Padres’ bats go silent in 2-1 loss to Braves
Credit: Padres
The San Diego Padres’ offense went quiet in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves, as they lost 2-1.
Rain once again played a factor in this game on the east coast for the Padres.
After Monday’s game got postponed until Wednesday, the tarp remained on the field for much of the afternoon leading up to Tuesday’s game. Players were not able to take batting practice on the field before the game. It showed in this low-scoring contest, and pitchers will dealing with a muddy mound as the game went on.
“I think when the drizzle began to come down, it became a struggle to get a grip on the baseball,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said.
The rotation for the Padres is continuing to struggle and not get quality starts. Yu Darvish took the hill Tuesday for the Padres and pitched relatively well, certainly better than some of his and his teammates’ previous starts.
The Padres have not had a “Quality Start” (6+ IP, < 4 ER) from any of their starters since July 2, Chris Paddack (7 IP, 3 ER).
That’s a streak of 13 games.
— Friar Stats Daily (@FriarFaithful) July 20, 2021
Through Darvish’s first five innings, he only allowed one run on three hits and a walk. In the sixth inning, he allowed a home run to Freddie Freeman before hitting Austin Riley and walking Steven Vogt with two outs.
Darvish’s day ended after he walked Vogt, so he did not finish the sixth inning in order to get recognized with the quality start. The last quality start by a Padres pitcher was on July 2, when Chris Paddack pitched seven innings while allowing three runs.
“[Darvish] gave us what we needed tonight,” Tingler said. “I thought he threw the ball well. He went to the hard cutter tonight, and I thought that was an effective pitch.”
Despite the recent rotation problems, the problem on Tuesday lied with the offense for the Padres. San Diego only got five base hits, and it is not like they faced an elite starting pitcher.
Padres are in the action 😎
We have a tied ball game! #HungryForMore l @TphamLV l @Padres pic.twitter.com/PccRzAJTqu
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) July 21, 2021
Atlanta started Touki Toussaint, who was yet to pitch in 2021 and owns a career 5.97 ERA and 1.600 WHIP. Toussaint only allowed one run in 6.2 innings and struck out five Padres en route to the win.
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“We weren’t good enough offensively tonight,” Tingler said. “We couldn’t square [Toussaint] up and get him in the air. When the sinkerball guys are on, that’s what they’re gonna do, and they’ll rattle off outs relatively quickly.”
The Padres will play a doubleheader against the Braves on Wednesday to wrap up the series. Chris Paddack will start for the Padres in the first game, followed by Reiss Knehr in the second game. Left-hander Kyle Muller will start Game 1 for the Braves and will be followed by Bryse Wilson in Game 2.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”