Series Recap with Brewers

Apr 23, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Chris Denorfia (13) breaks his bat while getting an infield hit in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Friars headed into Milwaukee with high hopes after a successful homestand. Last night the Padres lost the game and the series, dropping to the Brewers 5-2. The story of the series was the uncharacteristic outings by Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. No pitcher is going to go 30-0 with an ERA under 1, rough outings happen. Unfortunately it just came twice in the same series.

Cashner struggled on Monday in the 4-3 loss, allowing 4 earned runs, 2 walks and a home run. Ross allowed 5 runs, including 2 home runs. The offense didn’t help much either. In the three games, the Padre hitters struck out 29 times, managed 19 hits, with a team average of, brace yourselves, .179. The offensive woes continue, especially for Jedd Gyorko, who finished the series 1 for 12 (.083 avg). The lone bright spots offensively were Chase Headley’s clutch bomb in the 12th on Tuesday’s win and Chris Denorfia’s 5 hits in the series, including a home run. He hit safely in each of the 3 games. Everth Cabrera continues to swing the bat well, he hit his 8th double today and his average is now at .306.

All in all, the Padres struggled mightily offensively during two rare bad outings by their two best pitchers. That’s never a good combo. The Padres head (or limp) into Washington D.C. to start a 4 game series with the Nationals. Eric Stults (1-2, 4.35 ERA) kicks it off tomorrow for the Boys against the Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann (1-1, 3.92 ERA). The Padres also draw former SDSU Aztec Stephen Strasburg (1-2, 5.33 ERA) on Friday. Fear not Padres fans, the offensive can only get better and the pitching will get back into regular character. Hopefully a nice trip to our Nation’s Capital will do the trick.