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.
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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.
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)
“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)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two days after Hurricane Francine knocked out power for nearly half a million people in Louisiana, Alexandra Canary was still waiting for the electricity in her area to come back online.
As her fridge continued to thaw out, the New Orleans resident began to clean out condiments at risk of spoiling. One of her small dogs watched from the couch, panting. Without air conditioning the home heated up quick, as the heat index reached 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.9 degrees Celsius) on Friday.
“It’s been tough trying to sleep, or even live,” Canary, who is in her 70s said. “Somedays it is actually cooler outside than being in the house.”
Frustration mounted across New Orleans, as crews for the city’s electrical provider, Entergy, worked to restore power.
“Every single storm, every one, no matter how big or how small, the same thing happens,” said Rudy Cerone, 71, referring to the power outages. “Entergy just doesn’t seem to take the necessary preparatory actions to harden this system to provide the power that we’re paying through the nose for.”
An Entergy New Orleans spokesperson said the city had restored power to more than 40,000 customers since Thursday and that many more would regain electricity by the end of the day Friday. Around 6,500 Entergy customers in the city lacked power as of Friday afternoon, part of about 95,000 customers in Louisiana still without electricity, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.
The spokesperson also said the information used to update outage numbers comes from crews in the field.
“These steps take time, and our teams are committed to providing customers with the latest restoration information as it is available,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
After losing electricity Wednesday night, Richard Smith, 56, owner of Adams Street Grocery & Deli, had been running his New Orleans store off a generator. But the electricity source wasn't enough to power the deep fryer machine. So customers had to settle for cold cuts instead of hot fried chicken sandwiches, and pay in cash instead of with credit cards, he said.
Power was restored late Friday afternoon, not a moment too soon.
“This is the time we are supposed to be busy and we lost a lot of business,” Smith said. “A lot of people thought we were closed.”
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said electricity is the major issue facing the state since Francine rolled through.
“The biggest challenge we have had in this storm is utilities – trying to get the power back on,” Landry said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Prior to Francine making landfall, utility crews were pre-positioned in areas that would likely be impacted by power outages, Landry said.
Davante Lewis, an elected member of the state Public Service Commission that regulates utilities, did a ride along on Thursday with Entergy to assess the damage. He said much of it was broken branches and trees — likely weakened by recent drought conditions in the state — on power lines.
“I think what we are seeing right now is a lot of vegetation issues and we just don’t have enough hands to move it (debris) that fast or enough hours in the day to safely do so in sunlight,” Lewis said.
Utility crews from Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and elsewhere are working to restore power, Lewis said, with projections for full restoration by Sunday.
“Any amount of time without power in Louisiana, especially for vulnerable communities, is too long,” Lewis said. “But we have seen restoration times a lot shorter than some of the earlier predictions and we are faring better.”
The storm, which drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, came ashore Wednesday in Louisiana with 100 mph (160 kph) winds and drenched a large swath of the South, including parts of Arkansas and Florida. Forecasters say the storm's slow progress will mean days of heavy rain in the Southeast, creating a flash flooding risk.
Another 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters), with about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some locations, were expected in parts of central and northern Alabama through Sunday. In northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, another 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) was expected.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in Francine's aftermath.
Rushing water nearly enveloped a pickup truck in a New Orleans underpass, trapping the driver inside. A 39-year-old emergency room nurse who lived nearby waded into the waist-high water with a hammer, smashed the window and pulled out the driver. The rescue was captured live by WDSU-TV.
“It’s just second nature I guess, being a nurse, you just go in and get it done, right?” Miles Crawford told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I just had to get to get him out of there.”
In the coastal community of Cocodrie in southern Louisiana, where many families own seasonal homes along the bayou for fishing, police guarded a road to prevent looting as people cleaned their properties.
For many in the area bordered by bayous, swamps, lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, threats of flooding and hurricanes have become a way of life, Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said.
Over the years, the area has become more resilient against storms, improving drainage and pumping stations and replacing roofs that can better withstand hurricane-force winds. Residents are also evacuating more quickly when there are significant storm threats, Webre said.
“This population is very resilient. They’re very independent. They’re very pioneering,” he said.
Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, contributed to this story.
Robert Cowboy Geiser, 39, fixes a power line after widespread electrical outages from Hurricane Francine Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in New Orleans, La. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
Alexis Dibuono stands in her hallway as she takes in the salvage work that needs to be done to her flood damaged home, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Norco, La., two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
An egret forages next to the flooded on-ramp to Interstate 10 in Laplace, La., Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 , two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Gavin Hinchman with Precision One Construction Group carefully steps around water-damaged doors and walls as he guts part of a flooded home in Norco, La., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Cars drive off of Interstate 10 in Laplace, La., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, as floodwater still covers the roadway two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Debra Matherne describes her experience as she rode out Hurricane Francine the previous night, along Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Natalie Bergeron, a letter carrier who has been delivering mail on this route for 43 years, helps a customer clean up debris who took damage from Hurricane Francine, in Cocodrie, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kelsie Schmidt, right, walks a board to a debris pile from her family's home after floodwater came up a few inches in the house making most of the walls, floors, and doors wet after Hurricane Francine in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Flooding along Whitney Street in the Shoreline Park neighborhood in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
John Finney and his son Gabriel, 2, using gloves a little too big for him, clean up debris after Hurricane Francine near their home in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux, right, leads Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana State Police Col Robert P. Hodges to a helicopter for an aerial tour of damage from Hurricane Francine, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., regarding the impact of Hurricane Francine on the state of Louisiana. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., regarding the impact of Hurricane Francine on the state of Louisiana. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Flooding along Whitney Street in the Shoreline Park neighborhood in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
Debra Matherne describes her experience as she rode out Hurricane Francine the previous night, along Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A man walks through floodwaters along Tigris Street in Shoreline Park in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
Bailee Boudreaux, 14, center, and her family bring out the chickens they let sleep in their house during the height of Hurricane Francine in Houma, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Bailee Boudreaux, 14, center, and her sister, Brylee, 7, back right, check on the chickens they let sleep in their house during the height of Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Shawn Murphy removes drywall at a friend's house after floodwater came up a few inches in the house making most of the walls, floors, and doors wet after Hurricane Francine in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Little Caillou Fire Department staff take initial surveys of the damage from Hurricane Francine at the end of Highway 57 in the southern most point of Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
City of Tallahassee, Florida utility crews help straighten a utility pole s damaged by Hurricane Francine Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in downtown Houma, La. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Jansen Pellegrin, back right, and Drew Foret, right, remove a small tree that floated into a living room area at their fishing camp from Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Allen McCoy helps clean out his family's camp, which took on a storm surge, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Cocodrie, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Jansen Pellegrin, right, rakes away marsh grass that floated into a living room area at his family's fishing camp from Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Tombs are seen after being disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Tombs are seen after being disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Lori-Ann Bergeron checks on the graves of her sister and mother to see that they were not disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
