Rookie Francisco Mejia is quickly giving the downtrodden

SAN DIEGO (AP) —San Diego Padres a hopeful glimpse of the future.The 22-year-old hit his first grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning and the rebuilding Padres rallied to beat the Texas Rangers 7-3 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep in a matchup of last-place teams.It was the first walkoff for Mejia Tyson Ross Jersey , who was promoted from Triple-A on Sept. 4. The prized catching prospect has hit three homers since then.Mejia was obtained from Cleveland for closer Brad Hand and reliever Adam Cimber on July 19. He is part of the third wave of young talent that has come up since late in the 2016 season, when the Padres turned from a failed win-now approach to rebuilding via the farm system.“It’s a really special moment,” Mejia said through a translator. “Especially for my career. It’s great.”The switch-hitter, batting right-handed, turned on the first pitch he saw from reliever Jeffrey Springs and drove it to left field.He said he was “looking for a pitch up in the zone, especially with the shadows out there. I wanted to look for a good pitch there and get a good swing on it.”Mejia was doused with a cooler of ice water at the plate and the celebration extended into the clubhouse.Asked what he’ll remember most about the homer, he said it would be “the energy, the moment coming into the clubhouse and having everyone waiting for me there.”Manager Andy Green said Mejia “seems at home with this group of guys. He showed up and everybody welcomed him and brought him into the family, and everybody has enjoyed him. When you’re new to a club you want to come through quick because it makes you feel like a part of it. Clearly he did that in a big way for us today.”Green watched the winning shot from his office after being ejected in the top of the ninth.“I do feel comfortable,” Mejia said. “I think the home runs, those are always going to come. That’s just part of the game. But I do feel comfortable being here and being a part of this team.”Ownership expected the Padres to be better this year than their finish of 71-91 last year Allen Craig Jersey , but the Padres are one loss away from matching last year’s win total. They’ve lost at least 90 games for the third straight season and the fourth time in eight years.The Rangers were two outs away from a 3-2 win and a three-game sweep before rookie Franmil Reyes hit a bloop single to right off rookie reliever Jeffrey Springs (0-1) and made way for pinch-runner Travis Jankowski. Freddy Galvis then doubled to left to bring in Jankowski with the tying run.Pinch-hitter A.J. Ellis walked as Galvis took third on a ball four-wild pitch. Cory Spangenberg walked to load the bases and bring up Mejia, who homered to left on the first pitch he saw.“Things unraveled a little bit just with the walks, but I’ve got to hand it to him,” Banister said about Springs. “The guy’s never been in that situation before. I put him in that situation and I thought he showed a grit throughout the course of an inning.”Green was ejected in the top of the ninth after Robinson Chirinos appeared to hit the ball off the knob of his bat into fair territory. Padres reliever Trey Wingenter fielded the ball and threw to first. After the umps huddled and then went to a video review that lasted four minutes, 50 seconds, Green was ejected for arguing and Chirinos was awarded first on a hit-by-pitch.“I was pretty adamant telling them it’s not a reviewable call, it’s on the field,” Green said. “You have to fix the call on the field. It has to be a fair ball or a hit batter. It can’t be a foul ball. I’m not quite sure how we arrived where we arrived.”The Rangers loaded the bases but failed to score.Kirby Yates (5-3) got the last two outs of the ninth for the win.The Padres had runners on first and third with no outs in the eighth and failed to score.Rangers starter Mike Minor allowed two runs and four hits, struck out seven and walked one. He also doubled. Minor’s only big mistake was allowing Hunter Renfroe’s homer with two outs in the first, his 23rd.Willie Calhoun homered with one out in the second, his second http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-gwynn-jersey , and Jurickson Profar hit a leadoff shot in the third, his 18th. Both were off Padres rookie Jacob Nix, who also allowed Robinson Chirinos’ RBI single in the sixth.Nix allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out three and walked one.UP NEXTRangers: RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1, 5.06) is scheduled to make his second start with Texas when it opens a three-game home series against Tampa Bay on Monday night. The Rays will counter with RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-6, 4.48).Padres: RHP Bryan Mitchell (1-3, 6.07) is scheduled to go in the opener of a three-game home series against San Francisco on Monday night, his third start since returning from 1 ½ months on the disabled list. He’s 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings since being reinstated. The Giants will counter with LHP Andrew Suarez (6-11, 4.33). CINCINNATI (AP) — On a day when the Cleveland Indians lost key starter Trevor Bauer to an injury, ace Corey Kluber gave them a huge lift.Kluber extended his dominance of the Cincinnati Reds with seven strong innings and Jose Ramirez hit his 36th home run as the Cleveland Indians rolled to an 8-1 win on Tuesday night.Kluber (15-6) allowed one run and five hits and struck out seven in seven innings. He was efficient throughout, never throwing more than 19 pitches in an inning. He threw nine pitches in the first inning and seven in the fourth.“I thought he was really good http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-dave-winfield-jersey ,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “There was some early contact and stayed off the barrel. I thought his cutter was really good when he needed to get back into a count or even for a strikeout.”The Indians won the first two games of the series by a combined 18-4 despite a rough week with outfielder Leonys Martin hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection and Bauer placed on the DL with a fractured right leg on Tuesday.“We’ve had our fair share of injuries,” Kluber said. “Trevor’s been a huge part of this team. But we can’t get wrapped up in losing someone important like that.”Cleveland sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning scoring four runs on four hits, including a two-run single by Yonder Alonso. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez’s diving stop on Yan Gomes‘ hard grounder prevented further damage.In the second inning, Ramirez doubled and scored on Alonso’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Melky Cabrera made it 6-0.Romano (7-10) left after allowing six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.“They did find a hole but I also fell behind every single hitter I faced,” Romano said. “It’s unacceptable. I was on a pretty good run. You’re not going to get away with that kind of stuff against a team like that over there.”Michael Lorenzen pitched a career-high 4 1/3 innings, tying Keury Mella’s outing on Aug. 2 for the most by a Reds reliever this season.Ramirez’s solo homer on a 3-2 pitch from Lorenzen in the sixth made it 8-0. He also homered in the third inning on Monday.Kluber retired the Reds in order three times. He struck out three straight batters in the sixth after allowing Billy Hamilton’s leadoff single.The only run Kluber allowed was when Tucker Barnhart tripled for the second time this season and scored on Preston Tucker’s single in the seventh.“We knew how good he is but that was really some good pitching,” Reds manager Jim Riggleman said of Kluber. “He’s not a flamethrower but he really pitched.”In his past four starts vs. Cincinnati, Kluber is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.Tyler Olson, recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, pitched a scoreless ninth inning for Cleveland which has won four straight games.“You just have to do your job Rollie Fingers Jersey ,” Francona said of his team responding to a tough week. “Just do your job. You just have to show up and play that day’s game. You don’t know what’s in store for tomorrow. Next man up.”CHASING J.D.?Ramirez has homered in three straight appearances for the fourth time in his career and third time this season. In his past three games, Ramirez is hitting .571 with three homers and six RBIs. His 36 home runs rank second in the major leagues behind Boston’s J.D. Martinez, who has 37. “That’s not really in my head,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “I’m just trying to get good pitches to hit. I hope J.D. hits 200 homers this year.”ROAD WARRIORSThe Indians have won 14 of their past 18 road games. In those games, Indians pitchers have posted a 2.81 ERA.CLOSE FRIENDSAlonso expressed concern on Tuesday for his friend and teammate Leonys Martin who’s in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic where he’s being treated for a bacterial infection. “It hit home for sure,” Alonso said. “All you can do is pray. He’s young, he’s in shape. He’s going to get through this. When something like this tragically happens, it reminds you there’s more than baseball.”TRAINER’S ROOMIndians: Trevor Bauer went on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday with a small stress fracture in his right fibula. Bauer was struck by a line drive on his right ankle on Saturday and a MRI on Tuesday revealed the fracture. There is no timetable for his return.Reds: Scott Schebler experienced no issues with his sprained right shoulder while throwing on Monday. He could be sent out for a rehab assignment at either Triple-A Louisville or Double-A Pensacola later this week.UP NEXTIndians: Rookie right-hander Shane Bieber (6-2) will make his 12th start of the season and face the Reds for the first time.Reds: Robert Stephenson (0-1) will make his second start since being recalled from Triple-A.