San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt made a huge gamble Tuesday night.
In the fifth inning of the Padres' 6–4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth brought home a run while grounding out to second base. But Cronenworth claimed there was catcher's interference on the play, and umpire Cory Blaser agreed and made the call, wiping out the RBI but giving Cronenworth the base.
Shildt was faced with a tough decision in the Padres' dugout. Should he decline the catcher's interference and keep the run on the scoreboard for a 2–0 lead with two outs? Or should he accept the interference, saving the Padres an out but causing Tyler Wade to go back to third base and erasing a run?
Shildt chose the latter, and San Diego's lead shrunk back to 1–0. Wade trotted back out to third base, loading the bases for Padres slugger Manny Machado with just one out.
The manager's decision could've backfired, but Machado mashed a Nick Martinez pitch to left-center field for a three-run double. Never a doubt.
Machado made his manager look like a genius.
“You can have the bases loaded and one out for Manny Machado?” Shildt said to reporters after the game. “I’m going to bet on Manny Machado.”
Through 33 games this season, the Padres are 15–18 and in third place in the NL West. They will wrap up their series against the Reds on Wednesday at Petco Park.
