Offense Explodes as Padres Cement Series Split with 13-4 Victory Over Nationals

Wow!

Alonso and Gyorko played well on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

I knew that the ball traveled better at Petco Park in the daytime, but the Padres put on an incredible offensive display today as they beat the Nationals by a score of 13-4.

How well did San Diego’s hitters perform?  Here’s a quick rundown:

• Five of San Diego’s hitters logged two rbi’s (Jedd Gyorko, Everth Cabrera, Yonder Alonso, Will Venable and Kyle Blanks).

• Blanks, Venable and Alonso each hit one home run.

• Seven of the Padres’ 15 hits today were for extra bases.

• San Diego’s hitters went 6-15 with runners in scoring position.

The Padres were an offensive force all afternoon long, and they were especially potent whenever the Nationals tried to crawl back into the game.  They extended a 3-2 lead to 7-2 in the fifth inning.  Then in the seventh, San Diego’s hitters stretched a 7-4 lead into a 12-4 lead to put the game entirely out of reach at that juncture.  Whenever Washington tried to chip away at the lead, San Diego just answered.  It was downright fun to watch.

While the offense definitely found their collective groove, kudos must also go to Andrew “Grizzly Adams” Cashner for his work on the mound today.  Cashner had himself yet another solid outing as he worked 6.2 innings, struck out six hitters and gave up three runs. “Grizzly’s” only big mistake came when allowed one mistake pitch to Ryan Zimmerman for a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

I tip my cap to the Padres for fighting back to salvage a series split after they lost the first two of their four-game set with the Nationals over the weekend.  Just like they rebounded in Baltimore after their tough series against Tampa Bay, the Padres are certainly not a team that will roll over if things do not go their way.

With that in mind, I am definitely intrigued to see how well they will perform against an experienced team like St. Louis over the next three games.  As I alluded to last week, taking on talented teams like Washington, Baltimore and St. Louis will be a terrific litmus test for the young and developing Padres.

I just hope that their hitters are ready for the Cardinals’ awesome starting staff.