Bogaerts has RBI single, Merrell makes game-saving catch in 9th as Padres beat Pirates 2-1

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Xander Bogaerts had an RBI single in the seventh inning, Jackson Merrell made a game-saving diving catch in the ninth inning, and Joe Musgrove had a solid return from the 60-day injured list as the San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Monday night.

The Padres won for the 17th time in 20 games since July 20, and handed the struggling Pirates their 10th loss in 11 games.

“The guys have been playing with a lot of emotion and intent, but when you get Joe Musgrove back, it takes it to another level. He is a cornerstone in the clubhouse,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “He was fantastic (tonight). His change-up was good, his heater was good – it had life to it.”

Musgrove, sidelined since May 26 due to right elbow inflammation, gave up two hits and walked one while striking out one in 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He pitched effectively, mixing his sliders, changeups and four-seam fastballs. It was Musgrove’s first scoreless outing since July 28, 2023, when he pitched six innings against Texas in his final start of the season.

“It felt incredible to be back out there. ... Physically, I felt great. There is a lot of room for improvement there. I think I flashed signs of my good stuff at times,” Musgrove said. “A lot of good things trending in the right direction.”

When Musgrove came out of the game in the fifth inning, he received a standing ovation from the 38th sold-out crowd of the season at Petco Park. He patted his heart and waved to the crowd while walking into the dugout.

“It was a good feeling walking off to that,” Musgrove said of the standing ovation. “This city has treated me so well since I came back here. I love pitching in this stadium, and I love representing this city.”

Jeremiah Estrada (4-2) got the win for the Padres after pitching one inning in relief and closer Robert Suarez earned his 26th save after giving up two singles and a run in the ninth inning.

With San Diego leading 2-1 and the Pirates' tying run at first with two outs, Merrell made a spectacular diving catch after running far to his left to rob Bryan Reynolds of extra bases and end the game.

“It was lay out or nothing in that situation,” Merrell said of his catch. “It was just one of those blackout, adrenaline moments that happens.”

Pirates starter Jake Woodford (0-4) pitched well in the loss, giving up one run and three hits in six-plus innings. He gave up a double to Jurickson Profar to lead off the seventh and Profar eventually scored when Bogaerts punched a single through the drawn-in Pirates infield against reliever Kyle Nicolas.

“I don’t want to take for granted Bogaerts’ at-bat. It was phenomenal,” Shildt said. “He was down in the count.”

San Diego’s Kyle Higashioka came off the bench to drive in an insurance run from third with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to extend the Padres' lead to 2-0.

The night ended favorably for the Padres and to Musgrove in his long-awaited return.

“I am going to give it everything I have as long as they will to allow me to hold the ball out there,” Musgrove said. “Me being healthy down the stretch is a big part of this team.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: To make room for Musgrove coming off the IL, RHP Carl Edwards Jr. was designated for assignment after only one appearance.

UP NEXT

Pirates RHP Luis Ortiz (5-2, 3.40) takes the mound against Padres RHP Michael King (9-6, 3.34), who will make his second straight start against Pittsburgh.

AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jake Woodford works against a San Diego Padres batter during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove waves to the crowd after exiting during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove works against a Pittsburgh Pirates batter during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill celebrates after making a catch for the out on Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds to end the baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in San Diego. The Padres won, 2-1. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts watches his RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A fuel spill is “highly probable” after a New Zealand navy ship grounded, caught fire and sank off the coast of Samoa, the Pacific island nation's acting prime minister said late Sunday.

All 75 people on board the HMNZS Manawanui were taken to safety on life boats. The ship, one of only nine in New Zealand's navy, was the first the country has lost at sea since World War II.

Officials in Samoa are assessing the environmental impact in the area where the ship sank on Sunday morning, acting Prime Minister Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio said in a statement.

The vessel's passengers — including civilian scientists and foreign military personnel — evacuated in “challenging conditions” and darkness, New Zealand’s Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding told reporters. The vessel was about a mile from shore when it grounded on a reef and began taking on water, and it took five hours for the first survivors to reach land, he said.

One person was treated in hospital for minor injuries and has been discharged, the military said. Up to 17 others sustained lacerations, contusions, or suspected concussions. An Air Force plane carrying 72 of those on board the ship touched down at an air base in Auckland on Monday night.

New Zealand will hold a court of inquiry into the loss of the ship. The cause of the accident is not known, but Defence Minister Judith Collins told 1News on Monday that she had been told a loss of power to the vessel had led to its grounding.

The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel had been in service for New Zealand since 2019, but was 20 years old and had previously belonged to Norway, Collins said. It was surveying a reef off the coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populous island, when it ran aground on the reef.

Photos and videos taken from the shore appeared to show the ship listing before disappearing completely below the waves, with a large plume of smoke rising where it sank. Collins said Sunday that she did not expect the vessel could be salvaged.

“This is a ship that unfortunately is pretty much gone,” she told reporters.

There was “a lot of fuel” on the ship and efforts had turned to assessing the potential environmental impact, Collins told Radio New Zealand Monday. New Zealand “would obviously have to front up” if there was a spill, she added.

The military said the ship, purchased for $100 million NZ dollars ($61 million) in 2018, was not covered by insurance.

The state of New Zealand’s aging military hardware has prompted warnings from the defense agency, which in a March report described the navy as “extremely fragile,” with ships idle due to problems retaining the staff needed to service and maintain them. Of the navy’s eight remaining ships, five are currently operational.

Golding said the HMNZS Manawanui underwent its usual maintenance before the deployment. The ship’s captain was an experienced commander who had worked on the vessel for two years, he said.

Smoke rises from the sinking HMNZS Manawanui in Upolu, Samoa, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2022. (Dave Poole via AP)

This image released by New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), shows HMNZS Manawanui at the Three Kings islands off the coast New Zealand, on Dec. 1, 2023. (Petty Officer Chris Weissenborn/NZDF via AP)

In this image released by New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), HMNZS Manawanui arrives in Funafuti Lagoon, Tuvalu, on Sept. 7, 2022. (PO Christopher Weissenborn/NZDF via AP)