Padres: Edward Olivares proves he belongs in series win over Diamondbacks

After a misplay in right field, Edward Olivares was critical in the Padres comeback and series win over the Diamondbacks.

With the bullpen unable to lock down the victory on Sunday, the Padres still had a shot to take the series before heading off to San Francisco. Joey Lucchesi took the bump for the home team, squaring off against Luke Weaver. If you recall, the latter missed most of the 2019 season with elbow and forearm injuries, but he returned to pitch two innings against the Padres in late September.

And with Eric Hosmer missing the game for non-COVID reasons twice in three days, it was important for someone else to step up. Trent Grisham opened the scoring with a solo blast in the bottom of the first inning.

The Diamondbacks got both of their runs in the top of the third inning after Starling Marte hit a high, pop-fly to right field. It would have been a difficult catch for Edward Olivares, who was playing in place of Wil Myers – who later played in place of Hosmer – but it’s still a catch that should have been made.

A regular player in right field would have been accustomed to the sun that caused Olivares to whiff on the fly ball, and his inexperience playing at Petco Park showed on the particular play.

However, Olivares would get the last laugh in the fourth inning, hitting a 102.2 MPH rocket into centerfield, giving the Padres a 3-2 lead. Fernando Tatis Jr. would follow him with a decisive bases-clearing triple to put the finishing touches on the series.

But, I can’t get over how important and how awesome it was for Olivares to come through in a moment like that. The 24-year-old likely would have begun the year at Triple-A El Paso under normal circumstances, but he shined in both spring training and summer camp, leaving no choice but for the Padres to add him to the roster.

More importantly, when rosters are reduced from 30 players to 28 players after the first two weeks, Olivares is making it difficult for the Padres to send him to their alternate training site. So far so good for Olivares, who has two hits in his first six at-bats.

The Padres were rumored to be looking for another bat in the exhibitions, with trade speculations circulating the locker room. However, if Olivares can be the bat they are looking for, that’s huge for the team going forward. Off to San Francisco.