Smith’s single breaks Padres’ no-hitter bid in 7th inning

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s Pavin Smith cut a straight single to start the seventh inning, ending a no-hit bid from the San Diego Padres’ opening day on Thursday night.

Yu Darvish pitched the first six innings for San Diego without giving up a hit, but was retired before the seventh after throwing 92 pitches. Manager Bob Melvin’s decision came as no surprise: pitchers throughout the game have a limited number of pitches after shortened spring training.

Left-hander Tim Hill relieved Darvish, facing left-hander Smith to start the seventh, but the batter answered with a single left-hander. The next batter, Carson Kelly, threw a double play.

Darvish — a five-time All-Star — made his third Open Day start and second for the Padres. The 35-year-old struck out three and walked four.

Bob Feller pitched baseball’s only no-hitter for Cleveland in 1940. The Hall of Famer was 21 when he accomplished the feat against the White Sox.

There was a record nine hits thrown at the majors last season. Most of them came before a midseason crackdown by Major League Baseball on the use of illegal sticky substances by pitchers.

The Padres led 2-0. It’s a rocky start for the Diamondbacks as they try to bounce back from a 110-game losing season.

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