Hader melts down in 9th, gives Nationals win over Padres

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Victor Robles scored the go-ahead run on Josh Hader's wild two-base throwing error and rookie Alex Call followed with his first career home run, a two-run shot, as the Washington Nationals stunned the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Friday night.

It was the second straight rough outing for Hader (2-5), the major league leader in saves who has struggled since being obtained from Milwaukee on Aug. 1. Hader was booed as he walked off the field after being pulled by manager Bob Melvin.

Hader started the ninth in a 3-3 game and issued a leadoff walk to Robles, drawing boos for a second straight night. Hader fielded Lane Thomas' tapper for an infield single between the mound and the third base line and threw wildly past first baseman Josh Bell. The ball caromed off the low wall and into right field, where Juan Soto lunged wildly for it but missed. That allowed Robles to come all the way around and score the go-ahead run.

Call then drove a two-run shot into the left field seats. He made his big league debut on July 11.

This is the second series between the teams since the Nationals, who have the worst record in the majors, sent Soto and Bell to San Diego in exchange for a package of major leaguers and prospects on Aug. 2. The Padres, trying to hold onto the third wild-card spot in the NL, took two of three in Washington last weekend and the Nationals won the opener of this series 3-1 on Thursday night.

Erasmo Ramirez (4-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the win and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his seventh save.

The Padres chased Washington starter Paolo Espino with consecutive one-out walks in the fifth and Manny Machado greeted reliever Victor Arano with a two-run double to the gap in right-center to tie the game at 3. Machado took third on a wild pitch but was stranded when Brandon Drury and Jake Cronenworth struck out.

The Nationals had taken a 3-1 lead on rookie C.J. Abrams' two-run single with two outs in the fourth off Blake Snell and Keibert Ruiz's RBI single with two outs in the fifth.

San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the second when Trent Grisham singled in Drury.

Snell was pitching not quite 24 hours after he was involved in a minor traffic collision. Snell was sitting in his car on the side of Interstate 5 during a traffic stop when it was hit by another car. Manager Bob Melvin said Snell was cleared by the medical staff earlier Friday.

Snell allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked two.

Espino gave up three runs and three hits, struck out four and walked four.

BELL SITS

The slumping Bell wasn't in the starting lineup against his former team. He pinch-hit for Wil Myers in the sixth but his struggles continued as he popped up to shortstop. Bell remained in the game at first base. He is in a 1 for 32 slump over his last eight games.

Melvin called it “just a little bit of a mental blow.” Bell took batting practice and worked on some things “without the pressure of being the new guy here and so forth," Melvin added. "He's going to come around. He is a big piece for us. He will be. Love him in the middle of the order the way he splits things up, especially as a switch-hitter.”

UP NEXT

Nationals RHP Josiah Gray (7-8, 4.79 ERA) and Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (8-6, 2.98) are scheduled to start Saturday night.

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