Week In Review: Padres Offensive Explosion

Aug 3, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop

(2) is mobbed in the outfield by teammates after hitting the game winning RBI single in the tenth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Braves Recap

The bats were on again Friday night, particularly that of Tommy Medica. He blasted two home runs in the game en route to his 5-for-5 night. That made the job of Eric Stults easy, who was staked to a 5-0 lead after three innings. He ended up going 6+ innings, only allowing 1 unearned run on just two hits and struck out 3. I do love his consistency, now the only Padres starter not to miss a start this season.

Saturday the Padres didn’t hit nearly as much, but still won on a walk-off single by Will Venable – yes he is still on the team – in the 12th inning off the best closer in baseball, Craig Kimbrel. The patience of the Padres is paying off, and though they stranded 14 runners on base, so did the Braves! It was the Braves who made several base running errors, included getting doubled off of second base on a liner to center. It was the Braves who loaded the bases with no one out and couldn’t score. In the end, the Padres’ bullpen won out with none other than Mr. Reliable, Tim Stauffer picking up the win with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Perhaps lost in the shuffle was another 2-for-4 night from Tommy Medica and Ian Kennedy striking out 7 in 5 innings of 1 run ball. His 5 walks did contribute to his early exit.

Sunday they wrapped up the week by another extra inning affair, this one ending when Everth Cabrera singled in the winning run in the 11th, then running away from his teammates into the outfield as they doused him in a celebration. This one was shaky for the Padres however, as they lost a 2-0 lead in the 7th, then after regaining the 3-2 lead lost that lead in the 9th on a Joaquin Benoit throwing error at third base. Still, it is the end result that matters, and thanks to another Tommy Medica home run, that is exactly what they got.