Padres Week in Review: April 20-26th

Apr 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller presents left fielder

(10) with the Silver Slugger Award prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Introduction

The Padres ended up this week going 4-3 after I predicted them going – thats right –  4-3 for the week.

While the offense still certainly continues to show flashes of offense well beyond anything we have seen in the last few years, there still are some lulls that can’t seem to be overcome. Justin Upton had a nice power week after getting recognized Saturday for winning the Silver Slugger Award for 2014, he blasted two home runs in a wild one Saturday night at Petco Park.

More from Padres News

• Jurickson Profar free agency update likely rules out Padres reunion
• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster

Matt Kemp continues his strong 2015 and catcher Derek Norris shows that his slow spring training was no indicator at all of how his season would turn out. Last week in this space we talked about the struggles of the middle bullpen and the Padres continued to make some changes trying to find the combination in that regard this week, in the end sending both left-handers back down to AAA and recalling the popular Kevin Quackenbush.

One aspect of the Padres game that has been surprising some is the defense. Yangervis Solarte is one of the main culprits with 3 errors, though that can be partially explained by the fact that he is hitting so well he is forcing Bud Black to play him at new positions like first base that he hasn’t played before. That said, after making two errors there in limited duty hopefully Black rethinks that experiment. Yonder Alonso’s hot hitting and slick defense helps too.  The Padres have made 14 errors on the season, tied for 6th among all of MLB.

So how did this week go in going 4-3? Was it a week that could’ve gone differently and how does it bode for the rest of the season?

Next: Rockies Series Recap

The Padres offense came up big in the first two games of the Rockies series before faltering. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Rockies Series Recap

The Padres literally burst out of the gate for the Colorado Rockies series and scored 9 runs in the first two innings of the week. Matt Kemp paced the Padres with a 3-4 night and 4 RBI. Yonder Alonso was 2-4 with 3 RBI of his own, and catcher Derek Norris continued his strong start by going 3-5 to boot. Odrisamer Despaigne was outstanding again filling in for injured Ian Kennedy and it is of great comfort to know that you have a backup starter like him ready to go on a moment’s notice. Given the injury history of Brandon Morrow and Andrew Cashner especially, though both of them too are off to good starts to the season. The final score was 14-3 as the Padres scored 5 more again in the 5th. Depending on your interpretation, the Padres did or did not bat around in the first inning.

Tuesday night’s game might be one of those games late in the year the Padres look back on and remember above other victories. Brandon Morrow had his worst start yet for the Padres as he allowed 5 runs in 6 innings, leaving the game with the Rockies up 5-2. A Wil Myers double in the 7th brought the Padres within 2 but they entered the 8th inning still down by 2. Brandon Maurer continued his recent hot streak on the mound as well, pitching a perfect inning in relief. Yangervis Solarte and Myers delivered RBI singles before Derek Norris delivered the big double in the gap to give the Padres the lead. Joaquin Benoit retired the side in the 8th to bring on Kimbrel in the 9th. He allowed a home run to Nick Hundley in the 9th before settling down and finishing out the ninth for his 5th save and the Padres the 7-6 victory. Maurer picked up the win with Boone Logan picking up the loss for the Rockies.

Wednesday the Padres seemed to have all the momentum on their side and with James Shields on the mound opposing Kyle Kendricks, it seemed like the Rockies were headed to their sixth consecutive loss. Especially when Solarte launched his second homer of the year in the first inning the Padres had the early lead. But this is Coors Field. Shields allowed two runs in the first on a Corey Dickerson homer and Nolan Arenado double and another in the 2nd on a D.J. LeMahieu double to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead. In the 7th the Padres rallied with RBI doubles from Derek Norris and Corey Spangenberg to give the Padres a 4-3 lead. Yet Dickerson hit his second homer of the game off of Joaquin Benoit in the 8th to tie things at 4. In the 9th with Shawn Kelley on the mound, veteran Daniel Descalso came off the bench for the home team to deliver a bases loaded single game winner in walk-off fashion. Rockies win 5-4.

The series finale was Thursday with Tyson Ross going against Jordan Lyles who is off to a good start for the Rockies this season. Ross labored through five innings but only allowed 2 runs, struck out 7 and walked 4. Dickerson hit another home run and Ross walked Descalso to force in a run in the first inning. Maurer worked two innings of scoreless relief but the Padres weren’t able to break through the Colorado bullpen this time. Yonder Alonso had 3 of the Padres 7 total hits, with Spangenberg collecting 2 more in a start at second base. Final score Rockies 2, Padres 1.

For a series that started out so well offensively, it ended poorly and the Padres would have to shake that off heading home to face the rival Dodgers Friday night.

Next: Dodgers Series Recap

Apr 24, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres third base coach

(30) hits grounders to warm up the infield before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers Series Recap

There was a lot of anticipation heading into the weekend series with the Dodgers coming to Petco Park for the first time this season. They had a nearly even record heading into it and whoever won the series would end up in sole possession of first in the NL West.

Game 1 pitted Zack Greinke against Andrew Cashner who has been the victim so far this year of unearned runs despite pitching well himself. Friday was no different unfortunately for Cashner. He struck out 6 in 7 innings and only allowed 2 runs. This time no unearned runs for once. Adrian Gonzalez was held in the park this time but Carl Crawford hit a solo shot in the 7th off of Cashner. Greinke however pitched 7 innings and struck out 7 without allowing a run. Dynamite performance from the #2 starter of the Dodgers shows why they are always a favorite in the NL West. Kevin Quackenbush made his season debut and allowed a run in 1 1/3 inning of work and Cashner fell to 1-3 as the Padres lost 3-0.

For Saturday’s game, Ian Kennedy made his return to the rotation after Odrisamer Despaigne pitched very well in his absence in the rotation. Things did not get off to a good start as the Dodgers scored three in the first after Andre Ethier hit a home run filling in for Yasiel Puig who would go on the DL from a hamstring strain he suffered Friday night. The Padres were able to tie things up in the bottom half of the inning as Wil Myers hit a lead-off homer and Justin Upton hit the first of two homers to tie up the score. The Dodgers came right back though scoring three in the second after another Adrian Gonzalez home run. It was his 7th of the year and 6th off of the Padres. In the 5th the Dodgers went up 10-3 to seemingly put the game away before the Padres scored 4 in the bottom of the 6th but ultimately falling short. Brandon McCarthy struggled and left with an injury but got the win with Kennedy taking the loss as the Dodgers wound up winning the wild one 11-8.

 Sunday’s finale finally got the pitching we expected to see in this series but from unlikely sources. Brandon Morrow followed up a bad performance at Coors Field with a 7 inning performance allowing only one run. Called up Saturday for the game for the Dodgers was Scott Baker, who pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs but that is all the Padres would need. Derek Norris went 2-3 with his first homer of the year and Alexi Amarista hit a rare home run as well to lead the Padres to victory. Benoit and Kimbrel finished out the game and the Padres salvaged the series with a win 3-1.

Next: Padres Offensive Spotlight

Apr 23, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso (23) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Padres Offensive Spotlight

 As of this writing, the Padres have scored the most runs in the National League. Think about that for a second. For a team that finished dead last in runs scored with 535 in 2014 the contrast is stark. They are doing it with some longballs certainly but primarily from just plain hitting. They lead the majors in hits with 187 with Matt Kemp leading the way with 28 of them. Of the top 6 players by hits, 5 are new imports from the off-season and Yonder Alonso is leading the team in batting average. For a guy who was being run out of town after a dreadful 2014 and being a key left-handed hitter for the Padres, the news couldn’t be better.

 The Jedd Gyorko question continues to trouble the Padres faithful, perhaps the only benefit is that his struggles are overshadowing the struggles at shortstop though Clint Barmes has hit well in limited duty with 8 hits in 24 at-bats. Season long solution though he is not. We have seen some stellar defensive plays from Solarte, particularly Saturday night robbing an RBI from the Dodgers Howie Kendrick, but he has also made 3 errors as mentioned earlier. Can he play shortstop? Gyorko though has just 7 hits in 47 at-bats and has drawn only 4 walks. He has taken a few days off to work on his swing but many of the troubles from last year do not seem to be behind him.

 If Bud Black epitomizes one trait it is patience but if GM A.J. Preller epitomizes one trait it is frenetic energy. It will be interesting to see if a conflict over Gyorko comes to the forefront as Black stresses giving him regular playing time to get things right and Preller is shopping for any and every replacement he can find. We know that Bud Black can work with different ownership and GM’s as he has had several over his tenure, but I get the feeling Preller likes things a certain way.

Ultimately these are all good things. Having a middle of the order combination like Kemp and Upton producing and Wil Myers has also been fantastic in the lead-off spot which had been another pre-season concern. If getting two hitters like Gyorko and Amarista to produce is the worst problem the Padres have things are looking good for the team from San Diego.

Next: Week Ahead