Spangenberg homers in Padres' win over Phillies
Spangenberg homers in Padres' win over Phillies
SAN DIEGO -- Cory Spangenberg was among the reasons the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 on Monday night.
Most would point to Spangenberg's three hits, one of which was his career-high 11th home run, as the reasons why he shined.
However, manager Andy Green was more impressed with something else. He noted that Spangenberg's hustle allowed him to reach second safely on a fielder's choice, which helped fuel the Padres' four-run sixth inning.
"Probably the biggest thing he did was to fly into second base," Green said. "That kept that inning extended and let us score all of those runs."
Austin Hedges and Jose Pirela each had two RBIs for San Diego.
Spangenberg, who scored a career-high three runs and extended his hitting streak to six games, stroked his homer in the seventh for a 7-4 margin. It was his third home run in two games, and this one went to the opposite field.
"I'm just trying to see my pitch, sit in a specific zone and not go outside that," Spangenberg said. "I'm just trying to hit the ball where it is pitched and try to drive it to all fields."
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In his past six games, Spangenberg is hitting .435 (10-for-23).
Thanks to the sixth-inning rally in which they batted around, the Padres won for just the second time in six games.
The Phillies, losers of four of their past five, squandered rookie Rhys Hoskins' first two major league homers.
"It's something that you obviously dream about," said Hoskins, a California native who had about 40 family and friends cheering for him. "You dream about getting here, then you dream about hitting a home run here."
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was impressed.
"I don't think anybody's hit two home runs in the same game for us this year, and it was nice to see him do that," Mackanin said. "Hope to see more."
Both starters, Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff and San Diego's Travis Wood, pitched five innings, but neither figured into the decision. Eickhoff gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits, while Wood yielded two runs on six hits.
Jose Torres (7-3), who got one out in the sixth, earned the win. Brad Hand worked the ninth for his 10th save.
Ricardo Pinto (1-1) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs in two innings.
The Phillies seized a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Spangenberg made an error at third on Cesar Hernandez's grounder, scoring Tommy Joseph. The inning included singles by Joseph and Nick Williams.
"It was a play that I should have made," Spangenberg said of mishandling Hernandez's ball to his backhand side. "But then you have to move on to the next play. You can't think about it."
Hedges' run-scoring single tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. Carlos Asuaje's sacrifice fly pushed the Padres ahead, and Pirela's two-run single made it a 6-3 game.
Hoskins' second homer in the seventh pulled Philadelphia within 6-4.
With San Diego trailing 2-1, Spangenberg opened the fourth inning with a single. He advanced on Hedges' single, stole third base and scored on Maikel Franco's bad throw on Manuel Margot's grounder. That tied the game 2-2.
The Phillies went ahead 2-1 when Hoskins smacked his first career homer in the top of the fourth. He redirected Wood's 89 mph fastball 402 feet as the solo blast bounced off the scoreboard above the left field seats.
Odubel Herrera's third-inning double stretched his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games and brought in Hernandez, who had reached on a walk, to tie the score 1-1. Freddy Galvis was cut down at home on a relay from center fielder Margot to second baseman Asuaje to catcher Hedges.
The Padres struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the second on Hedges' run-scoring fly ball. Eickhoff was able to limit the damage after the Padres loaded the bases with no outs, with two reaching on walks.
NOTES: Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins was called up last week as a first baseman, but he started again in left field and homered twice. ... Padres manager Andy Green had his contract extended through 2021. ... RHP Kirby Yates was reinstated from the family leave list and pitched a perfect eighth inning. ... RHP Jose Valdez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. Valdez was up with the Padres for three days as a replacement for Yates, and he pitched two innings of one-run ball Sunday at Dodger Stadium. He has no decisions and a 6.92 ERA in a combined nine relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego this year.