Padres Press Clips Thursday, June 21, 2018

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Lucchesi's return brief as A's beat up Padres SD Union Tribune Sanders 2

Jacob Nix good but Missions' skid continues SD Union Tribune Sanders 4

Ted Leitner's return to the booth soothes concerned Padres fans SD Union Tribune Miller 6

Surgery an option as Padres reveal bone spur in Franchy Cordero's elbow SD Union Tribune Sanders 9

Bryan Mitchell placed on DL SD Union Tribune Acee 11

With hefty salaries coming, getting on track would boost SD Union Tribune Krasovic 12 Padres

Lucchesi chased early as Padres fall to A's MLB.com Cassavell 15

Cordero mulling options on bone spur in elbow MLB.com Woo 17

Padres Mailbag: Putting a high price on relievers, possible Ross The Athletic Lin 19 extension, Weathers signing outlook and more

Our nominees for the most improved defenses in The Athletic Simon 22

Barreto's 3-run homer leads Oakland's barrage in 12-4 win Associated Press AP 23

This Day in Padres History — June 21 FriarWire Center 25

#PadresOnDeck: Kennedy, Fort Wayne Sharp; Hedges, FriarWire Center 26 Myers Get Hits

Padres back on the road to take on the Giants FOX Sports Stats 29

Matt Strahm Is Quite an Opening Act FanGraphs Sawchik 31

Could Padres be surprise entrant in Machado derby? FanRag Sports Heyman 34

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Lucchesi's return brief as A's beat up Padres Jeff Sanders A Bay Area-native, Joey Lucchesi grew up rooting for the “Moneyball” A’s, the team that first popularized pairing power and patience in a lineup.

That precise formula undid the 25-year-old rookie in a hurry on Wednesday.

What was billed as Lucchesi’s much-anticipated return to the rotation devolved quickly into a 12-4 laugher that saw five Oakland longballs produce more offense than the Padres have produced during the entire four-game skid they are riding into San Francisco. The Padres left- hander allowed two of them before he was lifted in the second inning.

“I guess I felt a little off, maybe a little rusty,” Lucchesi said after allowing four runs on three hits, two walks and a hitter batter in 1 2/3 innings. “ … I don’t want to make any excuses. I just wasn’t myself today. I just have to work hard the next few days to get ready for my start in Texas.”

Of course, you certainly could make excuses.

He’d missed more than a month with a hip injury (the good news is he didn’t feel a thing Wednesday). He’d thrown only 43 pitches in one rehab start against A-ball hitters. And he was so good, so efficient in that effort – up to a season-high 96 mph over four hitless innings – that he faced only one batter out of the stretch.

Hindsight is 20-20, right?

“When you go through a day like this and he had that kind of outing, sure you would to get him one more (rehab start) at this point in time,” Padres Andy Green said. “Every report I got was he was incredibly crisp and the ball was hopping out of his hand. …

“Today was a battle from the get-go.”

Indeed – and it started with Marcus Semien’s well-placed squeaker down the first-base line to open the game.

Lucchesi fanned two of the next three hitters to strand that runner, but he hit the first batter he faced in the second inning, walked the next and left a full-count, 90 mph two-seamer over the plate.

He didn’t bother to watch Franklin Barreto’s ensuing, 424-foot blast to left-center exit the playing field. Three pitches later, back-up Josh Phegley bounced a ball off the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building for a 4-0 lead.

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“I thought the first inning he looked to me like he has all season long,” Green said. “Life on the pitches and the beating guys. The second inning, the velo was down and the finish on pitches wasn’t as sharp or crisp.”

Lucchesi walked one more batter before turning the game over to the bullpen, with only 30 of his 51 pitches landing in the strike zone.

The four runs allowed tied Lucchesi’s season-high, while the five outs recorded marked the low point of his young career. He’d turned in at least five innings in eight straight starts after allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings in his major league debut.

“He’s thrown the ball really well for us this year,” Green said. “This was a tough return for him, but he’s going to bounce back from it and be just fine.”

The bullpen that proved so dependable in Lucchesi’s absence eventually got on track – after Mark Canha and Matt Olson added back-to-back solo jobs in the third inning off left-hander Robbie Erlin.

A third run crossed the plate that inning – when two throwing errors morphed an infield single into a Little League triple to set up Phegley’s sacrifice fly – before Erlin settled in for three scoreless innings to spare the bullpen too much more stress.

Right-hander Phil Hughes covered two innings, allowing two of his three runs to score on a fifth and final homer from Jed Lowrie in the eighth. Infielder mopped up the ninth with two runs allowed on two hits and two walks to push the Padres’ deficit to 12-1.

Oakland right-hander Frankie didn’t need that much support.

Spotted as 7-0 lead after 2½ innings, the 25-year-old rookie struck out six and scattered five hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings.

The only run charged to Montas crossed the plate on Spangenberg’s third-inning single. Christian Villanueva added a solo homer in a three-run ninth, giving the Padres seven runs over their last four games – all losses.

The rut started with a shutout in Atlanta on Saturday. They scored a single run Sunday and two Tuesday before Brad Hand blew the in the ninth inning.

After running through several hard outs in the early innings during Wednesdays post-game briefing, Green reiterated that Tuesday’s loss was the one that stung the most in this two-game, pit stop.

“Today, to me, was far different than yesterday,” Green said. “I wasn’t thrilled with the quality of the at-bats. Today, the quality of the at-bats were really good early in this baseball game and the game slipped away from us.”

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Jacob Nix good but Missions' skid continues Jeff Sanders Jacob Nix deserved to win Wednesday.

Double-A San Antonio just isn’t doing much winning lately.

The Missions lost their sixth straight game, this one a 1-0 defeat to Corpus Christi in which Ty France’s sixth-inning double accounted for San Antonio’s lone hit of the game.

That made Nix (1-1) the tough-luck loser despite the 22-year-old right-hander striking out a season-high eight batters over seven strong innings.

Nix allowed one run on four hits and no walks and threw 64 of his 96 pitches for strikes.

Through five starts this year, Nix – a third-round pick in 2015 – has a 1.27 ERA, 20 and a .147 opponent average through 28 1/3 innings in the .

Nix is ranked No. 11 in the system by MLB.com.

Right-hander Rowan Wick (3.41) followed with two strikeouts in the eighth inning and left- hander Brad Wieck (2.00) pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Missions (0-2, 42-30) lost four games in a row to miss out on a first-half title and now the first two games of the second half.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (3-3)

• Dust Devils 5, Spokane 2: RHP Angel Acevedo (1-0, 1.50) struck out five and scattered one hit, two walks and a hit batter over five shutout innings in the win. 1B Justin Paulsen (.444) went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored and LF Mason House (.200) doubled in three runs. C Blake Hunt (.250) went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 1 (2-0) / AZL PADRES 2 (0-2)

• Padres1 7, Padres2 6: LHP Joey Cantillo (0.00) started the game with five strikeouts, one hit, a hit batter and two walks over five shutout innings in a no-decision. 1B Jason Pineda (.375) went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored and CF Angel Solarte (.273), C Alison Quintero (.625), LF Hunter Jarmon (.250), RF Agustin Ruiz (.375), DH Nick Gatewood (.222), 3B Carlos Luis (.333) and 1B Lee Solomon (.500) all had two hits. One of Solomon’s was a grand slam for a his professional debut after he was selected in the 25th round out of Lipscomb earlier this month. 4

ROOKIE DSL PADRES (10-6)

• Orioles 6, Padres 4: RHP Eudi Asencio (9.00) struck out five and allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings in the start. 3B Victor Nova (.286) went 1-for- 3 with two RBIs and 1B Emmanuel Guerra (.265) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored.

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Ted Leitner's return to the booth soothes concerned Padres fans Bryce Miller On the first pitch Wednesday between the A’s and Padres, visiting Marcus Semien sprayed a ball just inside the first-base line for a double.

Ted Leitner, in his 39th season calling games, fresh off a cancer scare that caused surgeons to remove a kidney, leaned back in the radio booth.

“There goes that no-hitter,” Leitner said.

That’s Uncle Teddy, San Diego’s ever-present sports larynx and its unblinking set of eyes. If you cringed at Padres stumbles since 1980, he cringed with you. If you palmed your forehead when Aztecs basketball players missed late-game free throws, his forehead was in danger, too.

The 70-year-old Leitner has been there for so many of the games this city has played that it jarred when he was not.

When the man who’s never missed a Padres road trip suddenly drifts from the microphone — the longest stretch away, so far, had been three home games for gallbladder surgery in the 1990s — you notice.

And as a city said in heart-warming unison, you care.

“I think there were a lot of people who appreciated Ted, but they just never expressed it,” Padres Cy Young winner Randy Jones said before Oakland’s 12-4 rout. “They kind of took Teddy for granted.”

On May 29, Leitner revealed that doctors suspected a golf-ball-sized tumor in his kidney was cancer. A crush of people rushed in to buoy the spirits of someone who accompanied them to the beach, filled those long car rides and kept them connected.

There’s the voice, of course — so distinct and familiar.

Hearts, though, detect more than simple sound.

A particular reaction among the thousands stood out, momentarily stealing Leitner’s breath. A stranger wrote on social media, “Ted, I would take your ills and pains upon myself if that were possible. May you live very long and prosper. Thank you for all you have given to us.”

“That’s off the charts,” Leitner said. “All of it, I’m blown away.” 6

This is the guy who came to San Diego in 1978, with a self-described “Howard Cosell thing.” He was determined to be the crusty straight-shooter. He planned to take on all comers.

Leitner routinely roughed up the routinely roughed-up Padres. So much so during his TV days at Channel 8, in fact, that late owner dialed up the station.

“We carried the games, so Joan would call in and say, ‘Do we pay him?’ ” Leitner said. “It was a ‘See what he says next’ kind of thing. I’m not proud of that, looking back. I used to tease (former owner) , ‘The statute of limitations will never run out on me.’ Some love me. Some hate me. It’ll always be that way.”

Perceptions slowly shifted, though. Leitner grew on San Diego, just as San Diego grew on him. Kroc became a dear friend. Leitner showered love and respect on former partner and late broadcast legend Jerry Coleman.

Leitner evolved into an “us” guy, rather than a “them.”

“Ted dove into being a San Diegan,” said former Union-Tribune reporter Bill Center. “He didn’t want to be viewed as an outsider. He’s been a part of lives on so many platforms, for so long.”

It almost didn’t happen. Leitner interviewed for a job in Detroit 40 years ago, landing in a blinding snowstorm. You can almost sense his shivering, still.

“They closed down the airport a few days later,” he recalled. “I came to San Diego for 10s of thousands (of dollars) less than Detroit, but I didn’t care. I got here and I was like, ‘I’ve hit the jackpot.’ ”

Calling games seemed unlikely to the young Ted Leitner. When he was asked to handle public address duties at his high school in Yonkers, N.Y., he bristled.

“I couldn’t give a report in front of 12 people,” Leitner said. “If it was a day I had to do that, I’d cut class.”

Sports seemed an equally improbable fit. An all-city football player in high school, Leitner walked on as a defensive end at Oklahoma State. He lasted … one day.

“It was brutal,” he said. “I was late. I picked up some equipment. Then I saw those big, fast guys and said, ‘What am I doing here? You’re kidding yourself.’ ”

The campus radio station, though, was hunting for a successor to a graduating senior. The boy who had been terrified to speak in front of others, a kid whose sports journey failed to last a full practice, unwittingly embarked on a remarkable career.

All of that being put at risk caused Leitner to take sobering stock.

“What’s scary is the moment you realize that something you love so much can be taken away so quickly,” he said.

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Leitner coached himself to embrace the bigger picture. Health scares show no favoritism. They care little about celebrity. But, he was 70. He’d owned one of the best seats in the house. He convinced himself to feel blessed, not cursed.

“I had to tell myself, this is the biggest test of your life,” he said. “Don’t be hang-dog. Don’t be, ‘Why me?’ Hey, I’ve lived a wonderful life.”

The quiet moments, though, stubbornly tormented.

“At the park, you’re with fantastic people you love,” Leitner said. “Then you go home and, for the first time, I’m truly living alone. Then you think, ‘Wow, this is some big stuff.’ ”

Leitner remains a little sheepish about raising cancer concerns, only to learn that the tumor was benign. Doctors convinced him that what they saw in his kidney signlaed cancer in 95 percent of cases.

Call him, Mr. Five Percent.

Now he’s adjusting to the Padres benching him for the upcoming road trip — “I’ve been grounded,” he joked — because he’s not the missing or sitting type.

Radio partner Jesse Agler thought back to two years ago when his first child arrived. The unrelenting grind of both proved exhausting. Leitner continues on, like a Swiss watch.

“I don’t think Ted sneezed once in like three seasons,” Agler said. “He never stops. He’s a perpetual broadcasting machine.”

As the A’s piled up runs Wednesday, Leitner charged ahead — determined to find a way to connect with the fan in all of us.

“Hey, you play 162, you’re going to have clunkers,” he reasoned.

There was chatter about a minor-league team named the Hartford Yard Goats. There was waxing about the classic “Hit ’em where they ain’t” quote from “Wee” Willie Keeler. There was an unflinching review of the garlic fries served in Oakland: “Man, Gag City.”

All feels right. Uncle Ted is back.

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Surgery an option as Padres reveal bone spur in Franchy Cordero's elbow Jeff Sanders Andy Green on Wednesday offered a clearer picture of what precisely is ailing Franchy Cordero but no definitive timeline for a return to his outfield. How to deal with the bone spur found in the back of his elbow when he was originally diagnosed with a right forearm strain will be entirely up to the 23-year-old .

Here’s the dilemma: Missing 12 weeks while rehabbing surgery would delay Cordero’s return until the end of September. Another month of rest or rehab would allow him a crack at significantly more playing time this year … or it might not as Cordero had already started down that path when his elbow started barking at him after a swing in El Paso earlier this week.

“He’s caught between a rock and a hard place,” the Padres’ third-year skipper admitted.

Green added: “Those kind of decisions, you offer advice but they are players’ choices. It’s not an easy decision to make because one way or another, he’s, ‘Hey, I can come back and play … or I can try to fight through this, and the odds are slim that I might be fine to play.’”

Surgery is likely an option after the season even if Cordero opts for the rest/rehab route. He would be a candidate to make up for lost at-bats in winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where an MVP campaign foreshadowed an eye-opening start to the 2018 season.

His 489-foot homer in Arizona remains the furthest hit in the majors this season. He’d posted an .870 OPS through his first 22 games before the injury, Green suspects, played a role in an 18- game stretch in which he hit .190/.242/.328 before landing on the disabled list.

The MRI and x-ray taken at the time revealed both a minor forearm strain and the elbow spur in the back of his throwing elbow.

Cordero was 0-for-9 with six strikeouts and three walks in three games at Triple-A El Paso before he was pulled from his rehab assignment.

Whatever Cordero decides, it will be some time before he attempts another.

“It’s tough for us because we really liked the way he was playing this year,” Green said. “Odds are he’s going to miss the vast majority of the rest of the season if he chooses to have surgery. If he doesn’t, there’s a small likelihood that he plays anyway. We’re not happy about that. We hate that for him.”

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Getting close Austin Hedges will not join the Padres on Thursday in San Francisco, but Wil Myers is closing in on a return to the lineup after playing in a third straight game Tuesday with Triple-A El Paso.

The Chihuahuas were off Wednesday before resuming its season Thursday in Sacramento, a short jaunt if the Padres decide to activate Myers (oblique) during their four-game stay in San Francisco.

“I talked to him for a while (Tuesday night),” Green said. “I was excited by what he was saying and how he was feeling and I think he’s close to getting back with us.”

Myers has hits in all five games since starting his rehab assignment June 14 and is 6-for-20 (.300) with one homer, three RBIs and seven strikeouts.

Hedges (elbow), meanwhile, is 5-for-11 with a homer and two RBIs in three games since shifting his rehab assignment to El Paso.

“He felt good yesterday and will have another game or two to make sure he feels great and ready to go,” Green said. “He is getting close and we're excited about that. He is swinging the bat well. I keep getting positive reports on him.”

Notable

• Wednesday’s blowout loss saw a handful of Padres out of position in the later innings. 3B Christian Villanueva, who hit his 16th homer, shifted over to shortstop in the seventh inning for just the third time this season. C Raffy Lopez entered the game in the ninth inning at third base, his second career appearance there. INF Cory Spangenberg recorded the final three outs for his second mound appearance of the month and his career. • The A’s hit back-to-back homers in consecutive innings (Franklin Barreto and Josh Phegley in the second and Mark Canha and Matt Olson in the third) for the first time since May 14, 1997. Jose Canseco and current Padres bench coach Mark McGwire connected in the third inning and Canseco and current Padres hitting coach Matt Stairs teamed up in the fourth.

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Bryan Mitchell placed on DL Kevin Acee Bryan Mitchell, who has not pitched since June 5, has been placed on the disabled list with an elbow impingement that he’d been contending with “for some time now.” The 27-year-old was undergoing an MRI Wednesday afternoon and was expected to report to Peoria, Ariz., for treatment as the team headed to San Francisco to start the next road trip.

“Bryan has been feeling something in his elbow for the better part of two weeks now, since he last pitched for us,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “… We don't feel it's too serious but he's had intermittent soreness over the last couple weeks. Whenever he gets out to full extension in his long-toss program, he's felt some things. It just became apparent to us what's best for him is to take a little break right now and rest his elbow and hopefully find nothing structurally.”

Used only in mop-up duty even before that, Mitchell going down allowed the Padres to activate pitcher Joey Lucchesi off the DL prior to his start Wednesday afternoon against the Oakland A’s.

Mitchell, acquired in a December trade and immediately inserted in the starting rotation, was demoted to the bullpen on May 7.

In five games as a reliever, the 27-year-old right-hander allowed 15 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings. He was 0-3 with a 6.47 ERA in seven starts.

Mitchell came to the Padres from the Yankees in the deal that also brought , who was designated for assignment in May.

The Padres took on Headley’s $13 million salary, mainly to get Mitchell and with the belief Headley would produce at a level that would invite trade possibilities. But while Headley was roundly praised for his work with young players, he batted .115/.233/.135 in 60 plate appearances before he was DFA’d on May 12 and released a week later.

Mitchell, meanwhile, hasn’t pitched since June 5, when he allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings.

“The last time he threw,” Green said, “ … he came off the mound and he told me that night his elbow was bothering him but he felt like he could soldier on.”

Green added: “He by no means was using elbow soreness as an excuse for any performance along the way at all. He just hasn't felt in his opinion 100 percent for some time now. If a little bit of rest can get him back to 100 percent, then it's the best thing for him and the best thing for all of us.”

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With hefty salaries coming, Wil Myers getting on track would boost Padres Tom Krasovic Things can still work out for Wil Myers and the Padres, with providing a lift.

Just because he was out of sight the past two months, dealing with back and oblique strains, doesn’t change that Myers is the team’s second-best hitter.

Myers will return soon. With the Pads on track to lose close to 90 games and their offense having a bad season, no one’s asking him to carry them.

Here’s a fun scenario that’s not implausible: Myers exhales, now that Hosmer is on board to handle the attention, and the two sluggers form a right-left hitting tandem that is Grade-B or B- minus productive this summer and over the next two seasons. In the meantime, a few of the young players, feeling less heat because the two vets can do the heavier lifting, evolve into helpful big leaguers.

Check out this 2020 lineup, just for fun: 2B Luis Urias (.393 on-base in his minor league career), SS Fernando Tatis Jr, 1B Hosmer, RF Myers, LF Franchy Cordero, 3B Carlos Villanueva (?), CF Manuel Margot/, C Austin Hedges.

While betting your lunch money on Myers to evolve into an MVP contender isn’t advised, there’s still time for him to provide a few pretty good seasons.

The Pads probably overpaid for him four offseasons ago when A.J. Preller, dealing from a good farm system that he inherited, traded three prospects for him.

Trea Turner was one of the three.

He’s now the shortstop and a more valuable player than Myers, who at 27 is nearly three years older and costs a whole lot more money. and Jake Bauers, shipped out as well in the three-team trade, are useful young players, although Ross, 25, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. (Left-hander Jose Castillo, who debuted earlier this month, also was acquired by the Padres in the deal.)

Myers tried to impress with his new team, gritting through an ailing wrist. Ultimately, the injury wrecked his 2015 season.

After he had a pretty good second season in San Diego, finding a home at first base, a better spot for him than the outfield, Preller and Pads ownership went large, pledging him $83 million over six years.

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Key fact: More than $67 million went into the final three years.

There’s a long Padres tradition of back-loading contracts or taking on a back-loaded contracts and then trading the player before the bigger money comes due. Stay tuned.

To return fair value on his $22.5 million in yearly pay from 2020-22, even when the dollar will be worth less than it is now, Myers would need to have better than his typical season to date. Something on the order of his hitting and durability in 2016 would come close, although his defensive value probably will be less, thanks to Hosmer pushing him off first.

The Pads seemed a tad grouchy with Myers in February when they explained their $144-million investment in Hosmer, saying Hosmer would be comfortable as the franchise’s marquee player.

Myers, two years into his big contract, had admitted he wasn’t so comfortable.

“We’re hoping Eric is that guy,” Executive Chairman Ron Fowler said. “Myers has a lot of qualities, but he frankly does not want to be the leader in the clubhouse. That’s just not in his DNA. If there was a player who was more positive about us going after Eric than Myers, I don’t know who it would be.”

Fowler continued, “Eric will protect him in the lineup, first of all. And he’ll take more of a leadership position, which is more natural for him in the clubhouse than it was for Myers.”

Together, Hosmer and Myers will provide what? It’s time to find out.

Penciling at-bats for and other corner still makes sense, and Myers spotting Hosmer would open up a start once every 10 days or so..

Even so, Myers is well ahead of Renfroe, 26, and Franmil Reyes, 22, as a hitter. In comparison, his hot streaks owe less to guessing right or getting a meatball to hit.

It wouldn’t hurt to see if the Colorado Rockies, who are trying to win now, would pay a juicy price for Myers. He thrives in Denver and is a better hitter than their first basemen. However, an inept bullpen is Colorado’s front-burner issue.

Though Myers works hard on his fitness, it’s his ability to stay on the field that loom as the biggest question mark. Scouts say his swing puts a lot of stress on his torso, notably his back.

A favorable development is that his home ballpark is playing smaller than in the days of Petco National Park. Back then, several big leaguers who came over from cozier divisions struggled to cope.

See Ryan Ludwick, who said Petco got into his head. Or, Joe Randa, Brian Giles and Jim Edmonds.

Myers has home run power to all fields. Full stop. Petco isn’t too big for him.

Scouts say he was plenty strong enough last year. They are puzzled that he add some 20 pounds of muscle this offseason.

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With the reliable Hosmer next to him, let’s see if Myers can get into a good place and stay there.

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Lucchesi chased early as Padres fall to A's Club loses both games at home amid road-heavy stretch By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Jun. 20th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi made his long-awaited return from the disabled list on Wednesday afternoon. The A's played spoiler -- to that, and to the Padres' brief return to Petco Park this week.

San Diego returned from a tricky 10-game trip on Sunday with a renewed sense of optimism, following series victories in Miami and St. Louis. By the end of Wednesday's 12-4 defeat, that optimism was squashed courtesy of two tough losses to Oakland -- each painful in its own way.

The Padres came one strike short on Tuesday, when Stephen Piscotty turned around a Brad Handfastball for a game-tying homer in the ninth. A day later, the A's made sure it was never that close.

Lucchesi's return from a right hip strain was short lived. He lasted 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, including back-to-back dingers to Franklin Barreto and Josh Phegley in the top of the second. After a promising start to his rookie campaign, Lucchesi saw his ERA balloon to 3.86.

"I felt a little bit off, maybe a little bit rusty," Lucchesi said. "... I don't want to make any excuses, but I just wasn't myself today."

Perhaps most importantly, Lucchesi never felt any pain or soreness in his hip. But he labored from the outset, needing 51 pitches to record his five outs.

"I didn't want to extend him any longer," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Sometimes you let guys fight through it. Other times you get them off the mound, let them regroup and get back out the next time. He's thrown the ball really well for us this year. It was a tough return for him, but he's going to bounce back and be just fine."

. 20th, 2018 Left-hander Robbie Erlin entered in relief, and he, too, surrendered back-to-back homers. Mark Canha and Matt Olson took him deep in the third. It marked the first time the A's had hit consecutive homers in consecutive innings since 1997. Padres bench coach Mark McGwire and hitting coach Matt Stairs authored two of those four blasts.

Aside from the early home runs, Erlin was effective. He allowed those two earned runs while chewing up 4 1/3 relief innings and striking out four. But the offense never mounted a threat against A's starter Frankie Montas, despite some hard contact.

The Padres broke through with three runs in the ninth, including Christian Villanueva's 16th home run. He's tied for second in the National League, trailing only Washington's , who has 19. By then, of course, it was too late.

20th, 2018 In a bizarre stretch of their schedule, the Padres dropped their only two home games in a three- week span. They began that stretch 5-3 and had climbed within four games of .500 on Friday 15 night. But they've since dropped four straight and are staring down yet another week on the road.

A two-game respite at Petco Park turned out to be anything but.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Back in action: Lucchesi's return from the DL started innocently enough. He surrendered a leadoff double to Marcus Semien, but escaped the threat with a pair of strikeouts. Even then, the A's made him work. Lucchesi needed six pitches to whiff Chad Pinder, eight pitches to get a Jed Lowrie groundout and five pitches to punch out Canha. The three of them combined to foul off four two-strike offerings in the frame.

Make 'em earn it: Oakland scored seven times in the first three innings, the first six of which came on the four home runs. The seventh run was a gift. Barreto hit a chopper in front of the plate, where Erlin fielded and threw the ball up the right-field line. It was retrieved by Cory Spangenberg, whose throw to second soared over shortstop Freddy Galvis. Barreto ended up at third, and he would score on Phegley's ensuing sacrifice fly.

SPANGENBERG TOES THE RUBBER Earlier this month, in his first pitching appearance since high school, Spangenberg hit 88 mph with his fastball and averaged 85 mph. His arm was sore for the rest of the week.

The Padres' infielder took the mound again on Wednesday with his team trailing by nine in the ninth. He surrendered two runs, two hits and two walks, and this time he averaged 72.3 mph. That dip in velocity was a conscious decision.

"It was sore for like five days after, so I had to [dial it back]," Spangenberg said.

The 27-year-old right-hander was the on his high school team, but he hadn't taken the mound since -- until the June 5 appearance against Atlanta, in which he allowed one run.

"It helps the team out," Spangenberg. "When our starter doesn't go far and our bullpen has been used, somebody has to do it."

. 20th, 2018 HE SAID IT "Last night's game was one of those games that sting. These games today are just games that happen throughout the course of a baseball season to everybody. They're frustrating losses. But the ones yesterday are the ones you're going to hold on to. You want to win those games." - - Green

UP NEXT has been the Padres' best this season, and he gets the ball on Thursday when the Padres open a four-game series in San Francisco at 7:15 p.m. PT. Ross has faced the Giants twice this year, and he's pitched six innings of one-run ball both times. Opposite Ross is four-time All-Star left-hander Madison Bumgarner, making his fourth start of the season and his first against the Padres.

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Cordero mulling options on bone spur in elbow Outfielder deciding between rest and surgery; Lucchesi activated, Mitchell to DL; Myers, Hedges getting close. 20th, 2018 By Katie Woo MLB.com Jun. 20th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- The injury bug has bit the Padres once more this season, as outfielder Franchy Corderowill be out for an indefinite time period after an MRI revealed a bone spur in his right elbow.

Cordero was in the midst of his rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso, but he was shut down after feeling pain in his forearm during a swing on Sunday.

Cordero, who was batting .237/.307/.439 before landing on the disabled list on May 28, has two options. He could undergo surgery to remove the bone spur, although the expected recovery time is estimated at 12 weeks -- which would mean missing nearly the rest of the season. Cordero is also weighing the decision of resting a month and reevaluating the situation a few weeks later.

"He's kind of caught between a rock and a hard place right now," manager Andy Green said. "What's the best decision? 'Do I wait a month and see if I can play with this, even though it's still bothering me after I waited? Or do I go have surgery right now, and I maybe only get back for the last few weeks of the season?'"

Ultimately, it appears necessary that Cordero will need to have the bone spur removed. Right now, it's a matter of when. It's unclear what route Cordero will take, and Green added that Cordero would likely take some time to decide.

"Those kinds of decisions, you offer advice," he said. "But they're players' choices. And it's not an easy decision to make. … There's no clear, easy answer on this one, and it's going to take a few days to work through that and get advice from the doctors he's seen."

Lucchesi activated, Mitchell to DL The Padres activated Joey Lucchesi on Wednesday morning and placed right-hander Bryan Mitchell on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow impingement, retroactive to Sunday.

The reliever hasn't made an appearance since June 5, where he was rocked for five hits and five earned runs on 60 pitches through just 2 2/3 innings.

"We don't feel it's too serious, but he's had intermittent soreness over the last two weeks," Green said. "Whenever he gets out to full extension in his long-toss program, he's felt some things. It became apparent to us that it was best for him to take a little break right now and rest his elbow and hopefully we find nothing structural there."

Mitchell will rest for a few days before heading to the team's complex in Arizona to resume his throwing program. In his 12 appearances (seven starts) for San Diego this season, he holds a 7.08 ERA over 48 1/3 innings pitched and has allowed 39 runs (38 earned) on 63 hits.

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More roster moves ahead San Diego will have a couple more roster moves to make in the near future, with both Wil Myers and Austin Hedges coming close to finishing their rehab assignments. Raffy Lopez and A.J. Ellis have split duties behind the plate in Hedges' absence, and Green wouldn't say whether the team would take three once Hedges returns.

"We've talked through the possibility of carrying three catchers and what that would do for us," Green said. "We're not committed to that, but we're not going to rule that out at this point."

The Padres will also have to decide how many outfielders they will carry once Myers returns, with Hunter Renfroe, Travis Jankowski, Manuel Margot and Franmil Reyes all splitting equal time amongst the three positions. While Myers will obviously be back in the mix, Green hinted that Myers will not start every game and instead mix into the outfield rotation, as well.

"Wil, when he comes back, he might play two days, then have a day off," Green said. "He might play three days, then have a day off. We might carry that on for some considerable period of time to just ensure that he's in a good physical spot and ready to go before we unleash him to go on a very consistent basis.

"He would fit into a very similar rotation. You've got four guys out there that are all playing very consistently and getting a lot of at-bats, but not the everyday guy."

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Padres Mailbag: Putting a high price on relievers, possible Ross extension, Weathers signing outlook and more By Dennis Lin

The Padres played their most forgettable game of the season Wednesday at Petco Park. The Oakland A’s drilled back-to-back home runs in consecutive innings. Their hosts committed two throwing errors on one play. Joey Lucchesi’s return from the disabled list lasted all of five outs. Cory Spangenberg made his second appearance as a pitcher. And San Diego suffered a 12-4 defeat that felt reminiscent of 2017, when blowout losses were a regular thing. The Padres have shown noticeable improvement since a 10-20 start, but the overall record suggests there is room for much more. Through their first 76 games last season, they were 31-45. Today, they are 34-42. Of course, being closer to full strength would help. Wil Myers will be activated this week in San Francisco. Austin Hedges isn’t far behind. But questions about how much longer this roster remains intact will intensify over the upcoming weeks. That is reality for a 34-42 club. Let’s address a few of those questions in a near-midseason mailbag. If you have anything else on your mind, feel free to reach out on Twitter or in the comments section below. Is the asking price on relievers as high as we all expect it to be? Do they actually expect someone to meet it? —Mark A. People on other teams agree that general manager A.J. Preller has some of the higher asking prices in the game. That approach seems to make sense in the context of the relief market. Clubs are always in need of bullpen help, sometimes desperately so. Since the Padres’ rebuild began in late 2015, Preller has made the following trades involving well-known relievers:

• Joaquin Benoit for Enyel De Los Santos and Nelson Ward (De Los Santos was later traded for Freddy Galvis) • Craig Kimbrel for Manuel Margot, Carlos Asuaje, Javy Guerra and Logan Allen • for • , and for Esteury Ruiz, and

As you can see, the returns in these deals generally have been good. And the Padres’ current back-end trade assets — Brad Hand, and — are all on affordable contracts and performing at career-best levels. Preller would be justified in affixing healthy asking prices to each of these three. Whether anyone meets those prices remains to be seen, but the Padres should be operating from a position of strength. They don’t have to make a trade. Hand is under contract for $6.5 million in 2019 and $7 million in 2020, with a $10 million club option for 2021. Stammen is making $2.25 million this year and next. Yates won’t be eligible for free agency until 2021. If the Padres hope to make any kind of noise in 2019, a reliable bullpen is required.

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But should the Padres part with at least one of the relievers? Objectively, the answer is a yes. Stammen is 34. Yates is 31. Hand is 28, but as with the other two, his value may never be higher. Then there’s the fact that all three pitchers were acquired for cheap; Hand and Yates were waiver claims, and Stammen originally joined the organization on a minor-league deal. The Padres, throughout their history, have turned discarded relievers into valuable commodities. What the front office elects to do with the bullpen leading up to the trade deadline should be quite interesting. Hand will again be one of the most-discussed names. As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported, he has solidified his status as one of the elite left-handed relievers in either league. Will the 40-man roster influence the trading of Hand, Tyson Ross and Kirby Yates? I could see it being a major issue in two years. —Alexander S. I wrote a bit about this here. The Padres do have a lot of roster decisions to make before this December’s . They should have even more draft-eligible prospects in 2019. The forthcoming roster crunch, though, has more implications for players on the bubble. Decisions to trade or hold the likes of Hand and Yates, two of the organization’s most valuable assets, will not depend on the need to clear roster spots several months from now. There are plenty of other areas in which the Padres can choose to deliberately trim their numbers. Mainly because he is on a one-year deal, Ross is a leading candidate to be dealt. Acquiring a decent prospect or two in return is preferable to seeing him walk at the end of the season for nothing. Any chance we sign Tyson Ross to an extension like Clayton Richard last year instead of trading him? Unless a team is willing to part with a solid prospect for rental, seems like an extension could be an equally good move since he provides innings and veteran leadership. —@MattNewsInfo The Padres should be able to get a solid prospect for Ross relatively easily. He’ll be one of the top starters available at the deadline. His contract is inexpensive and incentive-laden. He could re-sign with San Diego next year, regardless of where he is after July. Ross may no longer throw mid-90s heat, but his slider is as good as ever and he’s using it as often as ever. “No one can hit a breaking ball anymore,” one scout said recently. He was only half-joking. Given how well he showed as a starter in short stints, shouldn’t the Padres send Matt Strahm down to stretch him out to be the next man up if they lose another starter to trade or injury? — @PadresOnABagel If Strahm is going to be fully stretched out, it won’t happen this year. This being his first season back from knee surgery, the Padres want to limit his workload. Five- or six-inning appearances aren’t in the immediate future. But, should a need arise in the rotation, Strahm continues to be an option as the “starter” in bullpen games. We’ve already seen him do well in that role, which has allowed the Padres to continue using him in shorter bursts. He’s been up to three innings and 46 pitches. If the bullpen games return, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he could be a four-inning weapon as soon as this season. Can the Padres provide Hunter Renfroe the same latitude and opportunity to succeed as Manuel Margot? (Or do “Preller’s guys” get preferential treatment?) —Mike D. It’s only natural for a front office to favor players acquired under its watch. (Why else would teams acquire players?) It’d also be foolish for an organization not to take stock of pre-existing inventory. In the last year, we’ve seen the Padres provide significant opportunities to , Franchy Cordero and Franmil Reyes. All three players were signed out of the Dominican Republic by former Padres executive Randy Smith, who was let go following the 2016 season. 20

But yes, sometimes teams tend to believe more strongly in their own acquisitions. Take Bryan Mitchell, who has stuck on the roster despite ghastly numbers. In other cases, such as Margot’s, the organization’s faith is perhaps not as stubborn. The Padres have a few reasons for their commitment to Margot. He’s 23, a potential two-way standout and an eminently coachable player. It was telling that he avoided a temporary demotion to Triple A even as he sought to make adjustments on offense. Renfroe, to his credit, has made adjustments of his own, most notably opening his stance against right- handers. But he’s also a few years older than Margot and was drafted under a different regime. He has less time to figure things out. I do think it would behoove the Padres, if they don’t move Renfroe before the deadline, to use the rest of the season to continue evaluating Renfroe. The risk that he blossoms elsewhere might not be substantial, but there’s still that chance. With Cordero likely out for the rest of the year with a bone spur in his elbow, Renfroe should continue receiving a fair amount of opportunity. What’s the holdup on signing? —@porkapooloza I’m not quite sure, Pork, but it would be a shock if this winds up being a repeat of . What I have been told is the two sides haven’t gotten down to serious negotiations yet. Plenty of time remains — teams have until July 6 to sign their draft picks — and there was at least a basic understanding on June 4. Nowadays, organizations don’t select players this high unless they have reasonable assurances. For medical treatments/exams how much is decided by the club and how much by the player? — @GrandMoffPadre Assuming you’re referring to more than a minor injury, the player is often in the driver’s seat. Cordero is a good example. He’s currently weighing immediate surgery against an attempt to resume playing after a month or so of rest. (If he goes the latter route, he’ll probably still go for surgery at some point.) “Those kind of decisions, you offer advice but they’re players’ choices,” Padres manager Andy Green said Wednesday. “Either one of those courses of action are recommended, and it’s just going to be based on his feel, which one he’d like to do. We’re going to support him in either one he chooses.” What is Buddy Reed doing differently this year? —Shane M. He’s incorporated more of his lower half, shortened his swing and choked up with two strikes. The physical tools have always been superb; now Reed is putting them to good use. The -to-walk ratio is still suboptimal, and some evaluators are skeptical about sustainability, but there’s no denying Reed has been a force in the . I’d expect a second-half promotion to Double A.

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Our nominees for the most improved defenses in baseball By Mark Simon Jun 20, 2018

By Mark Simon, Sports Info Solutions All stats through Tuesday’s games

San Diego Padres The Padres may have done the best job, even if they don’t rank at the top of the improvement list. They have jumped from -2 Defensive Runs Saved to 36 this season. The Padres have gotten positive defensive value at each of the defensive positions. Their infield, which cost the team 24 runs last season, has saved them 23 runs in 2018. That includes their two notable acquisitions, free agent Eric Hosmer, whose defensive performance is often a polarizing topic, and shortstop Freddy Galvis. Hosmer cost the Royals 13 runs the last two seasons, largely due to a lack of range, but he’s saved the Padres an MLB-best eight runs this season. Galvis is having his best defensive season. The Padres have put him in position to succeed and he’s excelled at taking away hits in the shortstop-third base hole more than anyone at his position.

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Barreto's 3-run homer leads Oakland's barrage in 12-4 win 5:05 PM PT Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Five home runs. Back-to-back twice.

The put on quite the power display in beating the 12-4 on Wednesday.

Light-hitting Franklin Barreto got the barrage started when he connected for a 424-foot, three-run home run in the second inning off rookie lefty Joey Lucchesi, who was returning from more than a month on the disabled list. Josh Phegley, Mark Canha, Matt Olson and Jed Lowrie also went deep for Oakland.

"This team's got a lot of power," Lowrie said. "Continue to put quality at-bats together, that's when this game starts to get fun."

The A's hit seven homers in sweeping the two-game series. Stephen Piscottytied Tuesday night's game with a homer with two outs in the ninth off Brad Hand and Lowie hit a two-run shot with two outs in the 10th for a 4-2 victory.

"We have it in us, that's for sure," manager Bob Melvin said. "The ball carries a little better in day games here, similar to our place. After last night, other than the last couple of innings, hits were hard to come by. We started out early, led by Frankie, which was good to see."

Barreto and Phegley went back-to-back with their first homers of the season in the second inning off left-hander Joey Lucchesi (3-3), who had been on the disabled list for more than a month.

Barreto, hitting .071 coming in and batting seventh, homered into Oakland's bullpen well beyond the fence in center field on a full-count pitch. Phegley homered off the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left field corner on a 1-1 pitch. Lucchesi hit Olson with a pitch opening the inning and then walked Piscotty ahead of Barreto's homer.

Robbie Erlin got the last out of the second before allowing consecutive homers to Canha and Olson in the third. It was Canha's ninth and Olson's 15th. Phegley added a sacrifice fly. Lowrie connected off Phil Hughes in the eighth, his 11th.

Frankie Montas (4-1) benefited from the long balls as he threw 6 2/3 strong innings. He held the Padres to one run and five hits, struck out six and walked three. He allowed Cory Spangenberg's RBI single in the third.

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"It's always good getting support from the guys, especially early in the game," he said. "I just tried to keep myself in the game."

Montas was the only Oakland player in the starting lineup who didn't have a hit. Melvin said he wouldn't have minded if his pitcher went 0 for 4, because that would mean he went deep into the game. He went 0 for 3.

"Honestly, I wanted to hit the ball really bad, but I was not about hitting the ball because the guys were actually doing it for me," Montas said. "So I was just going to do my job pitching."

Lucchesi went just 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and three hits.

"The first inning I felt OK and then I guess I felt a little bit off, maybe a little rusty," said Lucchesi, who hadn't pitched since May 14 due to a strained right hip. "I couldn't get my offspeed to work. I felt like I was doing something weird with my arm. I just didn't have it."

Manager Andy Green thought Lucchesi looked sharp in the first. "His stuff kind of fell off somewhat rapidly today," Green said. "This was a tough return for him, but he's going to bounce back from it and be just fine."

Trailing 10-1, the Padres had infielder Cory Spangenberg pitch the ninth. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in his second appearance of the season.

"You've got to preserve bullpen arms," Green said, adding that it made no sense to use a reliever such as Matt Strahm just to try to hold the game at 10-1. "So we were to Cory. At that point in time you get what you get and he got us through."

San Diego's Christian Villanueva homered in the ninth, his 16th.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Placed RHP Bryan Mitchellon the 10-day disabled list with an impingement in his right elbow to make room for Lucchesi on the 25-man roster. Mitchell (0-3, 7.08 ERA) hasn't pitched since June 5. Mitchell has been disappointing since being acquired from the along with third baseman Chase Headley. The Padres wanted Mitchell so badly they were willing to take on Headley's $13 million salary, but the deal has backfired. Headley was released on May 19 and Mitchell was demoted from the rotation to the bullpen.

UP NEXT

Athletics: RHP Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.45) is scheduled to start Thursday night's opener of a four-game series at the , who counter with RHP Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19).

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (5-4, 3.51) is set to start the opener of a four-game series Thursday night at San Francisco, opposite LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 4.67).

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This Day in Padres History — June 21

By Bill Center

June 21, 1985 — Jerry Royster has a single, double and a homer for four RBIs as the Padres defeat the Giants 6–1 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

June 21, 2004 — picks up save №348 in a 3–1 win over Arizona at Petco Park to move into fourth on the all-time saves list.

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#PadresOnDeck: Kennedy, Fort Wayne Pitchers Sharp; Hedges, Myers Get Hits

By Bill Center

Left-handed starters Aaron Leasher and helped the East score a 3–2 victory Tuesday night in the Single-A All-Star Game while outfielder Edward Olivares and corner infielder Hudson Pottseach had a hit for the losing South side in the Advanced California League All-Star Game.

Leasher, 21, started for the East and allowed a hit with a strikeout in one inning at Lansing, Mich. Margevicius, who turned 22 Monday, pitched a perfect inning and left-handed reliever Travis Radke retired the only hitter he faced. Catcher , 19, was 0-for-2 as a .

Olivares, 22, was 1-for-2 and Potts, 19, was 1-for-3 as the North won the Cal League game 8–2 in Lancaster.

Lake Elsinore right-hander Reggie Lawson, 20, started for the South and allowed a run on two hits with two strikeouts in an inning. Right-hander Pedro Avila, 21, pitched the second and allowed a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. Right-handed reliever Elliot Ashbeck allowed three runs on three hits (including two home runs) with a strikeout in the third inning.

Turning to regular-season action . . .

— Right-hander Brett Kennedy (4–0, 2.68 ) allowed two unearned runs on a hit and a walk with five strikeouts in five innings in his second start back with Triple-A El Paso.

— Catcher Austin Hedges and left fielder Wil Myers each had a hit for the Chihuahuas as their rehab assignments continue. Hedges (.316) was 1-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly, two RBIs and a run scored. Myers (.300) had a double in four at-bats with a run scored.

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— Shortstop Xavier Edwards, 18, the 38th overall pick in the June draft, made his professional debut in the opener of the Arizona Rookie League, going 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (35–37): CHIHUAHUAS 7, Memphis 4 — PH Shane Peterson (.260) backed Hedges and Myers with a two-run, pinch-hit homer. 3B Diego Goris (.264) also hit a two-run homer in four at-bats. 1B Brett Nicholas (.303) was 1-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a run scored. SS Luis Urías (.264) had a triple in four at-bats with a run scored. CF Auston Bousfield (.256) had a double in his only official at-bats with three walks and a run scored. RHP Jonathan Aro (4.73 ERA) followed Kennedy and issued a walk with a strikeout in an otherwise perfect inning. RHP (4.60) walked two in a hitless, scoreless inning. RHP Kazuhisa Makita (4.15) gave up two runs on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning. RHP (2.01) allowed two hits in a scoreless inning to get his sixth save.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (0–1, 42–29): Corpus Christi 9, MISSIONS 6 — Starting RHP (4.14 ERA) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings. RHP Jason Jester (4.73) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning. RHP Erik Johnson (3–3, 3.25) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks with a strikeout in two innings to take the loss. RHP Eric Yardley (2.61) allowed an unearned run on two hits with a strikeout in an inning. CF Michael Gettys(.256) was 2-for-4 with a RBI. 3B Kyle Overstreet (.265) was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.270) was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. RF Taylor Kohlwey (.240) was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. LF Josh Naylor (.313) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. C Austin Allen (.304) was 1-for-4 with a run scored. 1B (.333) was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (34–36): The Storm was off Tuesday for the California League All-Star Game break.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (32–37): The TinCaps were off Tuesday for the Midwest League All- Star Game break.

SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI-CITY (2–3): SALEM-KEIZER 4, Dust Devils 0 — CF Aldemar Burgos (.333) was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. LF Michael Curry (.389) was 1-for- 4. 2B Olivier Basabe (.273) was 1-for-3. Starting LHP Ramon Perez allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts in four innings. LHP Dan Dallas (2.08 ERA) allowed a run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in two innings. Fourth-round June draft pick RHP Dylan Coleman allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning in his pro debut. RHP Jordan Guerrero (0.00) allowed a hit in a scoreless inning.

ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES — Padres-1 (1–0) 6, PADRES-2 (0–1) 3 — The ARL opened with a match of the two Padres teams. DH Nick Gatewood backed Edwards, scoring a run with two RBIs despite going 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly. CF Jawuan Harris had a triple in three at-bats with a sacrifice fly and a run scored. C Gilberto Vizcarra was 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly, two 27 walks and a run scored. Starting LHP Omar Cruz allowed an unearned run on four hits and no walks with five strikeouts in five innings. RHP Reiss Knehr allowed a hit with two strikeouts in two innings to gain credit for the win. RHP Starlin Cordero struck out the side in the ninth to get the save. DH Alison Quinterowas 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for the Padres-2. 3B Reinaldo Ilarraza was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. 2B was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Starting RHP Manny Guzman allowed four runs (one earned) on a hit and three walks with four strikeouts in three innings to take the loss. LHP Daniel Sexton allowed two hits and a walk with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (10–5): Padres 5, ORIOLES 4 (10 innings) — 2B Bryan Torres (.196) was 1-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base. DH Juan Garcia (.231) had a double in three at-bats with a RBI and two runs scored. C Yanger Morales (.263) was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

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Padres back on the road to take on the Giants STATSJun 21, 2018 at 12:38p ET

SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner‘s comeback from a broken finger continues Thursday night when the San Francisco Giants open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres and a pitcher with whom they are quite familiar, Tyson Ross.

The Giants will take a two-game winning streak and the Padres a four-game skid into the series, the third of the season between the rivals. San Diego has won four of the first seven head-to-head games.

Bumgarner (0-2, 4.67 ERA) wasn’t around for either of the earlier series against San Diego, having been hurt in his final spring training tuneup. He’s made just three starts since being activated off the disabled list, with the Giants having lost all three games.

The outings have included hard-luck losses to the and , and an effort at Miami last week in which he was ejected after running out of gas in the sixth inning, blowing a 4-2 lead.

Bumgarner hasn’t seen the seventh inning since his return, which could be cause for concern for a Giants team that blew leads in all four losses they suffered against Miami in the past 10 days.

One of those blown leads featured a Hunter Strickland meltdown in the ninth inning Monday, after which he punched a door and, like Bumgarner, broke a finger.

Sam Dyson stepped into Strickland’s closer role and picked up his second save of the season in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Marlins, but then he had to be pulled Wednesday after allowing two ninth-inning runs that allowed Miami to pull within 6-5.

Reyes Moronta was summoned to record his first career save.

The Padres had ninth-inning troubles of their own during their two-game home sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics.

Closer Brad Hand got within one strike of a 2-1 win in the series opener Tuesday night before serving up a game-tying home run to Stephen Piscotty in a game A’s went onto win 4-2 in 10 innings.

Ross (5-4, 3.51) has twice pitched the Padres to wins over the Giants this season, getting credit for one of the victories.

He limited the Giants to just one unearned run in a 5-1 home win in April, then left with a 2-1 lead in San Francisco on May 1, only to see San Francisco tie the game before the Padres won it off Strickland in the ninth.

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Ross, a San Francisco Bay Area product, is 4-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) in his career against the Giants.

He has gone head-to-head with Bumgarner three times, winning once.

Ross has pitched well of late, allowing three or fewer runs in seven consecutive starts.

Bumgarner got the better of Ross in a pitchers’ duel in their last head-to-head, winning 2-0 in 2015.

The Giants’ ace has pitched 31 times, including 30 starts, against the Padres in his career, registering a 10-9 record and 3.46 ERA.

Bumgarner hasn’t recorded a win against the Padres in his last six starts against them dating back to May of 2016. He’s 0-4 with one no-decision during the drought.

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Matt Strahm Is Quite an Opening Act by Travis Sawchik June 21, 2018

The opener revolution originated in Tampa Bay earlier this season and has since spread to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Padres manager Andy Green, a colleague of former FanGraphs manager editor Dave Cameron, has expressed interest in continuing bullpen games. The strategy make some sense, as the Padres have one of the strongest and deepest bullpens in the game, trailing only the Yankees, Astros, and Brewers in relief WAR. The Padres have bullpenned four times in four weeks and three consecutive times through a vacant spot (Joey Lucchesi’s) in their stating rotation, most recently on Sunday at Atlanta.

Of the four bullpen games, Matt Strahm has started all of them. Strahm has taken to the role.

Since Strahm became a starter — or, more precisely, “an opener” — he’s been dominant. In his last three appearances, all technically starts, Strahm has recorded 11 strikeouts and no walks against 29 batters while conceding just three hits and a single run in 8.0 innings.

Over four total starts and a couple other relief appearances since May 27th, he’s allowed just one run and five hits in 16 innings, striking out 14 against one walk. His velocity has held steady in a starting/opening role, though he had pitched in multiple-inning relief outings earlier in the season.

One issue with using a quality reliever to open games is that a club loses a possible quality bullpen arm for high-leverage innings later in the game. But the Padres’ bullpen is deep enough with Brad Hand, Kirby Yates, , Craig Stammen, Robbie Erlin, and Phil Maton (DL) all having been effective. Strahm had been lost in the bullpen crowd before finding this niche.

If you’ve forgotten about or been unaware of Strahm, you’re forgiven. You have a life to live and Strahm has largely been out of sight, pitching for the Royals last year before undergoing season- ending knee surgery last July to repair a torn patellar tendon. He was later traded in July along with Travis Wood, minor leaguer Esteury Ruiz, and cash to the Padres for Trevor Cahill, Ryan Buchter, and Brandon Maurer.

But he’s been a different pitcher since he’s joined the Padres.

Let’s start with the fastball. While the velocity has remained steady, averaging around 94 mph as it had in Kansas City, and while the spin also remains above average (2,367 rpms), the location of the pitch has changed. Strahm is more often elevating his fastball.

Out of 440 pitchers to throw at least 50 four-seam this season, Strahm ranks 94th in whiff-per-swing rate (25.9%). Over the last three years, he’s always enjoyed above-average whiff rates on his fastball at or near 30%, so it makes sense that he try and hunt even more swing-and- miss at the top and above the zone.

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Strahm has also turned with greater frequency to his slider, a pitch he either didn’t have or trust in 2016 . This season, out of 298 pitchers to throw at least 50 sliders, Strahm ranks 19th in whiff-per-swing rate (53.9%).

He has a bending that ranks 15th in called-strike rate among pitchers to have thrown at least 20 this season (57%). The pitch has above-average horizontal movement (6.92 inches). He also has a .

Here’s a three-pitch sequence to arguably the NL’s best hitter, , on Sunday:

Slider:

Changeup:

Elevated 97 mph fastball:

Freeman is so good he stuck out on three pitches and still reached base.

After having some command issues earlier in the season, Strahm hasn’t walked any of the past 45 batters he’s faced. He’s also demonstrated the ability to vary the velocity and location of his fastball.

He takes something off his fastball here and dots the low-outside corner versusRyan Flaherty :

Strahm then elevates (perhaps unintentionally, given the target) and adds velocity for the punch out:

Strahm didn’t use his curveball as effectively on Sunday, but the following footage is evidence of it generating a called strike in his previous outing, which is its signature. It’s not been much of a swing-and-miss weapon, nor has his changeup missed many bats this season, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be effective. If nothing else, the curve gives Strahm another shape and speed with which batters must contend.

Green has been interested in using Strahm as a starter. It’s unclear just how much he would be willing to extend him, as he told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

[Green] has been excited about Strahm becoming a starter since the team acquired him. And the 26-year-old’s performances of late – a 0.96 ERA over 18 1/3 innings (11 games) since he allowed three runs in his Padres debut on May 7 – have only accelerated that enthrallment.

Green has increasingly talked about Strahm becoming stretched out, though only as much his knee allows. The Padres will be careful with his arm as well. Strahm threw just 39 2/3 innings last season. He also missed the 2013 season following Tommy John surgery and has thrown just 342 2/3 innings in his professional career, 77 of those in the majors.

Strahm, who was limited to rest and rehab this past offseason, said he is 10 pounds lighter than he usually is for the season because he couldn’t work out. He is still held out of some conditioning drills.

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It remains to be seen if Strahm will be further stretched out, if he remains a fixture in this opener-type role, or if he’s eventually shuttled back to the bullpen, which could become less crowded should the Padres elect to become sellers and move in-demand bullpen assets.

Strahm is probably not the second coming of Josh Hader, but who is? However, what if Cameron and the Padres have Hader Lite as an opener or starter of major-league games? The Padres still might have found something in bullpen games, and someone who can open them effectively and even in extended outings. Maybe Strahm will carve out his own role.

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Heyman | Could Padres be surprise entrant in Machado derby? Published June 21, 2018 By Jon Heyman

The San Diego Padres are a surprise entry in the sweepstakes, sources tell FRS Baseball.

San Diego would seem to be a long shot; they wouldn’t seem to be a likely playoff team, Machado is a free agent after the year and the Padres would seem to have no hope of signing him up long-term. However, the Padres have surprised before, signing Eric Hosmer to the biggest free-agent contract of the winter, and a couple years back making bold moves for , Craig Kimbrel and Matt Kemp.

A Padres person characterized their contact as “due diligence” and downplayed the possibility. It’s hard to completely discount them, though, since they have a great list of prospects and a willingness to take a chance.

The Padres are somewhat of a surprise to be anywhere near contention, but even after losing four straight games they are only eight games out of first place in the tightly-packed NL West. Even so, most continue to view them as likely sellers, and most of the speculation surrounding San Diego has been about their star reliever Brad Hand,

Many others teams would still seem more logical, including the Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Indians, Cubs and division-rival Dodgers. And perhaps San Diego is mostly monitoring the situation.

While the Padres have pulled some surprises, there’s no way to think they could sign someone like Machado long-term. They basically doubled their record contract when they signed Eric Hosmer to a $144 million, eight-year deal in the winter. To think they could double that to keep Machado would seem to be folly; they certainly don’t have the revenues to support that.

They also have a great young shortstop prospect in Fernando Tatis Jr., and Machado has made clear he wants to sign long-term as a shortstop (though if he’s traded, he’d have to play third base if the acquiring team has no spot for him at shortstop.)

In any case, the Padres certainly are a welcome addition to the derby, as they have one of the top five prospect lists, and by some accounts, the top one. And they certainly have the pieces to get something done.

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