Framing the Friars: Power Surge Continues in Series Win Over Giants
The San Diego Padres brought a power surge to AT&T Park for their four-game series with their division rivals from NorCal, the San Francisco Giants.
Through the first three games, the Friars had hit 15 extra-base hits.
The series finale was no different.
The Padres benefited from a big fourth inning, with Hunter Renfroe, Jabari Blash, and Hector Sanchez all hitting doubles in succession.
Those extra-base hits were the difference, as San Diego won the game 5-2 to clinch the series over San Francisco. Dinelson Lamet made the start, going 6.2 innings. He allowed just two runs on two hits, and had six strikeouts.
Wil Myers hit a solo home run in the top of first inning, raising his home run streak to three games. The home run he hit on July 23 was his 20th of the season.
Myers fell behind Giants starter Ty Blach, facing a 1-2 count in his first at-bat of the game.
He battled back to work the count full. The seventh pitch from Blach was an 81 mph changeup that went just outside the far corner of the plate. Myers still was able to get around on it and sent it 453 feet. The ball landed in the seats beyond the left field wall.
https://gfycat.com/RealRewardingGypsymoth
This is the first time in Wil Myers’ career that he’s homered in three straight games. He homered in two straight eight other times.
— Dennis Lin (@sdutdennislin) July 23, 2017
The fourth was the key inning for San Diego. Myers drew a walk with one out. Renfroe followed and hit an opposite-field double down the right field line for a double. Myers was held up at third.
Blash followed Renfroe in the order. The first pitch from Blash also went opposite-field, bouncing off the wall in right field near the foul line. Renfroe and Myers both scored to make the score 3-1.
Sanchez was up after Blash. He hit a ball down the left field line that landed just fair. Blash scored to make the score 4-1.
Hector Sanchez has his obligatory extra-base hit against the Giants. It comes in the fourth today, and it’s 4-1, Padres.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 23, 2017
Blash and Sanchez both have been a pleasant surprise in the month of July. Blash’s last game was played on May 8 before he was sent down to El Paso. His batting average was .103. He was called back up and has been a regular in the lineup since July 14. He’s hitting .367 in the month of July, raising his overall average to .237. Even better, he’s slugging .667 this month. He has hit three doubles and two home runs so far this month.
Sanchez has appeared behind the plate a majority of the time since Austin Hedges suffered a head injury. Since July 14, he’s hitting .500. He’s hit four home runs over that span.
Here he his ripping a double down the line and further killing his former team.
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One interesting note to point out about this team is that they are 9-4 against the Giants so far this season. The Padres seem to enjoy playing against the team from Northern California, especially Myers. The first baseman has hit six of his 20 home runs against San Francisco pitching. The same can be said about Sanchez. He has seven home runs on the season, with four of them coming against San Francisco.
Brad Hand entered the game in the ninth in a save situation. He pitched a perfect inning. Meanwhile, trade watch is still in full effect, with people wondering where, or even when, he will be traded. At one point, he was rumored to have garnered interest from at least 15 different clubs. The trade deadline is eight days away.
Next up, the Padres return to Petco Park for a four-game series against the New York Mets. They will play host to the Mets July 24-27.
Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.