Offense rolls for Padres in 6-2 win

Petco Park- San Diego, California

The San Diego Padres’ offense continues to produce in 2020.

After scoring 15 runs in their first three games against the Diamondbacks, San Diego scored six times in the series finale. The Padres took three of four from Arizona in the opening series of a much-anticipated return to normalcy for Major League Baseball.

In the morning media scrum, San Diego Padres’ manager Jayce Tingler looked uneasy about the state of his team, and the fact COVID-19 canceled two separate games on the east coast. The Marlins postponed their home-opener on Monday as roughly 14 people, including players and coaches, have tested positive in recent days.

Tingler spoke about the fact that a text message was shared with Padres’ players and staff regarding protocols for the team’s first road trip of the season. The Padres travel to San Francisco after Monday’s game for a three-game set and then finish off next weekend in Colorado battling the Rockies for three games. The first-year manager also addressed the fact that players are having difficulty obeying new rules of the games. “Sometimes we get caught up in the excitement, the emotion, the moment, and maybe we reflect back to how we’ve all been raised in this game. I think those are the things we’ve got to continue to address,” Tingler said. He admits that the team needs to get better, but old habits are hard to break.

Trent Grisham jumped on a pitch in the first inning on Monday to award San Diego a 1-0 lead early. The left-handed hitter acquired from Milwaukee in the Luis Urias/Eric Lauer trade is performing very well in centerfield for the Padres early this season. Despite the fact there were no fans in the stands, Grisham was very pleased saying after the game- “Any time you hit a big-league homer, it is a good thing.”

Joey Lucchesi made a start for the Padres but only lasted three and two-thirds innings. The lefty threw 61 pitches on the day and allowed five hits, one walk while striking out two. Cal Quantrill relieved Lucchesi and looked very effective in the game. The Canadian right-hander threw multiple pitches in the mid-’90s and was very aggressive in attacking hitters.

In 2020, the Padres are emphasizing the fact the team needs to get on-base more. Jayce Tingler made that a requirement for his club. San Diego walked a total of 23 times in the first three games, which is a massive difference for a ballclub that struggled with patience in the previous few seasons. The team struck out 30 times in the first three games of the season, so some further adjustments are needed. Early on, you get a sense that the club is consciously taking more pitches in their at-bats. If they continue this trend, the strikeouts may remain high, but the team will boost their lowly team OBP. “The guys have been working on their discipline. The (opposing) pitchers are making some pitches. I absolutely feel we are better than we have shown. We will continue to improve at that. I am happy with the way we are putting pressure (on the pitchers), and we are getting on base.”

In the fourth inning, on Monday, Jurickson Profar walked and moved to third base on a double off the bat of Wil Myers. Greg Garcia singled on a safety squeeze, and Francisco Mejia was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Fernando Tatis Jr. The shortstop tripled to center, scoring all three Friars, giving San Diego a 6-2 lead. That was all the Padres would need on the day.

San Diego Padres’ manager Jayce Tingler spoke after the game praising his team. “I think we can get better with our punchouts. There is a lot of areas where we need to get better in,” Tingler said. The beginning of the season has been fruitful for San Diego, but the Padres are not content with their 3-1 start.

James Clark

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.