This story was originally published by Dead Spin
David Peralta hit his first home run in almost a year, helping the San Diego Padres even their three-game series against the Texas Rangers with a 6-4 win on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas.
Manny Machado also homered for the Padres, who got RBIs from Luis Arraez and Jackson Merrill while snapping their two-game skid and winning for the 10th time in 13 games.
Adrian Morejon (2-1) allowed one hit over 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Robert Suarez got the final four outs to secure his 21st save.
Texas’ Corey Seager went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in his first game since Saturday, when he was hit on his left wrist by a pitch. Nathaniel Lowe tallied two singles for the Rangers, who have lost seven of nine.
Peralta, who hadn’t homered since July 8, 2023, went hitless in his first three at-bats before searing a two-run shot into the center field bullpen with one out in the seventh off reliever Dane Dunning (4-7). The blast broke a 4-4 tie.
The Rangers managed one hit, a single, over the final three innings and went down in order against Suarez in the ninth.
San Diego trailed 4-2 entering the fifth inning after Texas scored three times in the third and once in the fourth against San Diego starter Adam Mazur.
The Padres chased Rangers starter Jon Gray in the fifth after Jurickson Profar singled and Jake Cronenworth walked to begin the frame.
Jose Leclerc retired Machado and Solano before the runners executed a double steal. Merrill then squibbed a grounder over third base to score Profar and pull the Padres within 4-3.
Ha-Seong Kim used his speed to tie the game in the sixth after being grazed by a Leclerc fastball to begin the inning. Kim stole second and later scored the tying run on a hit-and-run as Arraez slapped a one-out single to left off Jacob Latz.
Solano singled to lead off the seventh and scored on Peralta’s homer.
After a scoreless first two innings, the teams combined for five runs in the third.
Cronenworth hit a two-out single before Machado lined his 11th home run to left-center to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.
Texas responded with three doubles and a single in the bottom of the inning to go up 3-2. Jonah Heim doubled to lead off the frame and later scored on Leody Taveras’ sacrifice fly.
Seager and Josh Smith slugged back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles to put the Rangers ahead.
Texas went up 4-2 on Heim’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
