San Diego Padres Take Two of Three in Coors from Rockies
The Padres won their first series on the road in 2017, taking two out of three from the Rockies. Some great pitching, timely hitting, and a cycle (!!!) helped the Padres get back to .500….
Game 1:
On The Bump:
Jared Cossart took the mound and pitched surprisingly well for the Friars, throwing four scoreless innings against a potent Rockies lineup. He only walked one batter and scattered five hits. Miguel Diaz fired a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth and got the first win of his major league career. The Rockies were able to tag Jose Torres and Brandon Maurer for solo & two-run home runs respectively, but that was all that they could manage amidst some impressive pitching.
With the Bats:
The cycle!!!! Oh how sweet it was! Wil Myers became the second Padres’ player in history to hit for the cycle, 215 days after former Padre, Matt Kemp, accomplished the same feat. The 4 for 4 day from Myers was topped off by an eighth inning triple that split the left field gap, and will probably be one of the main highlights of the season when all is said and done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGR-BoCyHGE
Lost in the Myers cycle was a couple of very nice performances from the two top-100 prospects on the Padres: Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe. Out of the leadoff spot, Margot went 2-3 with a walk, and also scored the first run of the game on a Wil Myers double. Hunter Renfroe went 2-4 with a home run as well. Myers, Margot, and Renfroe accounted for eight out of the nine Padres hits.
On the Bases
Allen Cordoba, following a pinch hit single, was caught stealing for the first time in his career.
Turning Point:
In the third inning, a patient Manuel Margot worked a five-pitch walk, and then advanced to second on a Travis Jankowski soft tapper to the pitcher. Wil Myers came up with a runner on second base, worked the count to 2-1, and ripped a line drive down the LF line for an RBI double. From there, the Padres (and Myers) never looked back.
RESULT: PADRES WIN 5-3.
Game 2:
On the Mound:
Game 2 featured Jered Weaver for the Padres, and he actually wasn’t bad. He was bitten by the HR ball, giving up two solo shots, but he worked his way around the strike zone and gave the Padres six great innings. That is all you can ask for. It was definitely an outing that the 34-year-old right-hander can build upon.
A day after his first big league win, Miguel Diaz took his first big league loss, as he gave up a long go-ahead HR to Nolan Arenado in the seventh inning. It was clear Diaz was a bit fatigued, as he sat 93-94 during most of his inning. It made sense for him to be tired; he’s appeared in 5 games (second on the club to Jose Torres, who actually leads all of baseball). Diaz actually did a really nice job to dig in after the HR, giving the Padres a chance to come back.
Craig Stammen worked around a walk to work a scoreless eighth.
With the Bats:
22-year-old Antonio Senzatela, making his second big-league start, shut down the Padres bats, going seven innings while only giving up two runs. His high-90s fastball was giving the Padres fits all night long.
Manuel Margot was about the only one who could figure him out, leading the game off with a home run en route to a 2-4 night:
Travis Jankowski, Wil Myers, and Erick Aybar each had a hit, and that was it. The Padres ended the night 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
On The Bases:
No stolen base attempts (on either side) in this one. I guess that’s the Coors Field Effect.
Turning Point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa_XwvPME0Y
Entering the at bat against Miguel Diaz, Arenado was 0-3. After taking a slider outside and fouling off a 96 MPH fastball, Arenado was 0-3 no more. He drove a 397 foot shot into the bullpen in right field, giving the Rockies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Game 3:
On The Mound:
The scheduled starter, Luis Perdomo, was scratched and placed on the DL with shoulder inflammation. In steps Zach Lee, who AJ Preller picked up off waivers in December. Naturally, Zach Lee goes 5.1 scoreless innings, striking out 3. He did walk four, but two of those walks were to Nolan Arenado, which is not too bad at all. Lee induced four groundouts and eight flyouts, many to CF Manuel Margot. It was an outstanding performance from the Texas native, who definitely earned at least one more go-around in the rotation.
Jose Torres and Ryan Buchter each worked scoreless innings. Buchter probably looked about as sharp as he has been all season.
New call-up, Jake Esch, made his Padres debut in the ninth, but it was brief. He walked two; throwing nine pitches and only one strike. In stepped Brandon Maurer, who struck out Tony Wolters and then got Mark Reynolds (who tagged him for a HR on Monday) to ground into a double play to end it.
The Padres earned their second shutout of the season.
With The Bats
The Padres, facing a rookie left-hander, got off to a rapid start on Wednesday: 2B, 2B, 1B, lineout, 2 run HR. Before Rockies fans were able to find their seats, the Padres had a 4-0 lead. For the third straight night, Margot led off the game with a hit (he finished 1-5 on the day). Wil Myers went 2-3 with a walk and a HBP. Yangervis Solarte, quiet for most of the series, had a 2-hit day. Ryan Schimpf, who had been struggling, capped off the first inning barrage with a home run; finishing the day 1-2 with 3 RBI and a walk.
And hey, Austin Hedges got a hit!
On The Bases:
No stolen bases.
Turning Point:
The Padres came out of the gates firing, taking a 4-0 lead early. Perhaps more important than the four runs was Zach Lee’s first inning. Making only his second start of his big league career, Lee started off shaky, allowing a hit to Charlie Blackmon to lead off the game. After a groundout, flyout, and a Nolan Arenado walk, Gerardo Parra came up with a chance to get the Rockies back in the game right away.
Lee fell behind 2-1, then worked back to induce a soft groundout to Ryan Schimpf to end the scoring threat.
STAR OF THE SERIES:
Wil Myers is the star of the series, as he hit .700 (7-10) and recorded the second cycle in San Diego Padres history.
UP NEXT:
Following a day off, the Padres will tango with the Braves.
Baseball is fun. College sophomore that is aspiring to work someday in the sports industry. Follow me on twitter @Friar_Faithful. Go Pads!