Nick Pivetta returned from the IL in style, earning a win over the Nationals in his first start since April 12th. It was a winding road back to the Majors for Pivetta, with an unspecified timeline to return initially, and then walking off the mound in the middle of an at-bat during his first minor league rehab start, but Pivetta tossed five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and no walks in his return to Petco Park, providing a huge boost to the Padres' rotation. The Padres did all of their scoring in the first three innings, with Jackson Merrill delivering RBI-singles in the 1st and 3rd innings, and Manny Machado driving in a run in the 3rd as well. The Padres clung to that lead the entire game, and it was just enough, as Dylan Crews hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 6th inning to cut the margin down to one run. But Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the 3-2 win. Casey Mize will start on Tuesday for the Padres.
You can watch the Jamul Casino Resort Padres Postgame Show below, with full highlights from the game and Craig Stammen's postgame press conference.
