Bullpen Shines as Padres Blank Rangers for 3-Game Sweep

The Rangers left 10 runners on, including two each in the sixth and seventh and the bases loaded in the eighth

Craig Stammen #34 of the San Diego Padres throws against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 11, 2021 in Arlington, Texas.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Trent Grisham and Manny Machado homered, Craig Stammen led a parade of six effective San Diego relievers after starter Adrian Morejon left early with an injury, and the Padres beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.

Grisham pulled a 1-0 fastball into the right-field stands off Mike Foltynewicz (0-2), who had retired the first nine batters. Machado hammered a 2-2 changeup off Ian Kennedy deep down the left-field line leading off the ninth.

The 22-year-old Morejon retired the first two batters and walked Joey Gallo before departing with an elbow/forearm strain. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Stammen (1-1) took over and pitched through the fourth inning, his longest appearance since May 2017. The 37-year-old struck out three and allowed only a second-inning single to Jose Trevino on a ball that third baseman Ha-Seong Kim bobbled.

Taylor Williams, Tim Hill, Austin Adams, Emilio Pagan and Mark Melancon followed Stammen as the Padres held Texas to five hits, three walks and two hit batters while striking out 10. Melancon is 5 for 5 in save opportunities this season.

The Rangers left 10 runners on, including two each in the sixth and seventh and the bases loaded in the eighth trailing by one run. Pagan struck out pinch-hitter Ronald Guzman looking on a 2-2 fastball to end the eighth.

Foltynewicz became the first Texas starter this season to pitch into the seventh. He finished the inning and allowed one run on two hits and three walks.

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Two of the wins in the series were shutouts. On Friday night, Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in Padres history.

SHORT HOPS
The Padres are 5-0 against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, which opened last season, and have won eight straight games against Texas. … Machado went down looking twice, one day after being ejected following a called third strike in the eighth inning. … The Rangers, Major League Baseball's only team allowing 100% fan capacity, attracted 163,853 spectators for their six-game opening homestand, an average of 27,309.

TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: OF David Dahl (calf tightness) was held out Sunday after originally being penciled in as the DH and is day-to-day.

UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Yu Darvish (0-0, 4.22 ERA), with 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings, will open a four-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday against RHP Trevor Cahill (0-1, 15.75).

Rangers: RHP Dane Dunning (1-0, 1.80), coming off his first major league win, will open a four-game series at Tampa Bay on Monday against RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 0.75).

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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