Padres Win First Series From Break

Jul 20, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Seth Smith (12) hits the game winning RBI during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres (43-55) beat the New York Mets (46-52) in the opening series of the second half with a 2-1 walk-off victory on Sunday.

The story of this series was that of the home run, and Odrisamer Despaigne flirting with the first no-hitter in Padres’ history, which teased the heart of every San Diegan. The offense produced when it needed too even though it still left many opportunities on the bases.

The team as a whole hit .260, which is a drastic improvement from the first half Padres. They also hit 4 home runs, 2 of them by Yasmani Grandal. He has tweaked his stance and is feeling good right now.

The Padres hit 3 home runs in a game for the first time at home this year.  In the series, Grandal had 3 hits with 2 home runs and 2 RBI. Seth Smith also had a good series, 4 hits with a home run and his walk-off infield hit. Chase Headley also had 4 hits with 3 RBI. The Padres got contributions from a lot of players, which results in wins.

Tyson Ross and Despaigne pitched gems. Ross pitched 7 shutout innings while striking out 6. Despaigne had his fastball dancing all over the zone, fooling Mets’ hitter all day Sunday. He took a no-hitter into the 8th inning and struck out 5.

Ian Kennedy had an uncharacteristic outing on Friday, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. The bullpen did not allow a single run throughout the series.

The Padres still retain 3rd place in the NL West but their lead over Arizona has slimmed to a half game, and they have a better record than 3 teams in the NL.

The Padres are going to get some key players back soon from rehab. If Grandal and Headley still hit well after tweaking their stances, the Padres will be in good shape moving forward.

They get a day off as they travel to Chicago to open a three game set with the Cubs at Wrigley.