Xander Bogaerts had two hits and three RBI to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-0 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon.
Bogaerts drove in all three runs off Pirates starter Andrew Heaney (2-3) in the first two innings as San Diego won its fifth in a row and completed a three-game sweep. The Padres recorded their eighth shutout of the season and beat the Pirates for the ninth consecutive time. Pittsburgh lost its fourth in a row and was shut out for the sixth time this season.
In the first, Bogaerts followed a two-out double by Manny Machado, who had three hits, with a single that made it to left field off the glove of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Elias Diaz, who had two hits, led off the second with a solo homer to left — his third of the season — off a 90-mph fastball from Heaney.
Later in the inning with two outs and runners on the corners, Bogaerts delivered another two-out hit when he roped a double to left to score Brandon Lockridge and Luis Arraez, who also finished with two hits.
Heaney struggled for the second consecutive outing and has now failed to last five or more innings in back-to-back starts.
Heaney’s shortest start this season ended after he loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth when he gave up a single to Machado and walked Bogaerts and Luis Camposano. Reliever Colin Holderman struck out Oscar Gonzalez, however, to keep the Padres from adding more runs.
In addition to Heaney’s four runs allowed, he gave up eight hits, walked four and struck out three on 100 pitches.
For San Diego, Stephen Kolek (1-0) shined in his season debut and first major league start, pitching 5 1/3 shutout innings and allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four.
Joey Bart and Tommy Pham, who played in his first game since Wednesday, each had two hits to lead the Pirates offensively.
Pittsburgh’s best chance to score came in the bottom of the seventh when Matt Gorski delivered a pinch-hit triple off Padres reliever Adrian Morejon with one out. But on the next at-bat, Jared Triolo grounded to third and Machado threw out Gorski at the plate.
–Field Level Media
