Luis Campusano homers in debut, Padres win 7-0
Credit: Padres
The San Diego Padres took game one of the three-game set with the Oakland Athletics by a score of 7-0.
The Padres bats came to life on the back of a shutout performance by the pitching staff.
After a slow start to the game, the fourth inning started the action. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Robbie Grossman lined a double down the right-field line. Matt Olson, who was on first via a walk, ran through the stop sign at third base. A Wil Myers to Jake Cronenworth to Austin Nola relay was enough to get Olson at home. The play was initially called safe, but after the Padres challenged, it was revealed that Nola’s tag just beat him.
In the fifth inning, the Padres’ bats took charge to attack opposing pitcher, Jesus Luzardo. Trent Grisham hit a double to score Wil Myers. Up next, Fernando Tatis Jr. then does what he does best, hit balls with extreme velocity. He lined a 113.3 MPH double to dead center that scored both Grisham and Luis Campusano. Two batters later, Eric Hosmer singled to score Tatis.
Tatis and Manny Machado are two leaders in the race for the NL MVP award. They each furthered their bids by hitting back to back solo shots in the 7th inning. They each ended the day going 2-5, although Tatis put up 3 RBIs.
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Today marked the big-league debut for Padres #4 prospect, Luis Campusano. The catcher was drafted 39th overall in the 2017 amateur draft. He is a bat-first catcher and put up a .325/.396/.903 slash line in A+ ball in 2019. That breakout performance propelled him in the prospect ranking and earned him a spot at the Padres alternate site. He impressed enough at the alternate site to earn a spot on a roster competing for the playoffs.
He made his mark in the big leagues in the eighth inning. His first big league hit came in the form of an opposite-field solo homer. This put up the Padres 7-0 and would be the last run scored.
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During the Padres’ busy trade deadline, opposing teams likely brought up his name as a desired piece. AJ Preller was insistent on keeping him, and after watching him, many fans see why. With a farm system with strong players like Campusano, the Padres have a path to be competitive for a long time.
For the day, he went one for three with two runs. In the fifth inning, he was hit by a pitch, and his two other at-bats resulted in strikeouts.
The Padres’ lineup continues to dominate at every slot. Only Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth were held hitless for the day. Grisham was moved to the nine slot and managed to get three hits to help the top of the order. On any given day, the Padres have multiple batters that take charge and produce for the team.
That all supported the combination of Zach Davies, Javy Guerra, and Craig Stammen, who held the A’s to just four hits.
The Padres look to continue the solid performance tomorrow when Chris Paddack and Sean Manaea take the mound.
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.