Dan Haren was one of several free agents Padres fans had hoped Josh Byrnes would sign to bolster a weak starting rotation. He now has a 5.54 ERA after being hammered for 7 runs in 5 innings this afternoon. Meanwhile, Andrew Cashner turned in his third quality start in a row, his fourth in his six starts. While Tim Stauffer struggled out of the bullpen, Joe Thatcher and Tyson Ross shut down the Nats for 2.2 innings to wrap things up. I know I'm burying the lede here, but I want to give some love to the Padres pitching staff, who have gone from a 4.53 ERA in March and April to a 3.49 ERA in May. We're getting a good look at the future of the team in Cashner and Burch Smith, and it's looking pretty good. Don't believe me? Ask Tom Krasovic.
Big picture, #Padres are more interesting than in a long time. Makings of a pretty good lineup. Volume rising on pitching prospects.
— Tom Krasovic (@UTkrasovic) May 19, 2013
Okay, I'll stop harping on the pitching now. I know you all want blood. It was an impressive day for the bats as the lineup went a combined 15 for 38 with 5 walks. Yonder Alonso had a particularly good day, going 3 for 4, falling short of the elusive cycle by a triple. His solo home run in the 8th puts him on pace for 22 homers this season, more than double his 9 of last year.
Will Venable also hit his 6th blast of the season down the right field line while also picking up a double and a stolen base. Speaking of stolen bases, Everth Cabrera is wanted for grand larceny after stealing three bases today, including a steal of third. He's leading all of Major League Baseball with 18 steals. Milwaukee's Jean Segura is his nearest competition at 14. Even Chase Headley got in on the the game, swiping for his third time this season.
But there's one offensive performance we really have to give a standing ovation today: Kyle Blanks. Sure, he walked once, was hit by a pitch, and only went 1 for 3. It was just one hit, but what a hit it was. The 88 Train hit a monster blast to the second deck of the Western Metal building to cap off the Padres' 4-run 5th inning. Watching that video is like staring into the sun.
The Padres are back at Petco tomorrow at 7:10 PM as Jason Marquis takes on Shelby Miller of the Cardinals.