Padres solve Trevor Bauer and Reds in 3-2 win
Padres
Great American Ballpark- Cincinnati, Ohio
The San Diego Padres just took two of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Winning the road series was an accomplishment for the young Friars, as they have struggled to do just that since the All-Star break. In Cincinnati to play the Reds, the Padres would first need to deal with Trevor Bauer. The right-handed pitcher was traded to the Reds in the three-team deal with the Indians and Padres that sent Franmil Reyes and Logan Allen to Cleveland for prospect Taylor Trammell.
The Padres had some interest in Bauer before he was traded from Cleveland but ultimately settled against it.
On Monday, Trevor Bauer and Eric Lauer battled early as each pitcher had decent stuff working. Bauer would end up going seven innings and throwing 102 pitches. He allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out 11 batters.
Eric Lauer was again the victim of a high pitch-count as he only managed to throw four innings. He allowed four hits and one run in his 86-pitch effort. Luis Perdomo relieved Lauer and threw two scoreless innings, striking out four. Perdomo has quietly become a treasured member of the Padres bullpen.
The offense on the day was provided by Francisco Mejia, who went 1-for-4 with a booming home run off the right-field foul pole. That was Mejia’s 7th round-tripper of the season. His OPS is up to .774 for the year. San Diego only managed five hits in the game, but they were productive in scoring what was needed to win the game.
DOINK!!!
Francisco MejÃa clanks this one off the foul pole to give the @Padres a 2-1 lead!#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/71qX8DqZI7
— FOX Sports San Diego (@FOXSportsSD) August 20, 2019
The relief core for San Diego has been inconsistent all year, but they did their job on Monday.
Luis Perdomo, Trey Wingenter, and Craig Stammen blanked the Reds in four innings pitched which opened the door for Kirby Yates and the Padres. The Padres’ closer had already saved the previous two wins in Philadelphia.
Yates was able to record the first out of the inning, but back-to-back hits put pressure on the 32-year-old. Former Padres farmhand Josh VanMeter singled with one out to bring the Reds within a run. Yates was shaky, pitching in his third straight game. He was able to make it through the jam in the 9th as he struck out Eugenio Suarez with a split-finger fastball to end the game.
The Padres will look for a win in game #2 on Tuesday as Cal Quantrill (6-3 3.23 ERA) is on the hill for San Diego. Sonny Gray will make a start for the Reds in the 4:10 game.
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.