Yu Darvish worked 8⅓ solid innings but suffered a tough loss Thursday as the Washington Nationals scored two runs in the ninth to beat the San Diego Padres 3-1.
Darvish (10-7) held the Nationals to one run through eight innings, scored on Ildemaro Vargas' third-inning solo homer, and three hits. Manny Machado tied the game for the Padres with a solo shot in the fourth in a close contest at Petco Park.
Darvish gave up two singles in the ninth, and left the 1-1 tie with one out and two on. Reliever Josh Harder hit one batter and walked the next to push across the go-ahead run, while another scored on a sacrifice fly.
Darvish allowed three runs — all earned — on five hits. He struck out six with no walks in his 96-pitch effort.
The Padres were held to three hits, wasting a one-out bases-loaded chance in the seventh when Trent Grisham and Juan Soto both struck out swinging against the Nationals' fourth pitcher, Victor Arano.
"I don't think anything about the run support one way or the other," said Darvish, who was pleased with the results he got from a new grip on his cut fastball.
"I'd been trying out a new grip in the bullpen and playing catch these past two days, and I was able to throw it to my satisfaction against right-handed hitters."
Elsewhere, Yusei Kikuchi allowed a hit but no runs in the eighth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays lefty pitched in relief for the first time in MLB in a 9-2 win over the New York Yankees.
"It didn't feel weird at all, and relatively speaking I was able to challenge hitters in the zone. For now, I feel relieved," said Kikuchi, whose last relief appearance was in Japan with the Seibu Lions in 2015.