San Diego Padres: Expect A Lot Of This From The Friars In 2018

The San Diego Padres secured a spring training victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, mashing three home runs in the process.

Yesterday’s lineup didn’t feature Eric Hosmer, however, expect to see a lot of games like this one from the San Diego Padres in 2018.

San Diego racked up eight eights, including three home runs at Goodyear Ballpark on Thursday. The Friars worked just two walks, falling victim to the strikeout 11 times. Once the regular season settles in, this is what we’re going to see a lot of.

The Padres have a powerful lineup which will dump a lot of balls out of Petco Park but the rest of the offense won’t turn everything else around immediately. A lot of trust and optimism has surrounded new hitting coach Matt Stairs and the team has seen an improvement this spring. After a blazing start, the entire offense has cooled off as walks have decreased and strikeouts have increased.

As long as fans can be patient through the strikeouts, this will be the payout.

Left-handed pitching prospect Joey Lucchesi worked his final start of spring training, putting in yet another solid outing. I could watch this view all day long!

Lucchesi surrendered just three hits over 4 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out three in the process. He induced eight groundball outs. Lucchesi has had a masterful spring, allowing a 0.86 WHIP and 1.54 ERA over 11 innings. His only two runs allowed came against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

More from Friars on Base

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• 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

One of our contributing writers, Vikram, wrote yesterday, he believes Lucchesi should be the fifth starter for Andy Green. A lot of fans would thoroughly enjoy that option, however, expect the veterans, Tyson Ross and Chris Young, to get the first crack at starting for the Padres. If I’m Joey Lucchesi, I’m packing light for my move to El Paso, because he won’t be there long. One of the more intriguing questions surrounding San Diego is, which one of the young prospects will be the first to become a regular starter in the pros? The answer will be Joey Lucchesi.

Next: The Real Ace Of The Padres Pitching Staff

The Padres return to Fox Sports San Diego tonight! First pitch from Peoria is scheduled for 6:40 pm PT as the Padres battle the Texas Rangers in Cactus League action.