Week In Review: Padres Offensive Explosion

The Padres offense exploded this week, sparked by

. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

 July 28th – August 3rd

As the San Diego Padres limp along offensively without Chase Headley and now Chris Denorfia, their offense just could not get things going this week and score any runs.

At least that is what I expected to write about this week. What I did NOT expect to write about was a 2-homer, 5 hit night from Tommy Medica Friday night as the Padres tied a Petco Park record of 20 hits against the Atlanta Braves. I did NOT expect to tell you about a Wednesday night 12-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. A game where Jedd Gyorko hit a home run and bases loaded double. I did not expect to say they won 5 of their 7 games this week against two of the top teams in the National League. That IS, however, what happened. Isn’t baseball great?

The week started sleepily, with the Padres losing to the Braves in Atlanta 2-0 in a game that started at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. Then they flew back to San Diego and apparently slept well that night. Tuesday newcomer Yangervis Solarte homered and scored the go ahead run in his first visit to San Diego. He also made a nice defensive play and Tyson Ross struggled, but fought through for his team-leading 10th win. He ended July allowing 5 earned runs in 41 innings. Good start.

The Padres found themselves clicking on all cylinders this week. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinal Series Recap

Speaking of winning, youngster Jesse Hahn just keeps on doing that as well. Wednesday night he pitched 7 innings on his 25th birthday to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals as he only allowed one run. The story of the night besides him though was the offense, as they erupted for an 8-run 7th inning to win the game 12-1. Amazingly, the new-look Padres have scored the most runs by any National League team since the All-Star break. Solarte has been a spark plug, as has the return of Jedd Gyorko from the disabled list. Thursday they were not quite as lucky as Odrisamer Despaigne struggled again and the Padres lost 6-2 in a day game. Jedd Gyorko and Will Venable were able to hit solo home runs in the loss.

The Padres did trade Chris Denorfia, and in the end the GM committee seemed to take a conservative approach at the trade deadline, which I think is smart. They had to trade Chase Headley, and they did. It was a smart decision to trade Chris Denorfia. Some rumors had thought for sure that Joaquin Benoit and Ian Kennedy would be traded, but they stayed put. Both are signed for next season and it seems wise to let the new General Manager get to decide how to deal with two veterans who likely will demand a good amount next season assuming their production stays similar. It also gives the Padres a chance to increase Benoit’s value as he continues to close in the absence of the also-traded Huston Street. More on this later though.

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.

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Week:

Tommy Medica. What a week?! After a career 5-for-5 night on Friday, he added on a home run Sunday and ended the week 9-for-19 with three homers, 6 RBI and a stolen base for good measure. Now that the season is officially over for making any sort of playoff run, these Padres can just play. No trades looming over their heads, just getting out and playing this grand old game to show us all both glimpses of the future and having some fun in the present. It will be interesting to see how the lineup is mix and matched down the stretch. Have the Padres given up on Yonder Alonso and is Medica forcing them to play him more? His average is now up to .276 with 7 home runs, so it seems he is finding the stroke that got him here in the first place, while Alonso continues his season long struggle. It will most likely carryover into next season, but certainly I expect Medica to find a place on the Opening Day 2015 roster.

Current Record: 51-60

Current Standings: 11.5 GB of the Dodgers