SAN DIEGO (AP) — Michael Wacha pitched seven shutout innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hit two of San Diego's four solo homers in the Padres' 5-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.
Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz also homered for the Padres, who have won five of their last six games and have an opportunity to sweep the three-game series versus Cleveland and reach the .500 mark for the first time since May 11th.
“With the talent that these guys have, you get it in the air and it is going to go,” San Diego manager Bob Melvin said. “He (Wacha) is spoiling us, really.”
Wacha (7-2), who has a major league best 0.91 ERA since the beginning of May, gave up four singles in 6 2/3 innings. He lowered his season ERA to 2.89.
“Overall, I felt like every pitch was working well for me,” Wacha said. “It was a really fun win for sure.”
Tatis led off the first inning with his 14th homer of the season, a shot that cleared the left-field wall by a few feet for a 364-foot home run. It was his 11th career lead-off homer and came against Aaron Civale (2-2).
“This is what I am capable of,” said Tatis, who had a homer, two doubles, two stolen bases, two runs scored, a diving catch, and an outfield assist. “This team is so talented, everybody knows it, we know it. It is just a matter of coming together and performing."
Machado hit a solo home run to left-center in the third to stake the Padres to a 2-0 lead against Civale, who gave up two runs in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and allowed five hits.
In the sixth with two out and the bases empty, Tatis hit his second double of the night down the left-field line, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Guardians pitcher Sam Hentges. Soto followed with an opposite field homer to left for a 4-0 Padres lead.
“We are getting there, little by little," Soto said of the Padres offense. “We are getting close to where we want to be.”
Cleveland had an opportunity to get back into the game in the seventh after Wacha was pulled with two outs and the bases loaded. However, San Diego reliever Steven Wilson came to strike out Myles Straw to extinguish the Guardians threat.
“That seventh inning got a little crazy on me,” Wacha said. “Big time punch-out from Wilson.”
Cruz hit his solo shot in the eighth off Cleveland reliever Xzavion Curry.
“There are guys on this team that can carry this team by themselves,” Cruz said. “Today was a great example.”
Padres reliever Tim Hill pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to preserve the shutout.
The Padres benefited from stellar defense with both centerfielder Trent Grisham and right-fielder Tatis making outstanding diving catches on the run in the fifth inning. Tatis also threw out Amed Rosario in the ninth after Rosario singled to right but took too wide of a turn around first base.
“We are really starting to find our way a little bit across the board,” Melvin said. “The defense has been good, the pitching has been good all year. Now it is about the offense.”
