Padres add on late, run away with win over Mets

Elías Díaz hasn’t hit much this year.

He has, however, hit a bit more as of late.

The floodgates officially opened in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s 7-1 win over the Mets, but not before the Padres’ struggling catcher provided much-needed breathing room.

“I’ve been working hard on both sides — my defense, my offense,” Díaz said. “Now my offense is showing up. I feel really good. I’m going to keep going.

“It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.”

Díaz’s two-run double preceded Manny Machado’s three-run homer in a game in which the Padres bunted their way to their first run, scored their second on a lucky-hop triple and were asking their bullpen to cover four-plus innings in a second straight game.

Jose Iglesias and Jake Cronenworth strung together back-to-back singles to open the seventh, and Díaz pulled a one-out grounder inside the third base line to plate both runners.

A day earlier, Díaz drove in two runs on two hits, including the walk-off single in the ninth inning. He also plated a run on Sunday with a sacrifice bunt, giving him an RBI in three straight games for his longest streak since driving in a run in four straight games in May 2024.

The 34-year-old catcher is hitting .202/.269/.308, well below what he did last year (.265/.313/.382) and what he’s averaged throughout his career (.247/.301/.381).

“Forget my home run,” Machado said. “My home run was nothing. The last two nights, what he’s been doing for this ballclub, he’s been putting the team on his back. It’s awesome to see (him) coming up clutch in that spot.”

Relieving too, given how hard the Padres ride their bullpen. Their four highest-leverage arms were called upon after Dylan Cease was chased in the fifth inning Monday.

After Díaz’s seventh-inning double turned a one-run lead into a 4-1 game, Luis Arraez worked a one-out walk and Machado hit his 20th homer over the wall in left field to ensure the rest of the Padres’ high-leverage arms would have the rest of the night off.

Jeremiah Estrada and Adrián Morejón had already pitched after a four-plus-inning start from rookie right-hander Ryan Bergert, as had left-hander Wandy Peralta.

Jason Adam was warming during the seventh inning, but he sat down as the Padres piled on runs, allowing manager Mike Shildt to use Ron Marinaccio instead for just the second time since his call-up.

Marinaccio pitched a scoreless eighth and gave way to Yuki Matsui after Mark Vientos led off the ninth with a single. Matsui recorded the last three outs without incident as the Padres extended their win streak to four games in front of a crowd of 45,088.

Most importantly, they did it without having to go to Adam and Robert Suarez.

“This is a benefit for all, because they’re going to be available tomorrow,” Díaz said. “We’ve been using Morejon and Estrada the last two days. I think tomorrow we’re going to be good with Adam and Suarez.

“(It’s) really important.”

In claiming the series, the Padres outhit the Mets 9-4. The most curious of those hits was a 96 mph ball from Jackson Merrill into the dirt just up the first base line in the sixth inning. The ensuing hop eluded a leaping Pete Alonso and rattled into the right field corner, allowing Arraez to score from first with two outs for a 2-1 lead.

Bergert lowered his ERA to 2.78 with another solid effort. It was, of course, another effort with a tight leash on him as he has pitched into the sixth inning just twice in seven starts and on Tuesday was pulled from the game with the bases loaded in the fifth.

The traffic mounted a bit surprisingly given how easily the 25-year-old navigated the first four frames.

Bergert struck out the first two batters he faced, including boyhood hero Francisco Lindor to end a 12-pitch at-bat. He allowed just two hits, one in the second and then one in the fifth after Brett Baty walked to open the frame.

Bergert then issued his fourth walk of the game to Brandon Nimmo to load the bases and fetch Shildt from the dugout.

Bergert’s night was suddenly over after 83 pitches.

Estrada struck out Lindor for the first out in relief of Bergert, but pinch-hitter Starling Marte’s ensuing fly ball to right center was deep enough to tie the game ahead of a throw from Fernando Tatis Jr., who stepped in front of Merrill to attempt to make the play at the plate.

Estrada then got Alonso to pop out to end the inning.

“The first four innings felt great,” Bergert said. “Got myself in some trouble there in the fifth inning and can’t talk better about this bullpen. Estrada came in and shut the door and didn’t make it bigger than it was. It was very encouraging to see that. Obviously, I want to be better. Four walks, it’s not who I am. I’m better than that, and I’ll get better as we keep going … but overall it was good.”