ICYMI: Padres POWER Their Way Past Philly For Series Win

San Diego Padres’ starter Robbie Erlin hadn’t made a start since May 17th. After recovering from arm issues for most of the season, and then stepping in for staff ace Tyson Ross, who was out with arm soreness of his own, didn’t look rusty one bit. Erlin tossed six solid innings, striking out 4, scattering 5 hits, not walking a single batter, and allowing only 1 earned run, as the Padres powered, yes, powered their way past the struggling Philadelphia Phillies Thursday night, 7-3. The win secured the series victory for San Diego, as they won three of four from Philly.

The Padres put up single runs in the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th innings, before putting up a crooked number with a three-spot in the 8th inning. Several Padres’ hitters had solid nights, led by Alexi Amarista, who finished the evening 2-for-3, with a home run, two RBI, and a pair of runs scored. Outfielder Will Venable also hit a long ball, his seventh of the season. Yasmani Grandal, Seth Smith, and Cameron Maybin each had a pair of hits, giving the Padres 12 on the night. The team only struck out 4 times the entire game.

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For the Phillies, Dominic Brown and Ben Revere combined for 5 of the Fightin’s 11 knocks on the evening. Phillies’ starter Kyle Kendrick pitched well enough, going 5 innings, and allowing 3 earned on 6 hits, and striking out a pair. The Phils’ offense just couldn’t must much against a razor-sharp Erlin. This is excellent news for the Padres as they come down the home stretch. A healthy Erlin, along with a full season from Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and Jesse Hahn, could be one of the strongest and deepest starting rotations in all of baseball next season. Now, if the Padres could just get some sustained offense to support that great pitching.

The Friars return to action Friday night against the NL West’s second place team, Bruce Bochy‘s San Francisco Giants. The former Friars’ skipper’s G-men are trailing the Dodgers by two games, with 10 to play. The Padres will send Odrisamer Despaigne to the mound to take on veteran Tim Hudson for the Giants. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PDT.

Keep the Faith.