San Diego Padres News: Coronavirus update, Cal Quantrill surges

Cal Quantrill has been sharp this spring for the San Diego Padres. Does he now have a leg up on the fifth starter in the rotation?

Good morning everyone. I hope you all are doing well today. Yesterday was a bit rough in terms of news as the NBA postponed the season after one of the players on the Utah Jazz tested positive for Coronavirus. The NCAA tournament is scheduled to play without fans, for now, but I have a sense they may end up canceling it. As for the San Diego Padres, nothing has changed. But I have to believe that they are heading towards starting the season playing in front of an empty stadium.

And it’s only going to take one player testing positive for the season to be postponed or shortened. In a weird way, it could provide a trial run at shortening the regular season, which has been a hot topic in addition to speeding up the game.

The Padres had split-squads last night against the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners. And while they ended up losing both games, Cal Quantrill was electric in his start against the Cubs. He tossed 3.0 innings and didn’t allow any hits or walks while striking out three. His ERA on the spring is 1.29 ERA, and you have to wonder if he now has en edge for the fifth starter.

Joey Lucchesi hasn’t been as sharp this spring, and while statistics in spring training don’t mean a thing in terms of regular-season production, I think they can potentially sway Jayce Tingler in selecting his fifth starter.

Other News

• Dinelson Lamet pitched 4.0 beautiful innings, allowing just one hit and three strikeouts. His ERA on the spring is a dazzling 0.00.
• The Padres committed five errors between the split-squads last night, which played a big part in why they lost both games. For them to avoid another second-half collapse, they need to collectively clean up their defense.
• Quantrill admitted that he can often be selfish in wanting to be a starter, but he’s committed to being the best teammate possible. In regards to the battle with Lucchesi, might batting averages third time through the order play a factor? (2019 – Lucchesi: 0.283 (.926 OPS), Quantrill: .386 (1.1014 OPS)).
• Tommy Pham‘s expected debut in left field is going to be delayed another day. It doesn’t sound too serious – mostly weather related –  but any setback getting this close to the season is not ideal.

Short and sweet. I hope everyone has a good Thursday.