SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth hit two home runs for the first time in his career to help lift the Padres out of their offensive funk, over the Brewers and back to .500 on Saturday afternoon.
Cronenworth drove in a career-high six runs in a 10-3 Padres victory, which stopped a losing streak at three games.
His single in the first inning tied the game 2-2. His two-run homer in the fifth inning put them up 5-3. His two-run homer in the seventh extended the lead to 8-3. His bases-loaded walk capped the Padres’ scoring.
Cronenworth had driven in five runs in a game twice in his first three major league seasons.
The Padres (8-8) had scored seven runs over the previous three games, during which time they were 1 for 20 with runners in scoring position. They were 4 for 9 with runners on second and/or third base Saturday.
The Brewers scored multiple runs in the first inning for a third straight game.
This time, a walk by Christian Yelich and double to the right field corner by Jesse Winker had them up 1-0 before Padres starter Seth Lugo recorded his first two outs. Brian Anderson’s line drive to left field on an 0-2 curveball made it 2-0.
On Thursday, the Brewers were up 2-0 after three batters and on Friday were up 2-0 after five batters and 4-0 when the top of the first inning was over.
The Padres came back quickly Saturday, tying the game on a two-out walk by Juan Soto and successive singles by Xander Bogaerts, Nelcon Cruz and Cronenworth.
They took a 3-2 lead in the second inning on Trent Grisham’s two-out double and an RBI single by Manny Machado.
Lugo allowed a leadoff single in the second inning and successive one-out singles in the third but escaped without allowing a run.
He was a strike from leaving the bases loaded in the fourth when he sent an 0-2 fastball into Winker’s arm to bring in the tying run.
Steven Wilson replaced Lugo, got the final out of the fourth and worked a scoreless fifth.
He was the pitcher of record, because Cronenworth came to the plate after Cruz’s scorched grounder through the left side with two outs in the fifth and sent the first pitch he saw from Freddy Peralta just over the wall in right field to give the Padres their second lead of the day.
The Padres added three runs in the eighth, on a sacrifice fly by Cruz and Cronenworth’s 410-foot blast to center field.
They scored their final two runs without getting a hit in the ninth. Jose Azocar reached on an error and stole second before a 105.1 mph line drive off pitcher Gus Varland’s jaw moved him to third.
Varland walked from the field and was replaced by Javy Guerra, who intentionally walked Soto before hitting Bogaerts with his first pitch and walking Cruz and Cronenworth with the bases loaded.
