Series Recap: Padres start the season strong by taking 3 of 4 from the Giants

The San Diego Padres are 3-1 after taking the first series of the season against the San Francisco Giants. Let’s recap how they got here:

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Game 1: Padres 2, Giants 0

Eric Lauer got the call as the Opening Day starter and showed up, pitching six shutout innings before handing it over to a more-than-capable bullpen.

Fernando Tatis Jr. picked up the first hit of his career in his first major-league at-bat, and picked up his second later with a bunt single. Wil Myers batted in both runs, one of them off of a solo home run.

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Game 2: Padres 4, Giants 1

Tatis Jr. and Myers stayed hot, and Manuel Margot chimed in with a timely 2-run single. Ian Kinsler showed that he’s more than just a veteran defensive player, hitting a solo home run in the 3rd inning to give San Diego their first 3-run lead of the season.

Joey Lucchesi didn’t quite get the six shutout innings that Lauer did, but the Padres made it all way until the 9th inning of the second game of the series before giving up a run to the Giants. Evan Longoria hit a solo home run, and Kirby Yates loaded up the bases before getting out of a jam and picking up the save (his 2nd of the season).

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Game 3: Giants 3, Padres 2

Nick Margevicius made his MLB debut, the first time he had pitched above A-level, and gave up just 1 run in 5 strong innings.

Robert Stock, who had pitched 1.2 innings the night before, got lit up. 3 runs scored (including the one attributed to Margevicius) before Stock was pulled, not getting a single out.

Eric Hosmer tried to will the team back on his own, going 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, but it wasn’t enough.

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Game 4: Padres 3, Giants 1

Chris Paddack’s major-league debut was nothing short of thrilling, going perfect through the first 3 innings and carrying a no-hitter through the 4th inning.

The offense didn’t get any runs on the board until after Paddack exited the game, with Hosmer picking up a crucial RBI single to tie the game in the 5th and Manny Machado beating out a double-play in the 7th to ensure that the go-ahead run could score.

The bullpen pitched 4 scoreless innings, including 2 innings from newcomer Adam Warren. Kirby Yates picked up his 3rd save of the series, and the Padres escaped with a series victory.

Up Next: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Padres will play a three-game series vs. the Diamondbacks at Petco Park over the next three days, before traveling to St. Louis to start a series against the Cardinals on Thursday.