San Diego Padres vs Washington Nationals Box Score on Jul 18, 2021

Alcides Escobar drove home Tres Barrera with a one-out single to center off Padres closer Mark Melancon with one out in the ninth Sunday afternoon to give the Washington Nationals an 8-7 win over visiting San Diego.

The Nationals salvaged a win in the finale of a three-game series marred by a Saturday night shooting incident outside Nationals Park.

Earlier Sunday, the Padres completed a 10-4 victory in the game that was suspended in the middle of the sixth in Saturday night due to the gunfire outside the ballpark.

The lead changed hands twice in Sunday's finale, and the Padres scored in the top of the ninth to tie the score 7-7. Victor Caratini drew a one-out walk. Pinch-runner Jorge Mateo stole second and third and scored on Trent Grisham's two-out single off Nationals closer Brad Hand.

The Padres then loaded the bases on a pair of walks before Hand struck out Manny Machado, who hit a two-run, go-ahead homer an inning earlier off Daniel Hudson.

Down 6-4, the Nationals scored three times in the bottom of the eighth against Padres reliever Emilio Pagan. With one out, Escobar hit his first homer of the season. Trea Turner followed with a double and Juan Soto hit a full-count pitch into the left field stands to give the Nationals a 7-6 lead.

Machado's 16th homer of the season, a drive to left center, was the third of the game for the Padres. Eric Hosmer hit a three-run homer in the fourth -- following back-to-back, one-out singles by Machado and Tommy Pham -- off Washington starter Max Scherzer to cut the Nationals' 4-0 lead to a run. Jurickson Profar tied the game 4-4 with a solo homer off Scherzer leading off the seventh.

The Nationals scored four runs in the third against Padres starter Joe Musgrove, who hit Turner with a pitch with one out to trigger the rally. Soto followed with a double and Turner scored on Josh Bell's ground out to first. Josh Harrison doubled home Soto and scored on a single by Andrew Stevenson, who then stole second and scored on a Barrera single.

Hand (5-2) was credited with the win after blowing the save. Melancon (2-2) took the loss.

The Padres had out-scored Washington 34-12 and piled up 40 hits in winning the first two games of the series.

--Field Level Media