Padres Earn Split with Mariners

Jun 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera (2) hits a two RBI double during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It seems like a night and day the difference between Tuesday night and after Thursday’s game. The Padres earned a split in the 4-game series after dropping the first two in Seattle. The Padres won both games at Petco in the late innings. The power of #WinforGwynn seems to be working.

As a team, the Padres hit .179 in the series, including 2 HRs and 2 triples. The offensive player of the series is Tommy Medica. He only had 2 hits, but both of those hits were crucial in the two Padre wins. His RBI-single gave the Padres the lead in the 8th inning of Wednesday’s win. He also hit a triple that led the 4-run rally in Thursday’s comeback win. Everth Cabrera put the stamp on the 4-run 7th, with a 2-run single. “I thought we saw a lot of good at-bats in that inning,” Padres’ skipper Bud Black told mlb.com’s Corey Brock. 

Eric Stults and Tyson Ross both struggled. Together they allowed 8 runs in 10.2 innings. That’s a 6.75 ERA. This was too much for the Padres’ sputtering offense to overcome. The other two starters in the series, Jesse Hahn and Andrew Cashner, were lights out. Hahn impressed for the second consecutive start, pitching 7 innings of shutout ball, with 7 strikeouts. Cashner also pitched 7 solid innings, keeping the Padres in the game long enough for the offense to come alive.

The series split feels good. Despite more injuries, the Padres seem to have a little bit more life in the clubhouse since honoring Mr. Padre. They have a tough test coming up in the Dodgers. This is great momentum going into that series. The 2 consecutive wins mark the first time since May 30-31 the Padres have been able to string two wins together.