Padres beat Pirates 7-3 in first game of series
Credit: Padres
PNC Park- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The San Diego Padres are playing quality baseball right now.
The results from the team may have a lot to do with their competition, as the Padres are currently in a stretch of games where they play teams on the lower end of the standings list. Nevertheless, the Padres are taking care of business and beating teams they should be handling. Kudos to them for that.
Fresh off a sweep of the Reds in Cincinnati, the Padres traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. The Bucs are not the pushover the Reds currently are, but they are a team the Friars should earn the win against. If the Padres ever want to be perennial contenders, they must take of this issue that has plagued them in the past. Playing down to your competition has been an issue for San Diego in the last few seasons.
Yu Darvish started the game on Friday for the Friars, and though he allowed two runs in the first, he settled in for yet another quality start. Darvish went six innings, allowing three total earned runs in eight hits. The right-hander struck out five and walked a batter. The veteran threw 98 pitches on the night. “He wanted to pitch deep in the game today,” Bob Melvin said after the game about Darvish. The pitcher was struck on the biceps in the game by a comebacker but refused to leave the game. “He wanted nothing to do with coming out of that game. The more I get to know him. The more it doesn’t surprise me,” Melvin said.
The Padres battled back from a 2-0 deficit as Ha-Seong Kim blasted a homer in the third mining that knotted the game at two. Kim is showing an improved bat and is up to a .941 OPS on the season for the Friars. With C.J. Abrams struggling, expect Kim to gain more opportunities to play in the coming weeks. “Kim is playing fantastic right now,” Melvin proudly said after the game.
Stay hot Ha-Seong 🔥 #TimeToShine pic.twitter.com/tB0cfRh92L
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 29, 2022
Wil Myers went down this week with a thumb injury, and it produced an opportunity for Trayce Thompson. The 31-year-old was in El Paso crushing the baseball, and the right-hander got another opportunity for major league service time. Thompson responded on Friday with a big two-RBI single for the Padres. “This is something you look forward to your whole life (being in the majors). I do not take it for granted,” Thompson said after the game.
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The Padres offense is currently being led by a different assortment of characters each night, which is a positive thing for the team. On Friday, Jake Cronenworth and Kim led the way with the bat as both middle infielders homered and drove in a pair of runs.
Robert Suarez was called upon to deliver two innings of relief, and he responded. The rookie pitcher recorded six outs without allowing a hit. Suarez walked one batter on the night and struck out two Pirates hitters. Craig Stammen was asked to get the final three outs in the game, but he was only able to get one before being pulled from the game by manager Bob Melvin.
Trevor Rogers came into the game with one out in the ninth and had no issues recording his eighth save of the year. Rogers owns a 0.00 ERA through his first eight appearances in a Padres uniform. On Saturday, the two teams will go back at it as Sean Manaea and JT Brubaker matchup in a 3:35 PM start.
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.