SAN DIEGO (AP) – Eric Hosmer hit an RBI double with no outs in the 13th inning to give the San Diego Padres a 2-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.
Hosmer, San Diego’s $144 million man, drove the first pitch from Mike Mayers down the right field line and after a few strides, tossed his batting helmet aside in celebration.
John Brebbia (1-0) had thrown two perfect innings for the Cardinals before walking A.J. Ellis to open the 13th. Ellis was replaced by pinch-runner Jordan Lyles, a starting pitcher, who advanced to second on a passed ball. Travis Jankowski walked and the Cardinals brought on Mayers to face Hosmer.
Adam Cimber (2-1) pitched a perfect 13th for the win.
The Cardinals had a chance to take the lead in the 11th. Jedd Gyorko, a former Padres player, hit a leadoff single to center and took third when Greg Garcia, who went to high school in suburban El Cajon, singled to right with two outs before Maton retired Kolten Wong.
The Padres had two chances to win it late. They had runners on first and second with one out in the 10th before Hosmer grounded into a double play.
In the ninth, they had runners on first and second with no outs before Bud Norris struck out the side. Pinch-hitter Cory Spangenberg struck out when he bunted foul for strike three and Norris then got Raffy Lopez and Freddy Galvis swinging.
Tyson Ross and Michael Wacha were locked in a pitching duel through six innings, with each starter allowing one run on three hits.
Ross had held the Cardinals scoreless on two singles until the sixth, when Jose Martinez doubled in Paul DeJong with the tying run. DeJong was hit by a pitch to open the inning.
The Padres got their run off Wacha in the second when Raffy Lopez singled with two outs, advanced on Freddy Galvis’ ground out and scored on first baseman Martinez’s errant throw trying to get Lopez at third.
Ross struck out seven and walked two. Wacha struck out five and walked one.
HONORING KT
As part of a weekend honoring the 1998 NL champion Padres, the late Kevin Towers was inducted into the team’s hall of fame. Towers was general manager from 1995 to 2009 and built four division winners, including the ’98 team that reached the World Series before being swept by the New York Yankees. Towers died of a rare form of thyroid cancer on Jan. 30 at age 56. Towers also built a division winner with Arizona.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: 3B Christian Villanueva slammed into the low wall and tumbled into the netting chasing a foul ball by Dexter Fowler with two outs in the eighth inning. He was shaken up but remained in the game. Villanueva was pinch-hit for by Spangenberg in the ninth.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (1-2, 3.45) is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday. He made a rehab start with Double-A Springfield on Monday while recovering from an inflamed right elbow. He closed out all three St. Louis wins in the 2006 division series against San Diego, including a save in Game 2.
Padres: LHP Clayton Richard (1-5, 5.72) pitched a season-high eight innings of three-hit ball and struck out eight in his last start, Tuesday night against Washington, but took his fourth straight loss.
Photo credit – Kelvin Kuo / Associated Press / San Diego, CA