Ty France broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run, pinch-hit triple, Xander Bogaerts added a two-run homer in the eighth, and the San Diego Padres captured a road series win over the San Francisco Giants with a 5-1 victory Wednesday afternoon.
After taking over from opener Bradgley Rodriguez, Matt Waldron (1-1) threw five one-run innings for his first win of the season, propelling San Diego to a second straight triumph after a series-opening defeat on Monday.
After offsetting solo homers by the Padres’ Gavin Sheets, his fifth of the season, and Giants’ Rafael Devers, his third, the Padres took advantage of an inning-opening throwing error by San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman to grab the lead for good in the seventh.
Giants starter Adrian Houser (0-4) was pulled at that point, then watched as Keaton Winn walked Ramon Laureano.
Winn got two outs as the runners reached second and third, before France greeted Matt Gage with a flyball down the right-field line that barely eluded a diving Jesus Rodriguez, scoring Fernando Tatis Jr. and Laureano.
The triple was France’s second of the year. He’d totaled just four in his first seven major-league seasons.
Bogaerts’ homer, his second of the series and seventh of the season, came two batters after Ryan Walker walked Manny Machado to lead off the eighth.
After Rodriguez needed just seven pitches to set down the Giants in order in the first, Waldron allowed just Devers’ homer and one other hit in his five innings. He struck out seven and did not walk anyone.
Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller, making his first appearance of the series, combined for six strikeouts over the final three innings, allowing just one hit.
Nick Castellanos had two hits for the Padres, who out-hit the Giants 6-3.
Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles for San Francisco, which has lost eight of its last nine.
Houser was charged with two runs (one earned) on three hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out three.
