Musgrove, Tatis deliver for SD: 'Now we can go to full speed'

PHOENIX -- Suddenly, the Padres feel whole again.

Joe Musgrove made his 2023 debut on Saturday night at Chase Field, his start to the season pushed back by a fractured left big toe. Before Musgrove had even taken the mound for the first inning, he was staked to an early lead -- a solo home run by Fernando Tatis Jr., his first since 2021.

Behind Tatis, Musgrove and -- gasp! -- some timely two-out hitting, the Padres got back in the win column with a 5-3 victory over the D-backs.

• Three games in, Tatis slugs his first homer of the season

“We should feel good about winning with whatever we run out there,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “But when you start getting these guys back and you haven’t gotten off to the start that you want to, it gives you a little bit more confidence going into the games.”

It wasn’t quite the Padres’ full contingent of superstars. Manny Machado sat with a sore back. (He’s expected to return to the lineup on Sunday.) But Tatis, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts combined to score all five Padres runs. It was a meaningful response after a 9-0 loss Friday raised further questions about the offense.

“We’re bouncing back together,” Tatis said. “It’s going to be a long road. But we have a great team over here, and we know we’re going to get on that train track together.”

Musgrove was nowhere near his sharpest, and his workload was always going to be limited. But he still gritted his way through five innings of three-run ball on 80 pitches, striking out six and walking none.

For Musgrove, it’s been a long time coming. He fractured his toe in late February when he dropped a kettlebell on it in the team’s Spring Training weight room. As he neared a return in early April, he endured a setback -- a shoulder injury when he landed awkwardly trying to make an acrobatic defensive play.

“I had visualized and thought about this moment for a while,” Musgrove said. “The delayed start creates some anticipation. But I felt like I did a really good job managing the nerves and the anticipation of the game. I felt great when I got out there.”

Musgrove surrendered the lead in the bottom of the third when Christian Walker launched a two-run homer into the D-backs’ bullpen. But the Padres punched back.

They had entered play Saturday hitting just .187 with two outs and men in scoring position – tied for the worst mark in the National League. But Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth delivered crucial two-out hits in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively.

The Padres had loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth, but Nelson Cruz and Cronenworth struck out, leaving it in Kim’s hands. Mired in a 2-for-30 slump, Kim shot a go-ahead two-run single through the left side of the infield.

“It wasn’t a hard hit … but I was able to get a good result, so I kind of feel fortunate for that,” Kim said in Korean through interpreter Leo Bae. “But on the other hand, I’ve been working hard to just get out of this slump. I’ve been working really hard. So I’m glad that it happened tonight.”

Cronenworth’s RBI single provided some insurance, before Josh Hader slammed the door -- with help from Cronenworth and Bogaerts on one of the more bizarre 6-3 putouts you’ll ever see.

Kim had cut across Bogaerts’ path trying to catch Evan Longoria’s soft liner in the air. He missed, but Bogaerts picked it cleanly as he deftly avoided a collision with Kim. Bogaerts had just enough time to get to his feet and fire to Cronenworth, who made an outstanding pick as he managed to keep his foot on first base.

“Great play by a great defender,” Kim said, referring to Bogaerts, though really he could’ve been talking about either of them.

One batter later, Tatis snared Geraldo Perdomo’s liner to end the game. Musgrove had officially picked up his first win of the season.

After three weeks without those two -- this was more like it.

“We already had a great team,” Kim said. “And now we get two other great talents back. So it’s great to have them back, obviously. Now we can go to full speed the rest of the season and rack up a lot of wins.”