San Diego, CA
Padres come back, but lose to Diamondbacks in 10 innings
The Padres’ offense didn’t do much of anything for five innings in the middle of Saturday night’s game at Petco Park.
Then they commenced trying to do something they have done quite a bit this season.
They made the game close in the seventh inning and tied it in the eighth before losing 7-5 in extra innings for the first time this season.
The Diamondbacks scored three runs off Wandy Peralta in the 10th. That denied the Padres their 19th victory this season in a game in which they trailed or were tied in the seventh inning or later. Their 18 victories earned that late are the same number they had all last season.
“We’ve done really good,” Jake Cronenworth said after the Padres’ fourth loss in their past 16 games. “We’re not going to let a game where we lose by two runs and had bases loaded in the 10th get us down.”
Padres starter Matt Waldron threw 39 pitches in the second inning and then finished four more innings. He had allowed two runs to that point before being charged with another run in the seventh, when Yuki Matsui allowed an inherited runner and a runner of his own to score.
That gave the Diamondbacks a 4-1 lead, and that’s when the Padres started to convert on opportunities.
The Padres could not make much of all the strikes Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt threw them and then did nothing against local product Kevin Ginkel before scoring twice off left-hander Joe Mantiply in the bottom of the seventh to get to 4-3.
Ha-Seong Kim began the comeback with a single. He went to second on Kyle Higashioka’s dribbled infield single and to third on a line drive fielder’s choice by Luis Arraez that resulted in Higashioka being out at second.
With runners at the corners, Jurickson Profar lined a double to the left field corner that scored Kim and moved Arraez to third. Jake Cronenworth’s bunt scored Arraez before Manny Machado, who had decided Saturday’s game with a walk-off home run, struck out against new reliever Bryce Jarvis.
Kim tied the game in the eighth with a two-out double off Ryan Thompson, driving in Donovan Solano, who had led off with a double against Jarvis.
Neither team scored in the ninth – not the Diamondbacks against Adrián Morejón nor the Padres against Thompson.
But the Diamondbacks clobbering of Peralta commenced with his ill-advised attempt to make a play on a bunt by Geraldo Perdomo on which third baseman Manny Machado was the only one who had a chance to get the out.
Perdomo’s bunt was perfectly placed, and he might have beat a throw from Machado, but even before he bobbled the ball, Peralta was at a disadvantage since he was running away from first base.
“It was a big play,” a perturbed Mike Shildt said. “We know Perdomo’s gonna bunt. (He) put down a good bunt. Couldn’t make a play. So it opened it up for a bigger inning.”
Peralta then issued a walk to load the bases, and Christian Walker sent a grounder through a drawn-in infield to drive in two runs. Stephen Kolek replaced Peralta and allowed one of the runners he inherited to score while getting three outs.
The Padres came back from one down to win on Machado’s walk-off homer Friday after the bullpen allowed six runs in the top of the ninth.
But after scoring a run on another Solano double and having the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 10th on Saturday, Bryce Johnson struck out against Thyago Vieira and Kim struck out and Kyle Higashioka flied out to left field against Humberto Castellanos.
Machado, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday on Saturday, gave the Padres a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
His broken-bat flare into left field, on an 0-2 count, was the Padres’ third single of the inning and sent Arraez racing home from second base.
The Padres had scored 10 runs (eight earned) in Pfaadt’s two previous starts against them this season, and it seemed they might be on their way to another big night.
But they could not capitalize on David Peralta’s lead-off single in the second inning nor Jackson Merrill’s one-out single in the fourth.
Through four innings, Pfaadt had thrown strikes on 41 of his 49 pitches (84 percent) and the Diamondbacks led 2-1.
Kim led off the bottom of the fifth with a double off the wall in left-center field before Kyle Higashioka struck out.
Arraez then lined a ball at 98 mph that nailed Pfaadt in the left ankle. The ball bounced well past the third base line — far enough that Kim rounded third full speed before slamming on the brakes and getting back to third when third baseman Eugenio Suárez sprinted over and grabbed the ball.
Pfaadt was replaced by Ginkel. The El Capitan High School and Southwestern College grad struck out Profar and Cronenworth to end the fifth and Machado and Solano to start the fifth before getting Merrill on a lineout.
The Diamondbacks had tied the game during Waldron’s marathon second inning, which just sort of leaked away from him as he threw more pitches than any Padres pitcher had in any inning this season.
The inning began with an infield single by Christian Walker before Gurriel popped out and Brandon McCarthy struck out.
Waldron then walked Suárez, moving Walker to second, before Poway’s Kevin Newman hit a flare off the end of his bat to bring in Walker.A full-count walk to No.9 batter Jose Herrera loaded the bases before Waldron struck out Corbin Carroll with a full-count sweeper at the bottom of the zone and on the inside edge.
Waldron was at 53 pitches. He got through the next two innings on a total of 25 pitches but also allowed a go-ahead homer to Gurriel leading off the fourth.
Waldron was at 89 pitches after six innings but went back out to start the seventh and promptly yielded a single to Suárez. Shildt said he liked the matchup of Waldron against Suárez and was also trying to shorten the game for his beleagured bullpen.
When Suárez got the hit, Shildt went to Matsui.
Matsui surrendered a one-out double by Herrera that brought in a run charged to Waldron and a two-out triple by Geraldo Perdomo that drove in a second run to make it 4-1.
RAMONA (CNS) – Four rare western spotted skunks were released back in the wild after weeks of rehabilitation and socialization at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, officials announced Wednesday.
The successful release marks a major milestone for a species rarely seen in wildlife rehabilitation. The group included one orphaned skunk that was flown more than 400 miles by Flying Tails Animal Rescue from Sierra Wildlife Rescue in Northern California to join an orphaned group in Ramona, according to the SDHS.
The four skunks were returned to a carefully selected, remote habitat in Valley Center after reaching the necessary weight and developmental milestones to thrive on their own.
Western spotted skunks are a rare sight for the Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team. While the wildlife center typically handles hundreds of striped skunks each year, admitting six spotted skunks from different litters in one season is unusual. Spotted skunks are generally found in remote forested areas and are not as common in urban neighborhoods, officials said.
“We have never seen this many western spotted skunks in a single season before,” said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the Ramona Wildlife Center. “Because they are more reclusive than striped skunks, they require very specific care and even more secluded release sites to ensure they can stay wild.”
Socialization is critical for orphaned spotted skunks. During their stay at the Ramona Wildlife Center, the group became a bonded unit — exploring, digging and sleeping together, according to SDHS officials. Experts say these social cues prevent habituation to humans and teach the orphans natural skunk behaviors.
While four members of the group have returned to the wild, two spotted skunks remain in care at the facility. The smallest skunk was moved to an outside pre-release habitat and introduced to a slightly older skunk in late June.
Wildlife officials said by keeping the pair together, the wildlife team ensures the younger skunk will have a companion to learn from until they are both ready to be released, likely within the next month or two.
Anyone who finds an injured, sick or orphaned wild animal is encouraged to visit sdhumane.org/wildlifehelp or call 619-299-7012.
Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A 33-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to 325 years to life in prison for sexually abusing two 6-year-old girls, in addition to a slew of other felony sex abuse charges, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Christopher T. Gardner was convicted of 15 felony sex abuse charges, which included molesting the two girls, who were relatives of his, over a five-year period.
The abuse reportedly first came to light when one of the victims told a friend in confidence during a sleepover that she had been touched inappropriately. The friend then told her mother, who contacted law enforcement.
After Gardner was arrested, a third victim came forward, who was also a relative. Now a young adult, the victim said that when she was 7-8 years old, Gardner sexually assaulted her.
During the nine-day trial, the first two victims reportedly testified to multiple vulgar acts of sexual abuse by Gardner.
“Predators who rob children of their innocence and inflict lifelong trauma do not belong in our communities,” DA Summer Stephan said. “This sentence sends an unmistakable message to abusers: you will be held accountable. I am deeply grateful to our specialized sexual abuse prosecution team for their dedication in bringing a measure of justice to the survivors.”
Thursday, July 9
• La Jolla Town Council: 6 p.m., La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. lajollatowncouncil.org
Friday, July 10
• La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club: 6:45 a.m., UC San Diego Faculty Club, 270 Muir Lane. lajollagtrotary.org
• Kiwanis Club of La Jolla: noon, La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. kiwanisclublajolla.org
Sunday, July 12
• La Jolla Open Aire Market: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Girard Avenue at Genter Street. (858) 454-1699. lajollamarket.com
Monday, July 13
• La Jolla Library Book Club: 1:30 p.m., Community Room, La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The July book is “Fresh Water for Flowers” by Valérie Perrin. sandiego.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=316631
• La Jolla Planned District Ordinance Committee: (pending items to review), 4 p.m., La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. Email info@lajollacpa.org.
• Laughmasters Toastmasters: 6:30 p.m., online. Email jrmmt@cox.net.
Tuesday, July 14
• San Diego Blood Bank blood drive: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Hensel Phelps Construction Co., 9404 Genesee Ave. Donors must be 17 or older, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in good health. Photo identification is required. (619) 400-8251. sandiegobloodbank.org
• Rotary Club of La Jolla: noon, La Valencia Hotel, 1132 Prospect St. rotarycluboflajolla.org
• Co-op Toastmasters Club: noon, online at bit.ly/46W13bx (meeting ID: 849 4320 0407, passcode: cccu2020). (669) 900-6833. toastmasters.org/find-a-club/00001125-coop-club
• La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee: (pending items to review), 4 p.m., online. Email info@lajollacpa.org.
Wednesday, July 15
• Torrey Pines (La Jolla) Rotary Club: noon, online. torreypinesrotary.org
• La Jolla Shores Association: 6 p.m., Martin Johnson House, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8840 Biological Grade. lajollashoresassociation.org
Thursday, July 16
• La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club: 6:58 a.m., La Jolla Shores Hotel, 8110 Camino del Oro. Call Cheryl Collins at (760) 936-3272 or Steve Cross at (619) 992-9449.
• San Diego Blood Bank blood drive: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sanford Burnham Prebys (patio outside Buildings 6 and 7), 10901 N. Torrey Pines Road. Donors must be 17 or older, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in good health. Photo identification is required. (619) 400-8251. sandiegobloodbank.org
• La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee: (pending items to review), 4 p.m., online. Email info@lajollacpa.org.
Friday, July 17
• La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club: 6:45 a.m., UC San Diego Faculty Club, 270 Muir Lane. lajollagtrotary.org
Did we miss listing your community event? Email calendar information to Noah Lyons at noah.lyons@lajollalight.com by noon Thursday for publication in the following week’s edition. ♦
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