Jun 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A general view as the Arizona Diamondbacks team awaits a ruling to determine if the winning run scored by infielder Geraldo Perdomo (2) is awarded in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Phoenix, Arizona – For six and a half innings Saturday night, the Padres looked like they’d finally turned a corner. After weeks of maddening inconsistency with runners in scoring position, the bats woke up in a four-run seventh inning. Rookie starter Ryan Bergert showed poise and promise. The lead stretched to four by the top of the ninth.
And then it all came crashing down.
San Diego’s 7-3 advantage vanished in a blink, undone by a stunning five-run rally by the Arizona Diamondbacks against All-Star closer Robert Suarez and reliever Adrian Morejon. When the dust settled, the Padres had lost 8-7 — their third straight defeat and one that stung far more than most.
The night began with the promise of a breakthrough. Gavin Sheets, who went 3-for-3, opened the scoring with a solo home run off Arizona ace Zac Gallen in the second. Bergert, making just his third big league start, kept the Diamondbacks mostly quiet, striking out eight over five innings. The lone blemish: a three-run homer to Eugenio Suárez in the fifth.
But in the seventh, San Diego’s offense erupted. Sheets doubled to spark the rally, and Fernando Tatis Jr. tied the game with a two-run single. Manny Machado — the only Padre consistently producing this month — followed with a two-run laser double to left, clocked at 110 MPH off the bat. Just like that, the Friars were in control, 5-3.
Then came the scare. Rookie Jackson Merrill, trying to stretch the rally, was tagged in the head while attempting to steal second. He stayed down briefly before walking off under his own power. Manager Mike Shildt later said Merrill was “woozy,” but did not speculate on a potential stint on the concussion list.
Even so, the Padres tacked on two more in the ninth. Replacement Brandon Lockridge drove in a run with a single, and Xander Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly to make it 7-3. It wasn’t a save situation, but Shildt called on Suarez — who hadn’t pitched in five days — to slam the door.
Instead, he kicked it wide open.
Three straight singles loaded the bases. Suarez struck out Corbin Carroll, but a dribbler from Ketel Marte led to a low throw from Bogaerts that was overturned on replay, trimming the lead to 7-4. Then came the gut punch: Geraldo Perdomo’s bases-clearing triple into the right-field corner tied it at 7-7.
Morejon replaced Suarez, but the bleeding didn’t stop. Josh Naylor tapped a slow roller up the first-base line. Luis Arraez charged, but his high throw gave Diaz no chance. Perdomo slid home with the winning run, capping a collapse that left fans at Petco Park stunned.
The Padres (32-38) will try to salvage the series on Father’s Day, sending Nick Pivetta to the mound against Arizona’s Merrill Kelly. After Saturday’s debacle, a win won’t just avoid the sweep — it might be necessary for the team’s collective psyche.
