Just as the Padres seem to be brightening a gloomy June, the cloud hanging over their season darkened.
In the middle of Saturday’s 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the Padres’ third in a row after 13 defeats in a 17-game stretch that began May 30, their most dangerous player was injured.
Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. departed the game in the fifth inning after jarring his left shoulder diving for a single.
“The testing, everything afterward, the range of motion, strength is pretty good,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “We’ll be day to day. … We feel like we’re in a fairly decent position. The trainers think it’s nowhere near where it’s been earlier on in the year.”
Tatis was replaced in the field and in the batting order by Ha-seong Kim, who in the eighth inning responded to many in the crowd of 38,765 chanting “Let’s go Kim” by lining a two-run homer off the second story of the Western Metal Supply Co. building to provide the final margin.
The victory was at least a temporary salve for the loss of the player who leads the National League with 22 home runs.
“Is there a little bit of a gut punch when you lose Tati? Absolutely,” Tingler said. “… For us to just continue to play, continue to stay in the game, stay in the moment, we’re going to fight, we’re going to find a way to get it done. So how appropriate was it that it was Kim there taking over for Tatis and picking us up,? I think it’s huge for the team.”
Tatis had played 49 games without aggravating the left shoulder dislocation that had required a 10-day stay on the injured list in April.
It has been considered a danger his shoulder could dislocate again at any time after it popped out twice in a three-week span between the end of spring training and first five games of the season. But, playing with a slightly torn labrum, Tatis had altered the follow-through on his swing to assure he was in control and had also worked on how he backhanded grounders in an attempt to not aggravate the injury.
Tatis was injured diving to his right for a single by Tyler Naquin, which scored Jonathan India to bring the Reds to within 5-3. Tatis stayed down for several seconds before getting up, but he bent over and rested his hands on his knees.
As Tingler came out to replace pitcher Daniel Camarena, trainer Ben Fraser checked on Tatis, who stretched out his arm a few times as he walked toward the mound. After a minute of discussion, Tingler patted Tatis on the side and they began to walk off the grass.
“He was petitioning to stay in,” Tingler said. “He was like, ‘I can play through this. Let’s get through the inning.’ I just thought, ‘Let’s be precautionary, get some treatment.’ ”
James Norwood walked the next batter to load the bases before Eugenio Suarez tied the game with a single.
Nabil Crismatt followed with three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and getting the win. Mark Melancon, who allowed four runs in blowing a save Thursday night, worked a scoreless ninth inning for his major league-leading 20th save.
It was quite a night at Petco Park.
With a single and double to start the game, the Reds took a 1-0 lead against Miguel Díaz.
He then struck out No. 3 hitter Nick Castellanos and cleanup hitter Joey Votto, who believed he had checked his swing. As he walked toward the dugout, Votto shared that opinion with third base umpire Chris Guccione.
While Votto was facing third, it appeared home plate umpire Ryan Additon ejected him. When Votto learned he had been tossed, he walked toward Additon screaming as Reds manager David Bell got between the two. The more Votto yelled, the more animated he got, and he was continually restrained by Bell and then third base coach J.R. House. His tantrum lasted a good two minutes, and he appeared to make contact at least once with multiple umpires, who were also attempting to restrain him. Bell was also ejected.
After Votto stalked off the field and down the steps toward the clubhouse, Reds players and a Padres fan got in a shouting match, and the fan was ejected.
As play resumed, Bell remained in the dugout. When told he had been ejected, he resumed an animated conversation in front of the dugout that lasted another 90 seconds.
With Jesse Winker still on second base, Naquin grounded out on the first pitch he saw.
The Reds scored another run against Díaz in the second inning.
Camarena, a Cathedral Catholic High alumnus called up before the game, came in to make his major league debut at the start of the third and needed just seven pitches to get his first three outs.
After Jake Cronenworth’s homer tied the game 2-2 in bottom of the third inning, Camarena worked out of a jam in the fourth before the Reds tied the game against him and Norwood in the fifth.
The Padres stranded Wil Myers after his lead-off double in the fifth. A lead-off runner in the seventh also produced nothing, and the first two batters in the eighth made outs before Tommy Pham hit his third double of the game.
Kim followed by hitting a 1-2 slider just inside the left-field foul pole.
“Tatis, he’s the engine of our team,” Kim said. “He’s the best player on our team. Obviously, I want him to be back in the lineup as soon as possible. For me, I’ll go out there, do my best, work hard.”
