Arizona rallies past San Diego with six-run seventh

PHOENIX (Interstat) — Ildemaro Vargas drove in four runs with a triple, a double and a home run, and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat the San Diego Padres 12-7 on Sunday evening at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the seventh inning and four in the eighth to erase a 7-2 San Diego lead. Vargas delivered the decisive blow in the eighth with a two-out, bases-clearing triple that put Arizona ahead 11-7, and Ketel Marte followed with an RBI single to cap the outburst.

Arizona’s comeback overshadowed a historic power display by San Diego third baseman Manny Machado, who hit two home runs and drove in five runs. Machado’s second homer, a three-run shot in the fifth inning, gave the Padres a 7-1 lead.

Ryan Thompson pitched the ninth inning for his second win of the season, allowing two hits but no runs. Bradgley Rodriguez took the loss after allowing four runs in one inning of relief. The attendance was 19,671, and the game lasted 3 hours, 3 minutes.

San Diego starter Michael King turned in a strong outing, working six innings and allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out eight. King left with a 7-2 lead, but the bullpen could not hold it.

The Padres struck first in the second inning. Xander Bogaerts singled and moved to second on a single by Gavin Sheets. Luis Campusano then doubled to left, scoring Bogaerts and sending Sheets to third. A groundout ended the inning, but San Diego led 1-0.

In the third, Fernando Tatis Jr. walked and Machado followed with a two-run homer to center field, his third of the season, extending the lead to 3-0.

Machado struck again in the fifth. After Ramón Laureano walked and was forced out at second on a Tatis grounder, Jackson Merrill singled to put runners at the corners. Machado then drove a pitch to right field for his fourth home run, a three-run shot that made it 6-0. Campusano added a solo homer in the sixth, his third of the year, to push the lead to 7-1.

Arizona began its comeback in the fifth when shortstop Jose Fernandez led off with a solo home run to left, his third of the season, cutting the deficit to 7-1. Vargas answered Campusano’s homer with a solo shot of his own in the sixth, his sixth, making it 7-2.

The Diamondbacks erupted in the seventh. Fernandez singled to start the inning, and Nolan Arenado and Alek Thomas each singled to load the bases with no outs. First baseman Tim Tawa then hit his first major league grand slam to left field, clearing the bases and pulling Arizona within 7-6.

Vargas followed with a double to right, and after a groundout moved him to third, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled to left, scoring Vargas and Corbin Carroll, who had walked, to give Arizona an 8-7 lead.

Arizona added four more in the eighth. Fernandez and Arenado singled to start the inning, and Thomas singled to load the bases. After Tawa flied out, Vargas tripled to right, clearing the bases to make it 11-7. Marte then singled to right to score Vargas, stretching the lead to 12-7.

San Diego threatened in the top of the ninth when Laureano singled sharply to left, but Tatis lined out, Merrill flied out and Machado lined out to third to end the game.

For the Padres, Campusano finished 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Bogaerts and Merrill each had two hits. San Diego out-hit Arizona 11-15 overall, but the Diamondbacks capitalized on timely hitting and capitalized on San Diego’s bullpen struggles.

Fernandez had three hits and a home run for Arizona. Gurriel drove in two runs and had two hits. The Diamondbacks improved to 15-12, while the Padres fell to 18-9.

San Diego had won the previous game in the series, a 6-4 decision on Saturday, and had entered the weekend series having won six of their previous seven games. Arizona had lost four of its previous five before Sunday’s victory.

The Diamondbacks will travel to Milwaukee for a three-game series beginning Tuesday, while the Padres return home to host the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego Padres 7, Arizona Diamondbacks 6. Interstat’s ELO system gave San Diego a 52.70 percent probability to win. San Diego was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total of 19 runs went under the over-under line of 16.