The 2013 Padres are a mess. They're a team plagued with injuries, held together with glue, string, and copious amounts of duct tape. The closest thing they have to a superstar is struggling at the plate. Their best pitchers are well past their prime. They started the season with a 5-15 record. And Clayton Richard, tonight's starting pitcher, left the game with an injury after two pitches. In spite of all of that, they defeated 2011 SBNation Cy Young Award Co-Winner Clayton Kershaw. It was their 8th win in a row at home and their 13th win in the month of June. And now they're in second place in the National League West, just 2.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks. You know, that team they swept last week.
This is the kind of magic that you get when different players step up every night. Tonight it was Tim Stauffer and Tyson Ross, who combined to allow just one run over 7 innings of work. Stauffer got off to a rough start, allowing two singles to start the first inning and taking an arrow a grounder to the knee off the bat of Adrian Gonzalez. He gave up a run on Juan Uribe's RBI ground out, but then shut the Dodgers down through the fourth inning before handing the ball over to Tyson Ross, who threw three scoreless innings.
The Padres offense didn't do a whole lot during those seven innings. Well, except score four runs off of Kershaw. Chris Denorfia started the ball rolling with a routine homer to left in the bottom of the first. In the third, Logan Forsythe's single and Denorfia's walk brought up Chase Headley with one out. He knocked a triple to left and scored on a Kyle Blanks single. They scored one more run off Brandon League in the seventh. Jaff Decker reached first on an error, went to third on a hit by Forsythe, and then scored on Denorfia's sacrifice fly.
Dale Thayer pitched the eighth, allowing one run on a Yasiel Puig single and a Hanley Ramirez double. Huston Street retired the side in order in the ninth for his 15th save of the season. And that's how a team made from baling wire and gum has found itself in second place.
Edinson Volquez takes the mound tomorrow as the Padres face Zack Greinke for the first time since The Incident. First pitch at 4:15 PM. Get there early to heckle Greinke.
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