Padres Lose to Royals 6-1

The San Diego Padres fell to the Kansas City Royals 6-1 in primetime spring training action Friday night.

Ian Kennedy started the game for the Padres and pitched 4 solid innings, allowing only 1 unearned run and 3 hits. He also walked just 1 and got 2 strikeouts.

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San Diego actually got on the board first when Justin Upton doubled and scored on a balk while Yonder Alonso was at the plate. Upton’s double was one of only four Padres hits.

In the fourth inning, Eric Hosmer reached on a throwing error by Jedd Gyorko after Lorenzo Cain grounded out. New Royals acquisition Kendry Morales then doubled to center field to bring home Hosmer and tie the game at 1 apiece.

Kevin Quackenbush came on in the 5^th and things started off well enough. He retired the first two hitters before an Alcides Escobar single. After that Mike Moustakas was hit by pitch before Lorenzo Cain singled home pinch runner Gabriel Noriega. Hosmer then came up again and this time he didn’t reach by an error, but blasted a double to right driving in two more and bringing the score to 4-1.

Not much else went on with the Padres in Friday’s game. They managed only three hits in the first eight innings by Cameron Maybin, Justin Upton and Yonder Alonzo. Alonzo also walked and was caught stealing after doing so. In the ninth inning some subs got hits, with Abraham Almonte and Ramiro Pena getting a few hits.

Following Quackenbush, Marcos Mateo, Joaquin Benoit, and Chris Rearick all provided three straight scoreless innings. Dale Thayer came in and like Quackenbush also unpredictably struggled allowing 2 runs in his inning of work.

The Royals added some insurance in the 9^th off of Thayer when Reymond Fuentes doubled in two runs, and former Padre Chris Young anchored a strong pitching performance with three innings of work and only allowing 1 run. Jason Frasor, Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson, Lance Coleman and Michael Mariot finished the job for the Royals, with Hochevar being of most importance coming back from his own TJ Surgery last year.

The Padres get right back at it tomorrow at 1:05 ET against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They sit with a spring record of 8-9 and will send fifth starter hopeful Brandon Morrow to the mound who brings in a 1-0 record and 1.00 ERA against Arizona pitching prospect Archie Bradley.

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