Padres Round-up 07/28/20

Good morning, Padres fans. Welcome back to another day of MLB action. Today, our Padres make their first road-trip of the season, heading north to San Francisco.

Tensions around MLB remain high, as an outbreak of COVID-19 among players and staff on the Marlins resulted in numerous games getting either canceled or postponed. Currently, MLB figures to play on, as they await additional testing results. With that ominous news as our backdrop, let’s dip into the news and notes for the team after winning their first series of the year yesterday, dropping the D-Backs 6-2.

• For those of you wondering during yesterday’s game thread, yes, Fernando Tatis Jr. did ditch his batting gloves just before lacing a bases clearing three-RBI triple in the 4th inning. “I was just feeling it,” Tatis said. “I was struggling a little bit at the plate, so no batting gloves!”
• 1B Eric Hosmer was scratched shortly before the first pitch of yesterday’s game. He’s been battling a gastrointestinal issue that is not COVID-related, the team said. “He was dealing with it (Sunday), but was able to get some fluids down and was able to post and play — and obviously play well,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “(Monday), we were hoping for the same, it just never turned for the better.” The Padres expect Hosmer to travel with the club on its forthcoming road trip to San Francisco, but it’s unclear whether he will be available for Tuesday’s series opener. So far, Hosmer is 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and two BBs to start 2020, and has yet to strike out.
• Tingler announced that his initial three-player taxi squad would consist of C Luis Torrens, RHP Jerad Eickhoff and LHP Dan Camarena. That trio will join the team during the road trip, making them available for a callup at a moment’s notice, without needing to travel to get there. Camarena, a local product, is something of a surprise, given that he was signed by the team only last week.
• The team credits their hot start to the philosophy preached by manager Jayce Tingler and his staff since Spring Training: make the other team work. “Grind out at-bats, grind out at-bats, grind out at-bats,” CF Trent Grisham said. “With our lineup, someone is going to break, and we’re going to be there to capitalize.” Despite falling behind early, the Padres jumped back out in front after a five-run fourth inning, as Jurickson Profar walked, Wil Myers doubled, Greg Garcia pushed a perfect bunt single to the right side to bring Profar home, Francisco Mejía was hit by a pitch, and Edward Olivares singled before Tatis laced a bases clearing triple into the left-centerfield gap. “It’s the at-bats the boys are taking, just pushing to the guy behind us, giving an opportunity for the guy behind us, keep moving the lineup,” Tatis said. “It’s going to be huge for us.”
• Expect more of the LHP Joey Lucchesi/RHP Cal Quantrill combo going forward. While Lucchesi has a track record of success in his first two trips through an opposing order, his lack of a viable third, workable pitch limits his effectiveness when facing hitters for a third time.

Tingler pulled Lucchesi after only throwing 61 pitches, with two outs and a runner on 2B in the fourth inning, making Lucchesi the first Padres starter to not make it through five innings and also allowing more than one run, though Tingler noted that was not entirely on Joey Fuego.

“I think Joey got the raw end,” Tingler said. “If we played a little tighter, a little cleaner defense, I think he walks away without any runs.” The pair of runs credited to Lucchesi came in an inning where the sun seemed to cause 1B Wil Myers to miss a foul pop-up, and OF Edward Olivares letting a shallow fly ball bounce off his arm and go for a run-scoring double. Cal Quantrill, who battled with Lucchesi for the final spot in the rotation, got the final out of that inning and worked a scoreless fifth before being replaced by LHP Tim Hill to start the sixth.

Hill, making his second appearance in two days, retired the side in order. RHP Luis Perdomo then pitched two scoreless innings to get the ball to Craig Stammen for the ninth, who used all of six pitches to close out the game. “They were outstanding,” Tingler said. “They picked us up.”

That’s it for today. As a reminder, RHP Zach Davies will make his Padres debut after arriving in an offseason trade with Milwaukee. He’ll face the Giants in his first outing of the season at 1845 PDT. The Giants will send out RHP Jeff Samardzija for the start.

Go Padres!!!!