Padres: Trade deadline acquisitions come up big against Rockies

The Padres were the beneficiary of several trade deadline acquisitions in their series sweep over the Rockies—a great start to the homestand.

Entering a ten-game homestand with critical series against the Rockies, Giants, and Dodgers, the Padres needed to start things off on the right foot. They swept the Rockies and received contributions from nearly everyone on the team, which was huge, considering that Eric Hosmer could be out for at least two weeks.

The latest report on Hosmer indicated that he could return sooner rather than later. Still, with a broken index finger, it’s certainly going to be a matter of what kind of pain tolerance he can manage. The other aspect of that is how will it impact his performance at the plate. The 30-year-old has had a career resurgence in the COVID-19 shortened season simply because he’s been elevating the ball more.

But while Hosmer is out of the lineup, the Padres will need the other members of the ballclub to step it up a notch, and several already have, with many contributions coming from players that were acquired at the trade deadline.

Mike Clevinger allowed a three-run bomb to Nolan Arenado in the middle game of this series, but that was all he would give up. He gave the Padres 5.0 strong innings while fanning eight as the offense came to life. Speaking of offense, and while he’s not a trade deadline pickup, can we talk about the season that Wil Myers is having?

He smacked the Padres seventh grand slam of 2020, and it was his tenth long ball of the year. In the series finale on Wednesday, he tripled in the bottom half of the sixth inning to plate Mitch Moreland while tying up the game at three apiece.

Speaking of Moreland, the former Boston Red Sox was off to a slow start with his new team, but he hit a pivotal two-run shot in the first inning last night, an absolute no-doubter to right field. He went 3-for-8 in the series, and he’s expected to get the bulk of the starts at first base in Hosmer’s absence.

The Padres got a key hit from their catcher named Austin, something that likely couldn’t have been said prior to the trade deadline. With two outs in the eighth inning, and after a Wil Myers double, Nola singled into left field as Myers touched home plate and padded the Padres lead while setting the stage for their new bullpen weapon.

Trevor Rosenthal, too, isn’t getting enough credit for the year he’s having. Between Kansas City and San Diego, the 30-year-old reliever is posting one of his best seasons, and he collected two saves in the series sweep. On Wednesday, he was flat out challenging Rockies hitter to hit his 98 MPH fastball and blew it right past them.

Up next on the docket are the Giants, who, don’t look know, could be competing for a playoff spot? They’ve picked it up since the Padres last saw them, getting key offensive contributions from Brandon Belt, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, and Donovan Solano.

Here are the projected pitching matchups for the four-game set against the Giants:

• Game 1: Trevor Cahill (0-0, 2.65 ERA) vs. Chris Paddack (3-4, 4.75 ERA)
• Game 2: Johnny Cueto (2-0, 4.56 ERA) vs. Garrett Richards (2-2, 4.50 ERA)
• Game 3: Kevin Gausman (3-2, 4.05 ERA) vs. Dinelson Lamet (2-1, 2.24 ERA)
• Game 4: Logan Webb (2-3, 5.23 ERA) vs. Mike Clevinger (2-2, 3.74 ERA)