Padres Press Clips Saturday, June 30, 2018

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Padres bumble, Lauer stumbles in loss to Pirates SD Union Tribune Acee 2

Padres notes: Cordero leaning toward surgery, rotation talk SD Union Tribune Sanders 4

Andres Munoz jumps from Tri-City to San Antonio SD Union Tribune Sanders 6

Kirby Yates is Padres' next best reliever SD Union Tribune Acee 8

Lauer's stellar stretch ends in loss to Pirates MLB.com Cassavell 11

Cordero likely opting to undergo elbow surgery MLB.com Woo 13

As their big-league offense continues to struggle, Padres push plate The Athletic Lin 15 discipline throughout the organization

Musgrove pitches 7 strong innings to beat hometown Padres Associated Press AP 18

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Padres bumble, Lauer stumbles in loss to Pirates Kevin Acee Eric Lauer was battling on Friday.

The Pirates. His teammates. Himself, at times.

The Pirates ended up winning 6-3.

Lauer (3-5) was not terrible, but he had his worst start of the six he made this month.

The 23-year-old rookie, who entered June with a 7.67 ERA over 29 1/3 innings over his first seven starts, had a 2.28 ERA over 27 2/3 innings in five starts this month.

He didn’t have the consistently sharp command that had seen him through those recent starts, as he allowed a career-high nine hits and labored at times during the 92-pitch outing.

But it didn’t have to be as bad as it ended up.

“There were good pitches made – a lot of good pitches made – and then there were mistakes over the middle,” Andy Green said. “And I don't think we helped him out defensively. It's been a team that's played well defensively throughout the course of the season. We didn't make a lot of plays for him today.”

After two two-out singles in the first inning, Lauer and Austin Hedges got mixed up on a pitch that allowed the Pirates’ first to score on a passed ball. Hedges clearly expected a breaking ball that didn’t break but instead bounced off his glove and to the wall as Josh Bell ran home.

The Pirates scored four runs on four hits in the third inning. Just two of the runs were earned due to a rare Freddy Galvis error (on a flip to second base that pulled off the bag).

Jordy Mercer led off the fourth inning with a .

“I didn’t execute a couple pitches,” Lauer said. “I didn’t think they were hitting the ball especially hard. … I definitely could have been better. The result could have been better.”

The Padres got seven hits off Grossmont High graduate Joe Musgrove, who threw seven scoreless innings. Musgrove (3-3) had allowed 16 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings in losing three of his past four starts.

The Padres ended up out-hitting the Pirates 12-11.

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All but two of the Padres’ 12 total hits would come after they were down 6-0, and few were consequential.

They scored two runs off Pirates reliever , also a Grossmont alumnus, in the eighth inning. Christian Villanueva’s RBI single, which made it 5-2, was the Padres’ first in nine at- bats with a runner in scoring position. The previous batter, Cory Spangenberg, drove in the Padres’ first run on a ground out.

Manuel Margot would make the Padres 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position with a single that scored from third.

The Padres have a paltry .285 on-base percentage and are hitting a measly .202 (17-for-84) with runners in scoring position over their past 12 games, 10 of those being losses. They have scored 21 runs in those losses.

“I don't think we were very clean early in the game,” Green said. “And we did what we've done recently, which is show a lot of fight late. It was just a little too late.”

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Padres notes: Cordero leaning toward surgery, rotation talk Jeff Sanders Franchy Cordero very well may have played his last game of the 2018 season.

The 23-year-old Dominican reserves the right to change his mind, but Padresmanager Andy Green on Friday said Cordero is leaning toward surgery to remove the bone spur in the back of his right (throwing) elbow. Such procedures require about 12 weeks of rehab, which would wipe out the rest of this season.

The alternative is resting for a month and giving it a go, but Cordero had already tried that path once when he had to pull himself out of a rehab game at Triple-A El Paso earlier this month.

“I think it's knowing he's going to have to take care of it at some point in time and knowing he gave it rest already and still felt it after he gave it rest,” Green said. “ … I think he started thinking, ‘If I felt it after waiting a few weeks why am I not going to feel it after a month?’ That's the thought process right now.”

Cordero was hitting .237/.307/.439 with seven homers and 19 RBIs when a balky elbow sent him to the DL in late May. He’d slugged .552 in April, continuing a hot streak that extended back to his MVP winter ball performance in the before the injury began to impact the quality of his at-bats.

Waiting for offseason surgery would cost him valuable at-bats this winter.

“The one thing I'll say is he used winter ball very constructively last year,” Green said. “He grew. He got better. He was the MVP of that league down there. He played incredibly well and I think he used that as a springboard into our season and came out really good.”

Green added: “I think his numbers fell off at the end because of what he was battling through. If you take that last week, week-and-a-half off his numbers it was a really, really good sophomore campaign for him.”

Rotation management Thursday’s off-day allowed the Padres to keep rookie left-hander Eric Lauer on regular rest on Friday instead of recalling an injury replacement for right-hander Jordan Lyles(elbow). A second off-day on Monday would present another opportunity to remain in a four-man rotation in the short-term, but Green said the Padres would likely insert another arm before Lauer’s next turn.

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Lyles is a long shot, although he resumed throwing Friday afternoon without incident.

“Jordan would technically be able to be reinserted into the rotation, but that’s all predicated on how he feels,” Green said. “ … We pulled him because he was feeling something. Just because you’re structurally fine doesn’t mean you may not have some soreness or residual stuff to deal with.”

Green said he also is leaning against a day, which points toward a minor league call-up.

Right-hander Luis Perdomo – who is 6-2 with a 3.10 ERA, 58 and a 1.08 WHIP in 11 starts (69 2/3 IP) at Triple-A El Paso – likely tops the Padres’ choices. He last pitched Wednesday, which would put him on seven days’ rest when Lauer’s turn comes up again next Wednesday in Oakland.

“We felt based on where we are right now (Lauer) was fine on regular rest (Friday),” Green said. “(We’re) more than likely looking to re-insert someone before his next start so it gives him an extra day the next time. Joey Lucchesi hasn't been stretched or stressed recently from a pitch count perspective. We controlled his pitch count last time at 70. He didn't need the extra rest and Tyson (Ross) is feeling strong. With the two off days, we feel like we can grab that extra day of rest the next time around.”

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Andres Munoz jumps from Tri-City to San Antonio Jeff Sanders Andres Munoz, who turned 19 in January, was the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League, an annual offseason prospect showcase.

Now he’s among the youngest in the .

The intriguing Mexican right-hander on Friday was promoted from short-season Tri-City all the way to Double-A San Antonio before the Missons’ 4-3 win in 10 innings at Northwest Arkansas.

An elbow injury had delayed Munoz’s season until the start of Tri-City’s season earlier this month.

There, Munoz – who pairs a that hits 100 mph with a mid-80s slider – struck out nine batters in 5 2/3 hitless innings to warrant bypassing the .

Munoz, who originally signed for $700,000 in July 2015, went 3-0 with a 3.81 ERA, 38 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP in 26 innings split last year between the Northwest and Midwest leagues.

Munoz did not pitch Friday.

Right-hander Jesse Scholtens (2.47) struck out five and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk in six innings before the bullpen combined for one unearned run over four innings.

Ty France (.252) went 2-for-5 with his 11th homer and Fernando Tatis Jr. (.279) went 2-for- 3 with two walks, his 13th steal and a run scored.

San Antonio is 5-3 in the second half and 47-31 overall.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (42-39)

• Albuquerque 10, Chihuahuas 3: RHP Walker Lockett (3-7, 4.98) allowed eight runs – three earned – in 3 2/3 innings. CF Forrestt Allday tripled, walked and scored two runs, while 2B Luis Urias (.264) went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (2-7, 36-43)

• Modesto 3, Storm 1: RHP Pedro Avila (3-6, 4.26) struck out four and allowed three runs – two earned – on seven hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. LF Buddy Reed (.325) went 1-for-4 with his 33rd steal and a run scored.

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LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (6-3, 38-40)

• Lake County 2, TinCaps 1 (11): RHP Luis Patino (2.95) struck out six and allowed one run on three hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. Patino threw 47 of his 74 pitches for strikes. LHP Travis Radke (2.13) struck out six over 2 2/3 perfect innings before RHP Caleb Boushley (4-2, 2.63) allowed a run over the final 1 1/3 innings. C Jalen Washington (.239) hit his fourth homer for the TinCaps’ lone run.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (8-7)

• Dust Devils 7, Boise 4: 3B Kelvin Alarcon (.250) went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBIs and a run scored and LF Aldemar Burgos (.304), RF Dwanya Williams- Sutton (.286) and CF Tre Carter (.255) all had two hits. RHP Cole Bellinger (5.73) allowed four runs in four innings in the starter before RHP Gabe Mosser (1-0, 0.00) struck out four over 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief for the win. RHP Carter Capps (1.29) saved his first game with two strikeouts and a walk in a scoreless ninth.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 1 (5-4)

• Padres 5, Royals 4: RF Agustin Ruiz (.257) drove in two runs on two hits, including his first homer, and LF Jaquez Williams (.304) also hit his first homer. SS Ruddy Giron (.364) and CF Jawuan Harris (.222) both had two hits. RHP Luarbert Arias (3.38) struck out five over five scoreless innings an RHP Reiss Knehr (2-0, 2.57) turned in two scoreless innings in the win.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 2 (5-4)

• Padres 11, Rangers 10: C Jonny Homza (.240), 3B Elvis Sabala (.353) and DH Jason Pineda (.438) all drove in two runs and Homza, 2B Tucupita Marcano(.419), SS Jordy Barley (.135) and RF Yordi Francisco (.379) all had two hits.

ROOKIE DSL PADRES (15-9)

• Reds 7, Padres 4: SS Yeison Santana (.228) went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI and both LF Adrian Antunez (.192) and 3B Vladimir Echavarria (.241) each had two hits. 1B Emmanuel Guerra (.222) went 0-for-1 with four walks and a run scored. RHP Mauricio Rodriguez (1.64) allowed three runs – two earned – in five innings.

Transactions

• Munoz replaced RHP Jacob Nix (1-1, 1.27), who landed on San Antonio’s disabled list with a non-physical ailment.

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Kirby Yates is Padres' next best reliever Kevin Acee It happened to Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar the other night and to over the weekend. It happened to Jose Martinez and Joey Votto earlier in the month.

It has happened all season and even going back to early 2017.

Yes, it is the split-finger fastball.

It’s what puts them away, the crazy pitch that dives farcically as a bat slices through the air above it like a boxer’s glove over an opponent’s ducking head.

It’s a dastardly pitch. It makes a video game breaking ball look straight.

Kirby Yates is throwing the pitch more. People are hitting it less.

But it is the pitches before the pitch that have made Yates one the best relievers in the majors over the past two seasons and the absolute best this month — seemingly even more of a lock to be named Reliever of the Month in June than Padres was when he got the award in May.

“Everybody makes a lot of points about the split,” Yates said. “But, you know, my fastball has been pretty good too. And I’ve been able to throw it where I want to lately, so that helps a lot.”

This month, Yates has thrown 13 scoreless innings over 11 appearances, striking out 14 and allowing 0.69 walks and hits per inning pitched.

For the season, Yates’ 0.82 ERA (in 33 innings) is lowest in the majors among any that has thrown more than 15 1/3 innings. His .165 average against ranks 19th and his 0.85 WHIP is 11th.

Since his first game for the Padres on May 3, 2017, his 2.68 ERA over 87 1/3 innings (93 appearances) is third-lowest among relievers who have appeared in at least 90 games. His .191 batting average against is fifth-lowest. And he has allowed just two of the 22 runners he has inherited to score, which ranks second behind Boston’s Matt Barnes.

The development of Yates’ split-finger fastball has perhaps been the biggest factor in him resurrecting his career in San Diego. Credit the Padres pitching coaches with another reclamation project, Darren Balsley and Doug Bochtler having told Yates when the team claimed him off waivers last April that they liked the potential of the splitter he had essentially only toyed with previously.

Yates began throwing the pitch with increasing frequency last season. And with increasing effectiveness. 8

According to Statcast, no one got a hit on the 104 split-finger Yates threw in 2017. Opponents were 0-for-33 with 28 strikeouts in at-bats that ended on the pitch.

This season, opponents are 8-for-49 (.163) with 24 strikeouts in at-bats that end on a splitter. All of those are singles. Just two of the 25 balls that have been put in play on Yates’ split-finger fastball this season have been squared up, according to Statcast.

The ability and freedom to throw that pitch where he wants to — out of the zone or on the zone’s fringe – that makes it what his splitter is.

“Command is everything,” Yates said. “Command gets lost in everybody’s stuff. Your stuff can break a lot. But you have to be able to throw it in the right spots to get those swings and misses. I don’t care if it breaks 10 feet, if it breaks 10 feet in the middle of the plate, it’s probably going to get hit.”

Good hitters — such as those listed above — are continually hacking at a Yates splitter that bounces or is about to bounce in front of the plate. Basically, because they have to.

Few batters are going after that pitch early in a plate appearance. That’s why Yates throws it about 15 percent of the time on 0-0. It climbs above 52 percent of the time on 1-2, and batters behind 0-2 will see the split-finger fastball more than 57 percent of the time.

Yates throws his four-seam fastball 59 percent of the time on first pitch to a batter. He throws it almost 65 percent of the time on the second pitch, regardless of the count.

He has been at 0-2 or 1-1 almost two-thirds of the time. That puts him in charge.

Batters are 10-for-76 (.132) against him after that. They are 5-for-43 (.116) when behind in the count and 7-for-71 (.099) with two strikes.

That’s when the splitter comes. Everyone knows it, but by that time all they can do is hope to foul it off or find a hole.

“His split is good,” Balsey said. “But if he didn’t have the fastball command he has, they wouldn’t have to offer at the split.”

The 31-year-old Yates, who had a 4.78 career ERA over four seasons with three teams before coming to the Padres, has talked this year about his ability to minimize damage, to work out of trouble, to get results when he’s not his sharpest.

While he has been highly reliable all season, April and May were more high-wire act than the near total dominance June has been.

His WHIP from the end of April to the beginning of June was twice what it has been since, even though he only allowed two runs over a span of 15 appearances (15 1/3 innings).

He is using the splitter more, if only slightly, in June.

It’s a little bit chicken and egg.

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“It’s the pitch,” Balsley said. “That has gotten better. He’s gotten more comfortable with it. But it’s his ability to get strike one. It’s that he can get ahead in the count with a quality pitch. Then you can use your secondary out of the strike zone. … Throw strikes early so you can throw balls late. That’s what Kirby has mastered.”

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Lauer's stellar stretch ends in loss to Pirates Lefty has first rough outing of June as Padres drop opener to Bucs. 29th, 2018 By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Jun. 29th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- On the whole, June marked a significant step forward for Padres rookie left- hander Eric Lauer. But his final start of the month -- a 6-3 loss to the Pirates on Friday night at Petco Park -- offered a reminder that Lauer has plenty of room to grow.

Over five shaky innings, Lauer allowed nine hits and six runs. He wasn't particularly sharp, but he got little help from his teammates. Only three of those runs were earned, and the San Diego offense sputtered early before mounting a late threat.

"It wasn't our sharpest game behind him," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He made some big pitches. He made some mistakes."

Despite their 12 hits on Friday night, the Padres mustered just three runs -- all coming in the eighth and ninth. They've averaged 2 1/2 runs per game over the past two weeks, and they fell to 2-10 in that stretch. It's a notable step back from the two weeks prior, in which they went 9-4 and pulled within four games of .500.

The frustration boiled over Friday night. Lauer was called for a balk in the top of the second inning. Home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez made the ruling, and Green was vocal in his belief that it was the first-base umpire's call to make. Between the third and fourth innings, Green emerged from the dugout to argue and was promptly tossed.

. 29th, 2018 "That wasn't the story of the baseball game by any stretch," Green said, downplaying the significance of the balk call. "I don't think we were very clean early in the game. … We had a lot of hits today, created a ton of scoring opportunities, and didn't cash in on them."

The ejection offered little in the way of a spark. Jordy Mercer led off the ensuing frame with a home run to center field, giving Pittsburgh a 6-0 lead. Meanwhile, San Diego native Joe Musgrove tossed seven scoreless innings for the Pirates.

The Padres didn't muster a hit with a man in scoring position until Christian Villanueva's RBI single in the eighth. had three hits and Wil Myers had two. But both struck out against closer Felipe Vazquez with the tying run on deck in the ninth.

29th, 2018 As for Lauer, he was done in by a four-run third in which Austin Hedges and Freddy Galvis -- two of the team's most reliable defenders -- committed an error apiece. Lauer did himself no favors, allowing four hits in the frame.

It was undoubtedly his worst start of the month -- the caveat, of course, being that June was a much better month. Lauer finished May with a 7.67 ERA and questions surrounding his big league worthiness. He answered them by posting a 2.67 mark in June.

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He was justly rewarded Friday night when Green stuck with him through five innings, despite his early troubles.

. 29th, 2018 "I definitely could've been better," Lauer said. "The result could've been better. I could've made a few more pitches. … But that shows things are progressing to where they trust me to get through the fifth, even if things aren't going my way."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Crossed up: The Pirates had a 1-0 lead before Musgrove took the mound. With Josh Bell on third base, Lauer and Hedges had their signs crossed up. Lauer threw a fastball. Hedges was expecting a curveball. When Hedges went to his knees to make a block, the ball kicked off his knee and to the backstop. Bell scored easily on the passed ball, the first of three unearned runs.

. 29th, 2018 Not so glovely: The Pirates had men on the corners and a 2-0 lead when Elias Diaz sent a chopper up the middle with one out in the third. Galvis ranged to his left and made a nice snag. But he attempted an ill-advised flip with his glove, which pulled Cory Spangenberg off the bag. It was ruled an error, and two batters later Gregory Polanco plated both runners with a double.

BALK THIS WAY? The Padres were adamant that Lauer's second-inning balk didn't change Friday's outcome. They were also adamant it wasn't a balk.

29th, 2018 Lauer, who leads the Majors with seven pickoffs this season, caught Polanco straying from first base. Then Hernandez chimed in. He believed Lauer had crossed the imaginary 45-degree line that separates a throw home and a throw to first base. Lauer vehemently disagreed.

"It wasn't a balk," Lauer said. "It's the same move I've always done. It's 45 [degrees] right on the line. Some guys think it's pushing it, but the rule is 45 [degrees], and it's on the 45. I can draw lines for him if he wants. But I don't think it's a balk."

The perceived inconsistency peeved Lauer most.

"There were a couple times when other guys got on that I actually tried to test it a little bit," Lauer said. "... I tried to go a little more than 45 just to see if he was going to call it again. I didn't get another call. I don't know why he wouldn't call all of them if he called one."

SOUND SMART Friday's loss marked the 18th time in 19 series that the Padres have dropped the opener. Their lone victory in that stretch came on June 4 against Atlanta.

UP NEXT Rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi is inching his way closer to a full workload. He threw four innings and 70 pitches on Monday in his second start since returning from a right-hip strain that sidelined him for six weeks. Lucchesi faces the Pirates at 7:10 p.m. PT on Saturday, opposite Pittsburgh right-hander Trevor Williams. The Padres got to Williams for four runs in six innings in a May 20 victory at PNC Park. 12

Cordero likely opting to undergo elbow surgery By Kathryn Woo MLB.com Jun. 29th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Padres Franchy Cordero is likely opting for potential season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow, Padres manager Andy Green said on Friday.

After landing on the disabled list in May, Cordero was pulled from his rehab assignment in El Paso on June 18 after feeling pain during his swing. An MRI revealed the bone spur a few days later, leaving Cordero to decide between undergoing surgery, or resting a month and then reevaluating the situation. Expected recovery time from the surgery is around 12 weeks, making a possible return by the end of the season highly unlikely.

"I think the expectation right now is that he's probably going to opt for surgery," Green said. "Him being back with us is probably really unlikely this year, but hopefully [he'll] be ready to play winter ball going into next year and be ready to go."

Green said Cordero, who is hitting .237/.307/.439, is likely to have surgery because the 23-year- old knows he will have to take care of the injury at some point, and realizes that it's continued to linger, even after resting it previously.

"If you take another month off and see if it feels any better, I think you start thinking, 'If I felt it after a few weeks, why am I not going to feel it after a month?'" Green said.

Green indicated that Cordero's decision is not final, and that he still had time to change his mind.

"If he changes his mind, there's no shame in that, it's not an easy decision," Green said. "At the same time, even if he waits, he's not jeopardizing next season. He's just jeopardizing his offseason and his winter ball at-bats."

Worth noting

• Jordan Lyles and Bryan Mitchell played catch on Friday, but Green noted there is still no immediate date for either to return.

Lyles was placed on the disabled list Sunday with right forearm tightness after being scratched from his start minutes before game time against San Francisco. He held a 4.79 ERA after transitioning to the rotation from the bullpen in May. Lyles battled inconsistency in the rotation, but threw seven innings of one-run ball in Atlanta in his last start.

Mitchell was placed on the disabled list on June 20, but hadn't appeared in a game for the Padres since June 5. It hasn't been the season the Padres were hoping for from Mitchell. Over 12 games (seven starts), the righty holds a 7.08 ERA in 48 1/3 innings.

• With Oakland's Franklin Barreto departing from MLB Pipeline's Top 100, Padres left- hander Logan Allen has emerged, giving San Diego nine total prospects in the top 100. The Padres have the most prospects in the Majors in the top 100.

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• LHP Tyler Webb was claimed off waivers by St. Louis on Friday. Webb was designated for assignment on June 24. He allowed seven runs in five innings over four appearances for the Padres this season, but held a 2.05 ERA over 22 innings for Triple-A El Paso.

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As their big-league offense continues to struggle, Padres push plate discipline throughout the organization By Dennis Lin Jun 30, 2018

It was April and was at a ballpark in Reno, Nev., when the outfielder noticed three sheets of paper. They were conspicuously located, affixed to a board in a hallway leading to the visiting batting cage. One printout showed the chase rate — the percentage of pitches swung at outside the strike zone — for each hitter on Jankowski’s team. Another displayed their on-base percentages. The final sheet contained a breakdown of the number of hard-hit balls for the week. Welcome to baseball in 2018, when almost anything, at any level, can be measured and quantified. “I thought it was really cool, because it kind of gets a little competitive vibe in the clubhouse,” said Jankowski, whom the Padres recalled from Triple-A El Paso on April 29. “It’s crazy how when you see the guys who are eliminating the chases, they also tend to have higher hard contacts and higher on-base percentages. Probably everyone knows it, but once you see it, you really realize it.” Now July is around the corner and the Padres’ offense has been characteristically anemic. The lack of production has much to do with the team’s struggles to achieve the most fundamental objective in the sport: Entering Friday’s game, a 6-3 loss to the , the Padres were second-to-last in the majors with a .297 OBP — a slight dip from 2017, when they scored fewer runs than any other club. San Diego hasn’t completed a season with an OBP higher than .310 since 2012. Sources of improvement may have to extend beyond internal promotions. The Padres boast a majors-high nine names on ’s midseason list of top-100 prospects, but six belong to . In trade discussions over the next month, the front office is expected to inquire about young position players who are either ready or close to making a major-league impact. In the meantime, a constant drumbeat accompanies the organization’s player development efforts. Team officials, wary of ceding competitive advantages, are reluctant to elaborate on specific initiatives. But the drive to create higher on-base percentages and, with that, more offense has taken on an unmistakably modern tone. On May 30, after Franmil Reyes had homered for the third time in as many games, Padres manager Andy Green said this about the rookie outfielder: “We’ve pushed plate discipline so hard through the minor-league system, and he’s a guy that you started to see some change, especially in chase rate. His chase rate has really come down, and when his chase rate has come down his power numbers have gone up.” As Green later pointed out, “chase rate” is newer in respect to verbiage, not the concept itself. Green, who previously coached third base for Arizona, cited the wisdom of former Diamondbacks hitting Mark Grace, who got on base at a .383 clip during a 16-year playing career.

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“Like he said, all you’re doing with hitting is you’re swinging at strikes and you take balls and you’ll be really good,” Green said. “It’s not rocket science. That was espoused for many, many years — swing at strikes, take balls. It’s very simple in those terms. You start putting a term on it, like chase rate, it sounds like it’s cutting edge. It’s not.” Yet the opposite applies for the technology that has given rise to these terms. High-speed camera systems track the velocities and trajectories of pitched baseballs in both major-league and minor-league ballparks. Statcast numbers are incorporated into game broadcasts and professional scouting reports. The concepts may not be new, but the amount of quantifiable information continues to increase. “Nowadays, with technology, it’s just amazing,” Padres hitting coach Matt Stairs said. “You can have a heat map [that shows] this is where the damage is done off this pitcher. Why aren’t you going to sit in that area? Why go to another area?” The data-aided emphasis on selective aggressiveness has shown up at each rung of the Padres’ system. Minor-league hitters say they are briefed during spring training on the connection between such things as chase rate, OBP and exit velocity, which tends to be higher when a hitter forces a pitcher to come into the strike zone. Statistical updates are regularly provided in Triple A, weekly printouts being one example. “Stairsy just preaches so much about being a stubborn hitter, so they were just kind of carrying that down there, too,” catcher Raffy Lopez, who returned to El Paso last weekend, said recently. “Pretty much they were trying to throw away batting average, throw away all those stats that sometimes you don’t have control over, and were just trying to find a way to show who was being the most stubborn on the team.” The organization’s lower-level clubs reinforce similar messages to their players. At least one affiliate awards a pair of Oakley sunglasses at the end of each month to the hitter with the lowest chase rate. “Those things, I didn’t see them before,” said Reyes, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. “They try to teach the young guys not to chase on a lot of swings — you just focus on your zone. … Every time I go to the plate, I’m thinking about that.” That focus is at least partially responsible for Reyes’ abrupt rise from fringe prospect to May call-up. A decline in that area — the 22-year-old’s chase rate, according to FanGraphs, had soared from 25.8 percent last month to 43.9 percent in June — and Wil Myers’ return from the disabled list precipitated a demotion to El Paso last week. Whether this particular collection of hitters makes enough improvement remains to be seen. The results to date haven’t been particularly inspiring. Unfortunately for Stairs and assistant instructor Johnny Washington, coaching hitting in San Diego remains one of the game’s monumental challenges. Through Thursday, the Padres’ chase rate was 30.3 percent; they closed last season at 30.9 percent. A few hitters, like Jankowski, have demonstrated noticeable progress. “I think it just really puts into perspective how, when you’re locked in and when you know what a strike is, it can really take your career to the next level,” said Jankowski, who had lowered his chase rate to 18.1 percent — second-lowest on the team behind A.J. Ellis — while raising his OBP to a career-high .362. However, the Padres’ collective walk and rates had barely budged. They were on pace to finish this season with 603 runs, one fewer than they scored last year. The addition of a savvy hitter in Eric Hosmer has been tempered by subpar production in other areas of the lineup. Old habits have lingered; there is a belief across the game that plate discipline is more innate than learned. And, for players, a newfangled term isn’t always the ideal prompt.

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“I think when I’m more aggressive that’s when I hit well,” Padres infielder Cory Spangenberg said. “That’s what my problem was early in the year. I was trying to be too selective and I was taking pitches that I normally hit and getting behind in the count. “I was like, Don’t chase the high fastball. That led me to chase more pitches because I was thinking ‘Don’t do that,’ instead of hunting my pitch and being aggressive.” The Padres’ main obstacle, of course, has been an overall lack of selectivity. The hope is, talent from both inside and outside the organization will eventually contribute to a more robust offense. In the meantime, the organization intends to consider all available data in attempts to hone their prospects’ strike-zone judgment, especially before they advance to the highest level. “We have things in the minor leagues we monitor, things that are important to us and we think lead to successful players,” Green said. “There’s stuff that, from a competitive standpoint, I value, and we’re not inclined to sit there and broadcast exactly what it is. … We have stuff we pay attention to very closely. But plate discipline’s obviously very important.”

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Musgrove pitches 7 strong innings to beat hometown Padres 11:30 PM PT Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Joe Musgrove had quite the homecoming at Petco Park.

Pitching in front of at least 75 friends and family members, the right-hander tossed seven shutout innings against his hometown team and Jody Mercer homered to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-3 victory over the sloppy on Friday night.

Musgrove (3-3), a 2011 graduate of Grossmont High in suburban El Cajon, was facing the Padres for the first time in his three-year big league career. He allowed seven singles while striking out five and walking two.

He had plenty of support as he got into and out of trouble in the seventh. The Padres had runners on first and third after hitting consecutive singles to open the inning but Musgrove retired the side, including inducing Manuel Margot to hit into an inning-ending double play.

"It was incredible," Musgrove said. "They were the ones who really pushed me through that last inning. I got first and third and no one out and all I could think about was all the people that are here watching me and how I'd love to get out of this and put on a little bit of a show for them. It was really cool. It was special."

Musgrove did his best to not get distracted.

"Out of the gate when I'm out warming up, there's people screaming right and left and every time I took a step I'm getting called from different directions," he said. "I was trying to block it out for the most part but I was also trying to acknowledge the people who were here. Throwing my bullpen there's 50 of my friends standing right above the catcher hollering and stuff. I've always done well in front of my family and friends and that's something that takes me to that next level."

He had dinner at his parents' house on Thursday night and planned to go out with them after the game, as well as have a local beer that's named after the late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

"Tonight was really special for me," he said. "It's a night I'll never forget."

Musgrove was relieved by Steven Brault, a 2010 Grossmont grad. Brault had a short night, allowing two runs on two hits while getting just one out in the eighth.

"It was cool," Brault said. "Felt good coming in, felt confident. Some things didn't go my way, and that happens. Overall the experience is something that is priceless. Something I never knew I'd actually get to have." 18

Brault said it was "pretty weird" to have two guys from the same high school pitch consecutively against their hometown team.

"If you told us six years ago, seven years ago, that that would happen, we'd probably both go, `That's ridiculous," he said. "Just for it to actually happen, and for us to get a win out of it, and Joe pitched so well tonight, it was just awesome to see. It was cool."

Felipe Vazquez got the last two outs for his 16th .

The Pirates won for the third time in nine games and the Padres lost for the 10th time in 12 games.

While Musgrove dominated, the Pirates piled on against rookie lefty Eric Lauer(3-5) and the Padres. The Pirates scored an unearned run in the first inning on two singles and Austin Hedges' passed ball, and added four runs, including two unearned, in the third. Hedges and Freddy Galvis each had a throwing error. Gregory Polanco hit a two-run double and was thrown out to end the inning trying to stretch it into a triple. Josh Bell hit an RBI triple and Elias Diaz drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Mercer homered to center field leading off the fourth to make it 6-0. It was his fifth.

Lauer allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits in five innings, struck out three and walked none.

Padres manager Andy Green was ejected before the top of the fourth inning by plate umpire Angel Hernandez. Green apparently was unhappy about a balk call against Lauer while trying to pick off Polanco in the second. The Pirates did not score that inning.

"We felt very strongly that it wasn't," Green said. "That was not the story of the baseball game by any stretch. I don't think we were very clean early in the game. We did what we've done very recently which is show a lot of fight late. It was just a little too late."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: Placed RHP on the 10-day disabled list with a right forearm strain. Padres: Green said OF Franchy Cordero is leaning toward having surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (6-5, 4.03), a 2010 graduate of San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High, is scheduled to start the middle game of the series. He's made one career start against the Padres, giving up four runs in six innings and getting a no-decision in an 8-5 Pirates loss at Pittsburgh on May 20.

Padres: LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-3, 3.57) is scheduled to make his third start since returning from a DL stint that lasted just more than a month.

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