SAN DIEGO (AP) — Travis Wood settled in quickly with the San Diego Padres.
Acquired Monday in a six-player trade with Kansas City, Wood picked up on the energy of a young team that plays hard — even if it is mired in fourth place in the NL West — and got reacquainted with former teammates with the Chicago Cubs, Clayton Richard and Matt Szczur.
Then he went out and combined with three relievers on a three-hitter Friday night to help the Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2. Cory Spangenberg tripled in the tying run and scored the go-ahead run on a ball four wild pitch in the sixth.
Wood (1-0) allowed two runs and two hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one. He retired his last 10 batters after allowing Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer in the third.
“I was taking this opportunity like a fresh start,” Wood said. “Come here and don’t think about anything that has happened this season. Just come in and put in the work and help the ballclub out. This team has a lot of passion and wants to play well so I’m glad I can help the team.”
Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates each threw a hitless inning before Brad Hand, the Padres’ only All-Star, pitched the ninth for his sixth save, allowing only McCutchen’s single. Hand extended his scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings.
Wood had an RBI single in the fourth.
“Overall, you couldn’t ask for anything more,” manager Andy Green. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. He was just in the midst of year that just wasn’t going well. He gets a fresh start over here and you see who he is.”
San Diego won its third straight while the Pirates lost their third in a row and for the fifth time in six games.
Spangenberg tripled into the right-field corner with one out in the sixth to score Jose Pirela, who was aboard on a single that chased starter Chad Kuhl. With two outs, Allen Cordoba walked but ball four was a wild pitch by Daniel Hudson (2-5), bringing in Spangenberg.
“I missed my spot, but it was still kind of a decent pitch,” Hudson said. “Sounded like he broke his bat, but still did a good job staying inside, pulling his hands in and keeping it fair. Impressive.”
Wood hit a bases-loaded single to left in the fourth to bring in Spangenberg. The inning ended when Cordoba rounded second too far and was tagged out.
McCutchen hit a two-run homer with two outs in the third inning to reach 700 career RBIs. With Harrison aboard on a walk, McCutchen drove a pitch into the second deck in left field. It was his 19th.
McCutchen is the 13th player in team history to reach 700 RBIs.
The Pirates struck out 12 times.
“They got us in swing mode,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was kind of the opposite of what we talked about. We were trying to get them in swing mode. They got us in swing mode. They executed their pitching plan pretty well, stayed out of the middle. Kept us off the barrel that’s for sure.”
Kuhl allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out four and walked five.
TALK TO THE HAND
Hand has been the subject of trade talks, so this might be his last weekend with the Padres. He appeared in his third straight game, and has converted each of last four save opportunities.
If Hand is still with the Padres on Saturday, he’ll probably get the day off. “He walked right of the mound and I was shaking his hand afterward and he said, ‘I’m up tomorrow, right?’ ” Green said. “That gives you an idea of how he feels about it. He’d like to pitch every single day. But it’s probably in our best interest and his best interest to give him a day at this point.”
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (10-7, 3.62 ERA) has won two of his last three decisions and five of his last eight.
Padres: Rookie RHP Dinelson Lamet (4-4, 5.92 ERA) is 2b-1 with a 4.30 ERA in four starts at Petco Park.
