SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego closer Robert Suarez got a huge called third strike with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning and the Padres beat Pittsburgh 3-2 on Friday night for their 10th straight victory over the Pirates.
After Jason Adam loaded the bases with two outs, Suarez came in and struck out Henry Davis looking on a low pitch that appeared out of the strike zone. Davis tossed his bat and started taking off his wrist guard in anticipation of taking first and then threw up his arms in disgust and tossed his helmet. Andrew McCutchen, representing the tying run, put his hands on his helmet in surprise halfway up the line.
Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected by plate umpire Edwin Jimenez.
The four-out save was Suarez’s major league-leading 18th. He struck out three.
Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (6-2) held the Pirates to two runs and six hits while striking out eight and walking none for his first win in five starts.
The right-hander cruised through five scoreless, two-hit innings and had a 1-0 lead before allowing two runs with two outs in the sixth. Tommy Pham and Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to open the inning. Pivetta retired Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen on one pitch apiece before allowing RBI singles by Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz.
The Padres regained the lead in the bottom of the inning against Mitch Keller (1-7). Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk and raced around to score on Luis Arraez’s opposite-field double into the left-field corner. Arraez advanced on Manny Machado’s fly ball to left and beat second baseman Adam Frazier’s throw home with a headfirst slide on Jackson Merrill’s grounder.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Machado doubled with two outs and came home when Merrill’s single carmoned off the glove of sliding shortstop Kiner-Falefa.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-7) allowed three runs and three hits in six innings.
Tatis got a huge jump ahead of Arraez’s double and scored standing up.
The winning streak matches the second-longest against an opponent in Padres’ history, done four times.
Pirates LHP Bailey Falter (3-3, 3.47 ERA) and Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-3, 4.58 ERA) were scheduled to start Saturday night.
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