Jose Iglesias does it all in Padres' comeback win over Royals

SAN DIEGO — Sometime after the Padres started to get healthy in early May, Padres manager Mike Shildt had a talk with Jose Iglesias.

The 35-year-old veteran had done his part to help hold things together as Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Brandon Lockridge, Jason Heyward and Luis Arraez all hit the injured list in the early part of the season.

The next way that Iglesias could help — off the bench as he did in Sunday’s 3-2 walk-off win over the Kansas City Royals — would be just as critical in this eight-month slog through a 162-game season.

“It means a lot coming from the bench and in such a situation like that and to be able to come through for the team,” Iglesias said. “I’m just very happy to get the job done and just be ready in those situations.”

All three situations on Sunday arrived after Iglesias pinch-hit for Jake Cronenworth in Sunday’s seventh inning.

A two-run single with the bases loaded tied the game. Two innings later, Iglesias seamlessly collected a throw from the right-center alley from Merrill and fired to home plate to cut down the go-ahead run.

And a half-inning after that, Iglesias’ ground-ball to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. against a drawn-in infield plated the winning run, securing the Padres’ first series win since June 6-8 in Milwaukee.

Not bad for a veteran feeling his way through his first year as a role player.

Then again, Iglesias has proven time and time again that he’s cut from the right cloth.

“It’s very high,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Iglesias’ situational awareness. “ … (Fernando Tatis Jr.) says it beautifully: Do what the game calls for. That’s way easier said than done. Part of the process of being a winning major league player is knowing what the game does call for.”

Iglesias had plenty of company Sunday.

Randy Vásquez threw a career-high seven innings in outlasting former Padres right-hander Seth Lugo, Xander Bogaerts was superb at shortstop to support a pitching staff that could afford few mistakes and Shildt pulled all the right strings, beginning with asking Iglesias to hit for Cronenworth with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Lugo retired 18 in a row after Tatis’ single to start the game when Merrill doubled to start the seventh. Two batters later, Lugo was out of the game and left-hander Angel Zerpa had walked the bases loaded to put a decision to Shildt:

Have the left-handed hitting Cronenworth face Zerpa or ask Iglesias to come off the bench to face right-hander Lucas Erceg, who was warming in the bullpen

Shildt chose Iglesias, Zerpa was lifted for Erceg and Iglesias poked an 0-2 single to right field, tying the game.

Two innings later, right-hander John Schreiber had Iglesias in another 0-2 hole after Arraez’s leadoff single and Bogaerts’ one-out double when an 86 mph grounder up the middle pulled Witt behind the mound, just far enough to keep him from making a strong throw to the plate.

The throw was up the first line a bit, too, and Arraez slid across the plate safely to send a sellout crowd of 43,567 home happy.

“Man, he battled his tail off,” Shildt said. “He got down two strikes a couple times and just found a way. Bat to ball, good player, man. Finds a way to get it done.”

The same could be said for Vásquez, who really made just one mistake on Sunday: A middle-middle cutter that veteran Salvador Pérez pulled out to left to open a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning.

A one out-single from Vinnie Pasquantino preceded Pérez’s ninth homer of the season. Vásquez, however, recorded the next two outs to get out of the sixth and then retired the side in order the next inning as he completed seven innings for the first time in his career.

His previous best was an out shy of seven innings last June against the Diamondbacks.

Vásquez struck out two, walked two and scattered five hits while throwing 63 of his 89 pitches for strikes.

“I thought Vásquez was fantastic,” Shildt said of Vásquez’s first quality start since May 26. “… A huge seven innings. Earning more trust deeper into games and rewarding it.”

A double play started by Bogaerts helped Jason Adam through a scoreless eighth inning and defense helped Suarez escape the ninth after walking Drew Waters with two outs.

Freddy Fermin gave the Royals a good look at retaking the lead, too, with a 103 mph double to right-center. Merrill, in this first game off the concussion list, gathered the ball before it reached the wall and fired to Iglesias, who sent a relay a bit up the third base line but in plenty of time to cut down the go-ahead run.

His third RBI of the game — all after beginning the day on the bench — followed a half-inning later.

Yes, Iglesias wants all the playing time he can get.

But this role is beginning to suit him, too.

“It’s my first time in 14 years that I’m in this role,” Iglesias said. “I’m still adjusting to the routine and each and every day learning about when to start my routine. It’s a process, but each and every day I feel more comfortable.”

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