Following two days of questionable offensive performances, the San Diego Padres answered the doubters with the kind of performance that gives fans optimism. 

On the first military Sunday of the season, the Padres came to play early, scoring 13 runs against an inexperienced Giants pitching staff. Giants starter Daulton Jefferies, in his first big league action in two years, allowed nine runs in two innings. Reliever Kai-Wei Teng, in his Major League debut, allowed three runs in three innings. 

San Diego’s offense struck early and often, scoring their first run of the game on a passed ball by Giants catcher Patrick Bailey. Manny Machado then drove in another run with a double, making the score 2-0 Padres. Luis Campusano then capped off the scoring in the inning with a three-run home run to the Petco porch, making the score 5-0. 

In the next inning, the Padres added on against Jefferies. Jake Cronenworth continued his hot start to the season with a run-scoring double. Following a mound visit, Ha-Seong Kim hit his first home run of the year to make the score 9-0 Padres in the second inning. That would be the end of the game for the Giants’ spot starter, giving up nine runs in two innings. 

The third inning saw the Padres keep the line moving, this time against reliever Kai-Wei Teng. Jackson Merrill secured his first big league RBI, driving in Graham Pauley with a double to make it a double-digit lead. With two runners on, Manny Machado delivered his second double of the game, making the score 12-0 Padres. 

In his first start in the friendly confines of Petco Park, Michael King would have an uncharacteristic outing.

King delivered four innings of two-run ball, striking out six Giants. However, he uncharacteristically walked seven batters in his four innings. He was able to escape most jams with timely strikeouts; the only blemish on his line came on a Thairo Estrada home run in the fourth to make the score 12-2. 

San Diego’s bullpen would do their job, holding the lead the rest of the game. Pedro Avila, in long relief, allowed two runs on a hit and a walk over three innings, with Yuki Matsui hurling a scoreless eighth inning. 

The Friars added their final run of the game against infielder Tyler Fitzgerald on mop-up duty, driven in by Luis Campusano’s third hit of the day. Former Giant Wandy Peralta, in his Petco debut, pitched a scoreless ninth, securing the Friars’ third victory of the season. 

Having secured a split of the series against the Giants, the Padres will face the St Louis Cardinals in a three-game tilt starting tomorrow. To preview the upcoming series our EVT preview of the series is live now. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm, with Matt Waldron on the mound for San Diego.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.