Adam Frazier debuts for Padres in 7-4 win
Credit: USA Today Sports
The trip to the east coast was rough, to say the least. A shooting outside of the stadium in Washington D.C, multiple rain delays in Atlanta, and some questionable umpiring in Miami. The San Diego Padres returned home with new life.
Adam Frazier is one of the biggest trade deadline acquisitions so far. Jayce Tingler highlighted the acquisition by placing him at the top of the order and starting Frazier in left field. A deep dive can be found here: https://www.eastvillagetimes.com/a-complete-breakdown-of-new-padres-hitter-adam-frazier/
In short, he has great bat control with a high contact rate and low strikeout rate. On defense, Frazier is extremely versatile. The left-handed hitter played outfield on Tuesday but usually plays second base, where he was named the NL starter for the All-Star game. The fact that he was an All-Star is significant as the Padres can field a complete All-Star infield if Jake Cronenworth moves over to first base.
Frazier did not disappoint in his debut. He went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. His second hit helped the Padres in a massive five-run inning that vaulted them into the lead.
That inning is a new life that was mentioned earlier. Petco Park was sold out on a Tuesday night in a non-division matchup. Jake Cronenworth came up with bases loaded, and the stadium was filled with energy. Cronenworth singled, which scored Victor Caratini and Frazier. Right after that, Manny Machado lasered a home run to right field.
MAN OH, MAN OH, MANNYš„#HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/8SWLHo7vf7
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) July 28, 2021
That home run caused the stadium to go wild. A huge inning, timely comeback, and big mood shifter.
That wasnāt the only big home run. In the third inning, Fernando Tatis Jr.hit an absolute moonshot. The ball went a projected 440 feet, powered by a 111.8 mph exit velocity. In that home run, he scored new Padre Adam Frazier. With that home run, Tatis joined Barry Bonds as the only two players to hit 70 home runs and steal 50 bases within 227 games.
440 FEET FOR NANDOāļø #HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/BeG8pmZVVK
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) July 28, 2021
āAll of a sudden, one big swing, and you are back in the game,ā Jayce Tingler said after the game. He went on to mention that Tatisā at-bat ārejuvenates the dugout and the stadium.ā
The offense wasnāt the only impressive thing this game. Chris Paddack showed that he could get hit and stay composed. In the third inning, he gave up four singles and a double. That scored three runs for Oakland. Given Paddackās history, it wouldnāt have been a surprise if he fell apart after that. Instead, over the next three innings, he allowed only two more hits and walked one.
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This was the first time his pitch count ever reaches triple digits (102), which is very important. It shows his strength and skill to go deep into the game. Ā On top of that, Paddack’s fastball was 0.6 mph faster than his season average. His changeup and curveball saw increases of 1.4 mph and 1.2 mph, respectively.
āI think it starts with Paddack on the mound kinda setting the tone. I know the third inning didnāt go quite how he liked. He did a good job stopping the bleeding. After that, he just continued to make pitches; we played good defense behind him,ā Jayce Tingler said to the media.
Evan is a student finishing up a degree in Finance from Northern Arizona University. The ability to break down numbers and find the story behind them has lead to his first of writing for East Village times. He covers baseball which is the sport he grew up playing and has followed even after his playing years.