Mike Clevinger shuts down San Francisco in 6-0 victory for Padres
Credit: AP Photo
Just as the game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants was set to go on Sept. 11, a positive test for a Giants player shut the game down. Saturday’s matchup was postponed as well.
After extensive testing and contract tracing was done, it was deemed that the positive was false, giving the green light to both teams to play baseball.
With Mike Clevinger set to toe the rubber for game one of the doubleheader, some wondered if this momentary pause hurt the Padres, slowing down the momentum of a team that had won eight of their last ten games.
Judging by San Diego’s performance in game one, it did not.
Clevinger tossed the first shutout for a Padre since 2017, and San Diego dropped San Francisco 6-0 to extend their lead over the Giants in the NL West.
Facing Johhny Cueto, who owns a 3.53 ERA and three shutouts against San Diego, the Padres went right to work building up a lead against the third-place Giants.
An Austin Nola single and Jake Cronenworth double set the stage for designated hitter Greg Garcia. The former Valhalla Norseman fell behind 0-2 before rocketing a single to right field to bring home both runners.
A pro's pro! 😎
Greg Garcia comes through from the bottom of the order and the @Padres touch the plate twice in the 2nd!#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/f5RvwxNIS9
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) September 13, 2020
San Diego padded their lead in the next inning. With the bases load, Wil Myers, who has been having more and more fun in 2020, lined a two-run single to extend San Diego’s lead to 4-0.
Clevinger, however, didn’t need the extra padding. Effectively silencing the Giants lineup with a deadly fastball, “Sunshine” was lethal on the mound. Painting his fastball on the corner of the plate while casting his curveball outside the zone, Clevinger struck out seven Giants en route to a complete-game shutout.
Since the acquisition of Nola and Clevinger at the trade deadline, San Diego has only lost two games and have drawn closer and closer to the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. General Manager AJ Preller has made the correct moves in the trade market, and the team on the field is reaping the benefits.
A throwing error by Giants second baseman Donovan Solano allowed Nola to score and a Jurickson Profar single staked San Diego to a six-run lead.
Clevinger pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to complete both the shutout and the victory.
Garrett Richards will take the mound for game two of the doubleheader.
I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.