Lucchesi strong, bullpen holds in Padres 4-1 win
Credit: Padres
Oracle Park- San Francisco, California
The maturation process of a major league pitcher takes time.
The Padres have a young staff, and with that, they have seen many bumps in the road this 2019 season.
On Saturday, Joey Lucchesi toed the rubber looking to accomplish two things- earn a win for his team and go deep in the ballgame. Though the Padres did not score many runs for the left-hander, he was able to stay tight and keep his team in the game.
Lucchesi went six innings in the game and threw 102 pitches on the night, He struck out three in the game and was only victimized by an Austin Slater homer in the second inning. Though Lucchesi did not factor in the win, he was undoubtedly huge for the team. In the 6th inning, Lucchesi was allowed to pitch his way out of a self-inflicted jam. He got a double-play ball with the bases loaded, and one out and that was a huge momentum boost for the Padres. “The guys on the club were fired up for him,” Andy Green said after the game.
Craig Stammen has had an up and down season. He was rock-solid on Saturday as he threw two innings for the Padres. The right-handed reliever only allowed one hit and struck out two in recording six big outs for the club. Stammen now has a 3.41 ERA on the season. He earned the win in the game and now has a 7-6 record.
Offensively, the team managed 11 hits on the night. Four different Padres players recorded two hits, including newly-signed outfielder Nick Martini. Josh Naylor went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI and now has a .735 OPS in his rookie year. He got the game-winning RBI tonight. “He left it up… I stuck with it the other way… it worked out,” Naylor said about the game-winning knock.
Wil Myers added a homer in the 9th inning off Giants’ closer Will Smith. Myers now has 15 on the season and a .706 OPS so far in the 2019 season.
3⃣9⃣ saves for 3⃣9⃣ ?#PadresWin #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/awG7Bes32c
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 1, 2019
Kirby Yates continues to dominate as he recorded his 39th save. The closer struck out the side in the 9th on 15 pitches.
Game four of the series will be on Sunday as Eric Lauer takes on Jeff Samardzija and the Giants.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.