Dustin Harris and Freddy Fermin, the bottom two batters in the order, combined for four hits and four RBIs, Jackson Merrill chipped in with a double and two singles, and the visiting San Diego Padres overcame a Rafael Devers grand slam to beat the San Francisco Giants 7-5 in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Robbie Ray (12-8) recorded a win in his return to San Francisco, helping the Padres (79-68) capture a fifth straight victory and remain a half-game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (79-69) in the duel for the final National League wild-card playoff spot.
After the Giants opened the scoring on a Bryce Eldridge RBI single in the first inning, the Padres took the lead in the second when Harris singled in a run and Fermin doubled in another.
San Diego appeared to break the game open with a five-run third in which Harris, with an RBI triple, and Fermin, with a run-scoring double, were involved again. Xander Bogaerts had the big hit of the uprising, a two-run double.
Giants starter Anthony Molina (3-1) was pulled at inning’s end, having allowed seven runs and nine hits in three innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Yunior Marte kept the Giants in the game with five innings of shutout relief, allowing Devers’ fifth-inning grand slam to get the hosts back in the game at 7-5. The homer was Devers’ 36th of the year.
Ray turned the ball over to the Padres bullpen after five innings, during which he was charged with five runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out five.
Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez retained the two-run advantage with a scoreless inning of relief apiece, setting the stage in the ninth for Mason Miller, who loaded the bases with two outs before striking out Eldridge to secure his 35th save.
Rodriguez’s eighth inning included a leadoff double by Eldridge and two challenges by catcher Fermin that turned balls into strikeouts.
Harris and Merrill scored twice apiece for the Padres, who collected five doubles and two triples among 12 hits.
Eldridge and Jonah Cox, who scored twice, had two hits apiece for the Giants (62-86), who were coming off a three-game home sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.