Padres' Daniel Camarena: Shines with bat in relief outing

Camarena pitched two innings against Washington on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out two. He also hit a grand slam in his lone plate appearance.

Starter Yu Darvish uncharacteristically struggled and was pulled after three innings due to back/hip tightness, giving Camarena an opportunity to pitch with San Diego down by six runs. The deficit grew to eight after Camarena allowed a two-run homer to Trea Turner in the fourth inning, but the reliever made up for the mistake by clubbing a grand slam off Max Scherzer in the bottom of the frame. According to the Padres' official Twitter account, Camarena became the second pitcher in major-league history -- and the first since 1898 -- to smack a grand slam for his first big-league hit. The big moment probably won't impact Camarena's role in the bullpen or long-term place on the club, but it was the biggest hit in what turned into an epic Padres comeback.