PITTSBURGH (AP) — San Diego’s first half couldn’t have been much more disappointing. The Padres wasted a four-run lead in a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday that left San Diego with a 37-44 record at the season’s midpoint.
“I know from the outside it looks like a bunch of overpaid guys not performing,” Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “But sometimes there’s just no answer. We’re going through it right now.”
Henry Davis capped his first three-hit game with go-ahead single in a three-run seventh inning that rallied the Pirates to a three-game sweep, San Diego has lost five straight and eight of 10 since taking two of three from major league-best Tampa Bay.
The Padres, who began the season with Major League Baseball’s third-highest payroll at nearly $258 million, are 10 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West and eight back for the last NL wild card.
“Look, we have to put these things away and we have to be mentally tough,” manager Bob Melvin said. “At some point in time, we have to start over and understand this isn’t what we wanted. There’s nothing we can do about it. We need to have a big second half.”
Davis, the top pick in the 2021 amateur draft, had two RBIs and raised his average to .351. He is 13 for 37 since his June 18 recall from Triple-A Indianapolis and has a seven-game hitting streak.
“Just trying to be a tough out,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of ways you can help the team. … Finding ways to make things happen, move the baton.”
The start of the game was delayed 45 minutes because of poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires.
Nick Gonzalez began the comeback with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Davis cut the deficit to 4-2 with an RBI single in the sixth.
Tim Hill (1-2) relieved Musgrove starting the seventh and walked pinch-hitter Rodolfo Castro leading off, and rookie Jared Triolo singled.
Jake Suwinski followed with a dribbler down the first-base line and Hill made a rushed throw to first that bounced down the right-field line. Suwinski was credited with a run-scoring infield hit and Triola, who had been on second, scored on the error. An embarrassed Hill covered his face with his glove.
“Everyone sees it. We feel it, for sure,” Musgrove said. “But if you think this team is rolling over, you’re sorely mistaken. … It just feels like every loss that goes by just piles on and piles on, and piles on. We need to put a couple good games together here.”
Luis García relieved and retired Andrew McCutchen on a groundout. Davis then flared an opposite-field single into right for a 5-4 lead.
Dauri Moreta (4-2) pitched a hitless inning. David Bednar got four outs for his 16th save in 17 chances, striking out Trent Grisham, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto.
San Diego built its lead on Ha-Seong Kim’s sacrifice fly in the first, Grisham’s two-run homer in the second and Kim’s home run in the fourth.
Musgrove allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“There’s plenty of fight left in this team,” Musgrove said. “We haven’t played our best ball yet. We’re sure not giving up yet.”
MASKED MAN
McCutchen, who was Pittsburgh’s DH, wore a mask at first base after singling to left in the first inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: SS Oneil Cruz continues to progress in his recovery from breaking his left fibula on April 10, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Cruz has started to play catch up to 75 feet, occasionally going back to 90 feet. … OF Bryan Reynolds, on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation, hit before the game. He could be an option to play in the coming days, Tomczyk said.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Seth Lugo (3-4, 4.01) is in line to start Friday’s series opener at Cincinnati. Lugo will start in place of RHP Yu Darvish, who was scratched from a start Tuesday in Pittsburgh because of an illness.
Pirates: RHP Osvaldo Bido (0-1, 3.45) will take the mound Friday in the opener of a series against Milwaukee.
