first inning and the bases loaded in both the second — when Soto, traded from Washington on Aug. 2, lined to right — and the seventh.
Soto, traded by Washington to San Diego on Aug. 2, was greeted by an extended round of applause when he stepped to the plate as the game’s second hitter against Aníbal Sánchez. He stepped out of the box and raised his helmet to acknowledge the fans.
Soto walked in that plate appearance and again in the eighth. He also produced a run-scoring single in the fourth that made it 3-0 after Machado's 21st homer and Grisham's 15th.
Sánchez, a member of the 2019 World Series champions in Washington who missed all of last season, has now given up 10 homers in six appearances this year. He allowed three runs in five innings Saturday.
Washington’s Kyle Finnegan (4-2) threw a scoreless seventh, and Carl Edwards Jr. worked the ninth for his second save of the season.
CRUZ CONTROL
Nationals DH Nelson Cruz had two singles to raise his career hit total to 2,000.
WHAT A START
Meneses now has five homers in nine career major league games — the 30-year-old made his debut on Aug. 2. Since 1901, only Trevor Story, who hit seven homers in his first nine career games with Colorado, has put on a greater power display in that span to start an MLB career, the Nationals said, citing Baseball Reference.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: C Jorge Alfaro (sore right knee), who hasn't played since Monday, went through a workout and caught some pitchers' bullpen sessions. Melvin said he's “encouraged” that Alfaro will be able to catch Sunday.
Nationals: SS Luis García was out of the starting lineup with a strained left groin, a day after leaving in the eighth inning. Ildemaro Vargas slid over from third base to shortstop on Saturday, and Maikel Franco played third. ... LHP Patrick Corbin threw a bullpen session Saturday and is scheduled to start Tuesday. ... RHP Erick Fedde (15-day IL; right shoulder inflammation) is expected to make a rehabilitation start at Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday. ... LHP MacKenzie Gore (15-day IL; left elbow inflammation), part of Washington's return for Soto in the deal with the Padres, took 25 throws from 75 feet Saturday.
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up the three-game series with San Diego sending LHP Blake Snell (4-6, 3.96 ERA) to the mound against Washington RHP Paolo Espino (0-4, 4.04).
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