SAN FRANCISCO — After blowing yet another ninth inning lead in a late night defeat on Tuesday, the San Francisco Giants still looked asleep on Wednesday, falling to the San Diego Padres 3-1 in another listless offensive performance at AT&T Park.
The Giants managed just four hits and one run while facing a pitcher, Luis Perdomo, who entered Wednesday’s game with a 5.89 ERA in 17 starts. San Francisco has now lost six consecutive games to a Padres team that currently sits 13 games under .500.
Madison Bumgarner did enough to earn a quality start, allowing three runs in six and 2/3 innings while striking out five, but was saddled with his ninth loss of the season. Bumgarner pitched his 200th inning in 2016, marking the sixth consecutive season he’s reached that mark.
San Diego shortstop Louis Sardinas proved to be the thorn in San Francisco’s side, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and scoring two of the Padres’ three runs.
The visitors wasted no time getting on the board against Bumgarner, opening scoring in the first inning when Sardinas scored from third base on a fielder’s choice.
Joe Panik evened things up for San Francisco in the second, smacking an RBI single into center to score Brandon Crawford from second base.
The Giants would lose the lead in the sixth inning, going down 2-1 during a sequence that perfectly encapsulates how things have been going for San Francisco since the all-star break. Buster Posey appeared to end the inning by throwing out Sardinas at second, but a replay review found him to be safe. Two pitches later, San Diego’s Alex Dickerson slapped a single into left field, scoring Sardinas, who beat a weak throw from Angel Pagan.
Bumgarner’s day ended in the seventh inning following a two out RBI double by Sardinas. The Giants’ ace had a chance to end the inning, going up 0-2 against the previous hitter Jon Jay, but squandered the opportunity by throwing four consecutive pitches out of the zone.
Derek Law made his first appearance for San Francisco after returning from the 15-day DL, pitching a scoreless inning in the top of the ninth.
Johnny Cueto will take the hill for San Francisco on Thursday as the Giants open a four-game series against a St. Louis Cardinals team also fighting for a Wild Card spot. First pitch is slated for 7:15 pm on KNBR 680.
The Cardinals and Mets both lost Wednesday as well, keeping the Giants atop the Wild Card standings.