Padres Roach Adds First ML Hit To Baseball Firsts

April 29, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Donn Roach (39) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

During the San Diego Padres’ 6-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, reliever Donn Roach came in to relieve roughed up starter Eric Stults, who allowed five earned runs over the first two innings. For the rest of the game, Roach allowed one unearned run over 4.1 innings, keeping the game from being a total blowout. Manager Bud Black told MLB.com’s Alex Espinosa:

"Donn was a savior, no doubt about it. This game really could have got out of hand. We really could have used a lot of bullpen arms if things got tough for Donn. The state of any bullpen is so critical as far as frequency and keeping guys as fresh as possible. Donn did a great job in circumstances where he hasn’t pitched a lot. To ask him to go four-plus innings and be as efficient as he was, it was a huge lift for our ‘pen.”"

On a night when the Padres’ bats were once again ineffective, it would be Roach who gave fans a little something to talk about when he knocked a double into right field gap for his first Major League hit. Even a day after the game, Roach continued to talk about his hit claiming the team is still holding on to the baseball.

Currently, Roach is enjoying a solid season with a 2.84 ERA in Padres’ bullpen. He is a part of group pitchers who have outperformed the rest of the club and kept the team only 4.5 games back from the division leading Giants.