Padres Tie NL Home Run Record

Jul 27, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Diego Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt (12) hits a double RBI in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Diego Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt (12) hits a double RBI in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres tied the National League consecutive game with a home run record Wednesday thanks to three home runs in a game they won 8-4 over the Blue Jays. Alex Dickerson hit his fourth in fourth games and this time Adam Rosales and Brett Wallace also chipped in.

At this point it seems like anyone on the Padres can hit one – though Wil Myers lack of recent home run success is also somewhat alarming to start the second half.

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They tied the Atlanta record set in 1998 with 25 straight games now. That team had names like Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Andres Galaragga, and Javy Lopez on their charge and finished the season with 215 home runs. At the Padres current pace they will end up with about 192 home runs.

Padres Manager Andy Green recognized how fun it has been to see someone different get their dinger every night: “It’s nice to see everybody contribute. It’s nice to get Adam Rosales in the game and see him swing the bat like that. It’s nice to see Brett Wallace get into the mix. He’s been through a rough stretch, and now he’s coming back. It’s great to see.”

The home runs certainly seem to be contagious. The home run was the 7th and 6th for Rosales and Wallace, respectively. Rosales of course has lost a lot of playing time with the return of Yangervis Solarte from the DL and emergence of Ryan Schimpf and his 9 home runs already since being called up from AAA El Paso. Still, he took advantage of the opportunity he was given in Toronto.

Green insisted that it isn’t on the players minds, and instead pointed out his real excitement that the team is actually being more patient at the plate despite the increased power.

“Hitting the ball out of the ballpark 25 straight days — it’s a borderline fluke. It’s just one of those things that happens. We don’t think too much about it.”

The power isn’t likely to slow down come September either, with prospect Hunter Renfroe blasting away in AAA and ready to join the Majors at any moment. There was a lot of speculation he would be called up with the trade of Melvin Upton Jr.but Dickerson’s and Travis Jankowski‘s solid outfield play will likely keep Renfroe in AAA until September to keep his playing clock low.

Two more for the record makes this Padres team exciting to watch even though they sit 15.5 games out of first place. They have a day off Thursday before heading home to Cincinnati on Friday.

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