San Diego Padres: Some Positives to Take Away From Last Night’s Loss

The San Diego Padres lost again last night, falling to the Colorado Rockies, 7-4. Although the Rox flat-out outperformed the Friars, there are some positives to take away from the loss.

The San Diego Padres got a bit beat up by Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, and the rest of the Colorado Rockies last night. While the Friars didn’t really beat themselves in many ways, the Rockies simply outplayed them last night.

Bryan Mitchell, making his first start for the organization, didn’t pitch all that terribly, to be honest. He missed his spots on occasion, sure. It just so happens that those mistakes cost Mitchell dearly.

Otherwise, the 26-year-old right-hander’s stuff looked pretty darn good. His heavy 94-96 MPH fastball and nasty breaking stuff played well.

Facing Nolan Arenado in the third, Mitchell looked to be in complete control of the at-bat and induced a soft grounder over the mound to get out of a small jam. That came against one of the best hitters in the sport.

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If he can find his stuff and get into a comfort zone, the Padres could have a solid mid-to-high-end starter on their hands.

Some more bright spots for the Padres

Eric Hosmer had another nice day at the office, both in the field and at the plate.

Besides going 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, Hosmer made a nifty play in the second inning to get the lead runner at third after a strong bunt attempt by Rockies’ pitcher, Chad Bettis, with runners on.

Wil Myers absolutely crushed a first-inning home run on a free, level, easy swing. Unfortunately, he came out of the game later due to tricep issues.

Freddy Galvis continued his fantastic start to the season. Though he didn’t get a hit tonight, he had a couple of great at-bats, drawing two walks, and made an unbelievable leaping grab on a line drive in the fourth inning.

Jordan Lyles had a nice outing, throwing three innings, striking out three and allowing just two hits. He could turn into a stalwart in the Padres bullpen this year if he continues to shine.

Next: Bryan Mitchell Pitch Breakdown

Kyle McGrath, after allowing back-to-back home runs to Blackmon and LeMahieu in the eighth, came back in the next at-bat and threw a wicked 1-1 curveball to Arenado, signifying to this observer that this young man has some gravitas and won’t be pushed around.