Morning After: Positive Takeaways From a Close Loss

The Padres were coming off of a 4-0 shutout win Tuesday, that I was lucky enough to watch in person.

I can tell you, there’s nothing more beautiful than watching thousands of angry and emotional fans file out of Dodger stadium. Brad Hand took the mound to close things out and the Padres pulled to 1-1 on the season.

Last night however, wasn’t as beautiful as we had hoped. Trevor Cahill took the mound in his first appearance as a San Diego Padre. He faced off against the curveballer, Rich Hill, who was credited with the win last night in a 3-1 game. Despite another loss on the season, this game was much more enjoyable to watch than Monday’s loss.

Here are some positives that came out of another Padre loss:

Cahill Got Em Swinging

Last night, Trevor Cahill threw 99-pitches in his 5.2 innings. Of those 99 pitches, 62 were strikes. He was able to catch seven Dodgers swinging, including Louisville Slugger, Corey Seager, who he sat down twice. He did, however, give up all three runs the Dodgers scored, but with only two of them being earned runs. The one home run he gave up was a dicey changeup that he left over the middle of the plate, a pitch that Dodger number 66 got every stitch of. But, you live and you learn. After giving up that home run, Cahill remained calm and kept the Dodgers quiet the rest of the time he was on the mound.

Young Guns

After giving up two runs (one home run) in his one inning appearance on Monday night, Jose Torres, was able to redeem himself against the team who lit him up. He came in the bottom of the sixth with two-outs to relieve Cahill of his Padre debut. Chase Utley, pinch-hitting, was the first batter he faced and he caught him looking to end the sixth. Scott Van Slyke then came in and struck out swinging, followed by Corey Seager, who was also caught swinging at thin air. The only damage done was a Justin Turner double dumped into right field. He then stole third base off Torres. However, with Turner on third and the count at 2-1, Torres remained calm and got Adrian Gonzalez to ground out to Solarte, who tossed the ball to Myers to end the inning.

Miguel Diaz, who is just 22, came out of the bullpen next in the bottom of the 8th to take over for Torres, who is only 23. This is something that Padre fans could be seeing for a long time to come. Diaz faced just one batter, Logan Forsythe, who has been lighting the Padres up all series. Diaz responded like he did in his previous showing, and got Forsythe out with a swinging K. Diaz, who is a Rule-5 pick, was pulled after facing just one batter. The Padres are building his confidence slowly.

Renfroe’s Power

Hunter Renfroe is having some trouble finding his swing to start the season. Prior to last night’s game, he had just one hit in his eight plate appearances. He went just 1 for 4 on Wednesday, but his one hit was a monster home run that soared through the thick Los Angeles smog and into the left-center bleachers. The power that we saw so much of at the end of last season finally cracked into this year, and Renfroe has that monkey off of his back. Here’s to many more home runs at Dodger Stadium for Renfroe in Padre Blue.

All in all, the Padres lost this game due to lack of offense. Despite a couple of mistakes and one error, the Padres defense played a decent game. The pitchers totaled 12 strikeouts, six hits, and only two walks in the 3-1 loss. Young guys stepped up on the mound and turned the Dodgers’ big bats into pool noodles. Veteran Padre players made plays on the field, and Renfroe reminded us of why we love him so much.

Tune in the next time you’re feeling down after a Padres loss and I’ll try show you why the game wasn’t as bad as you think. I’ll probably be busy this season.

Derek Cluff

Derek is a 22-year-old out of Lemon Grove, California. A burning passion for San Diego sports led him to pursue an opportunity to write and share about what’s going on with the teams in America’s Finest City. A young and aspiring sports journalist looking to grow his knowledge and expand his experience at any opportunity.