San Diego Padres: Week #8 recap

Breaking down all of the action from the final full week of May, one of the better weeks for the San Diego Padres in the early going.

Let’s focus on the positive for a moment. The Friars had a 3-3 record this week with two wins versus the Mets before salvaging one game versus the mighty Washington Nationals.

Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg made short work of the Padres during the first two games of the series with the Nats, striking out 34 combined. The Padres were able to work 5 runs off starter Joe Ross in the final game of the series and the bullpen pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to give the Pads a happy flight home.

Finishing the week with a 19-33 record, the Friars are 14 games behind Colorado in the NL West and 2.5 games behind their nearest rivals, the San Francisco Giants. While the starting pitching remains a disappointment overall there were a couple bright spots this week.

Clayton Richard scattered 10 hits and allowed 3 run over 6 innings, Luis Perdomo allowed 6 hits and 3 runs over 6 innings and prospect Dinelson Lamet made his major league debut, allowing 3 hits and 1 run with 8 K’s over 5 innings pitched while replacing Jered Weaver in the rotation.

The 24 year old Lamet has shined with AAA El Paso in 39 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts and only 2 HR allowed for a 3-2 record and 3.23 ERA in the hitter friendly league. He has great poise on the mound and throws strikes. Let’s hope he is here to stay.

Allen Cordoba has taken over the leadoff spot with the absence of Manuel Margot to the DL with a sore calf. He is also playing LF regularly. His .364 average over the last 7 days continues to bely the fact that he is a Rule V claim who has never played above rookie ball before. His low strikeout rate and strike zone discipline made him the only Padre not to suffer a K vs Strasburg on Saturday.

Hunter Renfroe continues to improve his plate discipline with only 8 strikeouts in his last 10 games. He has 9 HR on the season with 20 RBI and a .267 average.

More from Friars on Base

• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal
• Padres fail to land ideal Xander Bogaerts teammate at catcher

With the claiming of Chase d’Arnaud off waivers from the Red Sox and the promotion of Franchy Cordero to replace Margot on the roster, the team has added some fresh energy to the lineup. d’Arnaud can play multiple positions and should be an upgrade after the release of Luis Sardinas. Cordero is an intriguing prospect who has blossomed since his switch from shortstop to center field and will get lots of playing time according to manager Andy Green.

While the struggles of this inexperienced team continue to tax the patience of the hometown fans, I can’t help but wonder how much better this team would be if the starting staff could give the hitters and the bullpen improved performance. The struggles of the 2017 season will no doubt continue into the second third of the season, especially considering the inconsistency and performance of the rotation.

Next: Padres Farm report, Part 1

This week, the Padres return home to series’ against the Cubs and the Rockies.