Who’s hot and who’s not for Padres: April 24-30
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres put together a 3-2 week, making stops in Chicago and Mexico City.
Here are the players who are playing well, with a few who are not.
Hot
Who had more fun in Mexico City than Nelson Cruz? Arguably, nobody. In Saturday’s epic slugfest, Cruz collected a ridiculous nine total bases. He went 5-for-6 with a double, a homer, and four RBI.
He wasn’t done. On Sunday, he collected his 15th career triple at 42 years old. Overall in the week, he batted .467 with a 1.333 OPS.
If anyone needed a hot week on the Padres, it was Machado. After going over a week without an extra-base hit, the Padres’ star third baseman seemed to right the ship this week.
He hit three home runs this week. One at Wrigley Field in Chicago and then two in one game Saturday against the Giants. He batted .316 with a 1.304 OPS in the five games.
Even with a “golden sombrero” on Sunday (0-for-4, 4 Ks), Machado appears to be heating up.
Few players have been as useful as Martinez for the Padres. He started the season as part of a six-man rotation as a starter. Now, he is putting in valuable innings in the bullpen.
Twice this week, Martinez came in out of the bullpen and provided invaluable multi-inning outings. In their win against the Cubs, he came in the sixth inning to a tie game. He shut down the Cubs for three straight shutout innings, allowing the Padres to take the lead and eventually win.
In the bonkers shootout on Saturday, Martinez was the only pitcher from the Padres that turned in more than one scoreless inning. He came into the game in the eighth and retired six straight Giants hitters over two innings for the big save. Martinez has been one of the most valuable players on the entire roster to this point.
While he didn’t have the set-the-world-on-fire return we are accustomed to seeing, Tatis is somehow quietly putting together a solid stretch. His ground-rule double on Sunday extended his hitting streak to eight games.
Since his season debut, where he went 0-for-5, he is batting .306 with a .870 OPS. He hit .348 during this past week. Even if the elite power numbers are not quite there yet, Tatis is staying afloat by putting the ball in play.
Not
Even with a few big hits in the series against the Giants, it has been tough sledding for the Padres first baseman. He batted .182 this week, with a meager .532 OPS. However, he put some good swings together in Mexico City. Hopefully, that means another breakout is coming soon for the two-time All-Star.
Grisham experienced not just a rough week at the plate, but a few misplays in center proved costly as well. The one that comes to mind is the missed fly ball in Chicago that immediately led to a big inning for the Cubs.
At the plate, he batted .154 this week, with one extra-base hit. He slugged a putrid .231.
Before this week, Wilson had been one of the more solid relievers in the Padres bullpen. He boasted a 0.66 ERA heading into this week. Then, it all unraveled for Wilson. He made two appearances this week. In the Padres’ 6-0 loss to Chicago, he only went 2/3 of an inning but allowed four earned runs with three walks.
In Saturday’s crazy affair, Wilson once again lasted just 2/3 of an inning, allowing another three earned runs on two home runs. His ERA for the week was a ghastly 47.25. Hopefully, this is just an off week for the otherwise solid reliver.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
Brent Rooker is more than hot!