SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joe Musgrove pitched seven innings for the first time since July 4 and Xander Bogaerts homered for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Musgrove improved to 4-0 against the Blue Jays, who picked him in the first round of the 2011 draft. The big right-hander from suburban El Cajon allowed solo homers to Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement but otherwise pitched well enough to improve to 3-2. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out three.
The Padres snapped a three-game losing streak and prevented the Blue Jays from clinching their first sweep of the season.
Robert Suarez pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
Bogaerts, who has struggled since signing as a free agent before the 2023 season, homered off Chris Bassitt (2-3) leading off the third to tie the game at 2. His only other homer this year was on April 9 against the Chicago Cubs. He had gone eight games without an extra-base hit.
Bogaerts drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth and Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Padres jumped ahead 4-2 in the sixth when they loaded the bases against Bassitt and reliever Trevor Richards, and then scored on a bases-loaded walk by Luis Campusano and a catcher's interference call that put Tyler Wade on base.
Justin Turner was hit by a pitch with an out in the seventh and Daulton Varsho grounded sharply down the right field line, which a ball girl picked up, apparently not realizing it was fair. That put Turner on third and Varsho on second. Turner scored on Schneider's groundout and Musgrove retired Danny Jansen.
Schneider homered to left center with two outs in the second, his third, to tie the game at 1. It came one batter after right fielder Tatis, the reigning NL Platinum Glove Award winner, made a running, sliding catch of a long foul ball by Varsho.
Tatis made a brilliant running, leaping catch of George Springer's fly ball to end the eighth.
Clement led off the third by sending a fastball that was well above the strike zone into the second-floor balcony on the four-story brick warehouse in the left field corner for a 2-1 lead.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in a sloppy first inning for both teams. Jake Cronenworth singled with two outs and scored on right fielder Springer's two-base error for misplaying Manny Machado's single. Jurickson Profar walked and stole second but was picked off by Bassitt.
Bassitt allowed four runs, two earned, and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out four and walked three.
Banner image: Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reacts to a called strike while batting during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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