Padres Fall to Rangers 7-9; Ha-Seong Kim Benched

The San Diego Padres suffered a 7-9 defeat against the Texas Rangers on Thursday, halting their recent two-game winning streak. The loss leaves the Padres with a season record of 38 wins and 36 losses. If the Arizona Diamondbacks win their game, San Diego could fall to third place in the National League West division.

Texas, meanwhile, ended a three-game losing streak with the victory, improving their season record to 36-39 and maintaining their third-place standing in the American League West. The Rangers' win was fueled by a strong first inning where they scored six runs, despite the Padres initially taking a commanding 5-0 lead.

San Diego's early success came from a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the first inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. walked, followed by a single from Jurickson Profar, setting up a bases-loaded scenario. Jake Cronenworth delivered a run-scoring single, and then Jurickson Profar hit a grand slam, giving the Padres a significant early advantage.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the bottom of the first inning. Padres starting pitcher Randy Vásquez struggled, allowing five hits, including three doubles, and two walks, leading to six runs for the Rangers. Despite a solo home run from Cronenworth in the fourth inning to tie the game and another solo shot from Cronenworth in the eighth to narrow the deficit to 7-8, the Rangers secured the win with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who had played as a defensive replacement in the previous game against the St. Louis Cardinals, did not see any playing time in this matchup. Kim has appeared in 25 games this season, batting .196 with 9 hits, 4 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, and 6 runs scored.