Padres Press Clips Tuesday, April 17, 2018

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Padres find, lose discipline at plate SD Union Tribune Acee 2

Dodgers drop Padres back to last SD Union Tribune Acee 5

Padres notes: Myers, Margot on track; Lucchesi's limits; SD Union Tribune Acee 7 Headley's hitting

Cal Quantrill earns first '18 win with Missions SD Union Tribune Sanders 9

On Petco's windiest night in recent memory, the Padres The Athletic Lin 11 struggled on both sides of the ball

Sloppy defense too much to overcome for SD MLB.com Cassavell 13

Villanueva homers in third straight game MLB.com Cassavell 15

Rookies Lucchesi, Villanueva impressing early MLB.com Cassavell 16

Grandal's slam, Kemp's 3-run HR send Dodgers past Pads 10-3 Associated Press AP 18

This Day in Padres History — April 17 FriarWire Center 20

#PadresOnDeck: Quantrill Lowers ERA to 1.23 in Third Start FriarWire Center 21

Struggling starters take mound when Padres host Dodgers STATS STATS 23

Padres find, lose discipline at plate Kevin Acee The Padres are a team in progress.

Especially at the plate.

The group of mostly inexperienced hitters hear Matt Stairs before every game. They try to practice what their hitting coach preaches.

His daily briefings vary slightly, depending on the pitcher the Padres will be facing, but the consistent theme is patience to the point of stubbornness.

“Trust the process,” he explains.

It’s about waiting not only for your pitch but making the pitcher work so, over time, teammates are more likely to see better pitches.

Then, as often as not, the game starts and the Padres are prone to swing like wild men – hacking at pitches outside the zone or just plain not in keeping with their individual strengths.

“We put a plan and try to stay with a plan, but it’s not always going to work out,” shortstop Freddy Galvis said. “We are going to swing at it sometimes, because we are human beings. It is hard.”

That’s coming from the Padres player who has most often remained disciplined at the plate, the one with the .435 on-base percentage entering Monday’s game.

As a whole, the Padres are seeing the sixth-fewest pitches per plate appearance in the majors and have struck out the third-most times. Even after their best offensive game of the season on Sunday, which upped their on-base percentage 10 points to .306, they ranked 19th among 30 teams.

Their Monday wouldn’t go as well, as they abandoned their constructive approach in the middle of the game and lost, 10-2, in the opener of a three-game series against the Dodgers.

But what they did in Sunday’s 10-1 victory over the Giants gave the Padres great satisfaction and guarded anticipation.

After roundly seeming unable to heed Stairs’ pregame counsel to wait on Giants starter Tyler Beede’s breaking balls, which are generally off the plate, for a full turn through the order, the Padres pivoted in the third inning and began to wait on the right-hander to come to them with his fastball. The patience eventually led to Beede spinning pitches over the plate as well.

A team that outside of Galvis had not seen a three-ball count and was trailing 1-0, ended up with 10 hits and a season-high seven walks.

“It felt yesterday like we had a lot of (good) at-bats,” manager Andy Green said. “Now, that doesn’t mean much today. What it means is you’ve got to go out and do it again and again and again, and that’s a mark of team that is really improving and moving toward something special.

“We know we’re going to have to execute our at-bats. We felt really good about what we did (Sunday). We made an adjustment halfway through the game. You saw the whole team make the same adjustment, made it very hard on (Beede). We continue to create that mentality as a club, we’re going to have a lot of success.”

That’s the thing.

Grinding through at-bats is not as easy as it sounds, especially against better pitchers than what the Giants put on the mound over the weekend.

The Padres started the game clearly intent on trying to push Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryuthe same way they had Beede. How the game unfolded, however, was in contrast to what happened the day before, with some credit due to Ryu’s control and mixing of his pitches and perhaps a nod to a deflating five-run third inning by the Dodgers.

“I thought for the first three or four (innings), even though it didn’t look good from a number’s perspective, we were driving up pitch counts, there were 3-2 counts,” Green said. “… To that point in time they weren’t necessarily bad (at-bats). Once it got to 6-2, I don’t think the quality of our at-bats was where it had been for the first part of the game.”

There, too, is a learning opportunity.

“You just have to take every at-bat like it’s the most important at-bat in the world,” Green said. “… When they dig in the box, you win the at-bat at all costs. I don’t think anybody is giving up when we’re down 6-2. It was just Ryu found a rhythm, and we didn’t him out of the rhythm.”

Baseball simply doesn’t allow for anything approaching perfection.

The best team every year loses almost a third of its games.

The Padres are not near the best team. They are a young team that this season can best be viewed as discovering what they can and can’t do.

Eric Hosmer was fascinated by a rare vantage point Sunday afforded him when he sat out a second straight game with tightness in his back. He noted the free swinging early and the switch to what he and others referred to as team at-bats.

“You’ve got a guy like (Christian) Villanueva, who’s battling trying to earn his spot,” Hosmer said. “Same with all these young guys, they’re trying to earn their spot and make a name for themselves. How are we going to try to tell them to lay off pitches and don’t swing because it’s going to be good for you?

“That’s what the experience in a game like yesterday is good for. That’s what we can bring up – ‘Listen, see that, when you’re thinking about the team aspect and winning games, look at your stat line at the end of the game.’ “

Villanueva, a 26-year-old rookie, was batting .212 and had struck out 14 times with no walks in 33 at-bats through Thursday. Then he went 5-for-13 with two strikeouts and four walks in the final three games of the Giants series.

“I didn’t have any discipline,” Villanueva said. “That’s something I’ve been working on.”

Villanueva hit his sixth home run of the season Monday, his third straight game with a homer. He also had two singles.

Monday – the season’s 18th game – does not indicate any lasting regression for the Padres, just like Villanueva’s uptick is encouraging but not guaranteed to last.

“I still have trouble trying to stick to that game plan,” said Hosmer, who entered the game with a .343 OBP over his seven-plus major league seasons. “It’s hard.”

One day at a time is what being a work in progress is about. It’s about bits of improvement and learning.

“I see a team,” Stairs said, “that has actually gotten to believe in what we’re taking about and working the count and being stubborn hitters and being a group offense rather than an individual offense.”

Dodgers drop Padres back to last Kevin Acee The Padres played Monday like they wanted no part of being better than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In fact, at least for one inning, the Padres were almost as bad as a baseball team can be.

That’s all it took, because the Dodgers are a good team despite what their record says 2½ weeks into the season.

“They’re a very good baseball team,” Padres manager Andy Green said before the game “We respect that. … We know if we don’t show up and play really well, it will be a tough series for us.”

The Dodgers entered Monday’s game in last place in the National League West, the five-time defending division champions’ 5-9 record making for a rare dynamic.

The last time the Dodgers trailed the Padres in the standings had been 2015, and it had been five years since the Padres were the team with the better record when entering a series with the Dodgers.

The standings, as inconsequential as they may be in mid-April, were back to normal by Monday night.

With a 10-2 loss, the Padres (7-11) slipped into the division’s cellar, percentage points behind the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

That’s what happens when successive errors turn outs into extra bases and a fill-in starter has to throw 30 pitches in an inning and one of those pitches gets belted for a three-run homer.

That sums up the Dodgers’ five-run third inning against Robbie Erlin, which included the homer by former Padre Matt Kemp and errors by Christian Villanueva and Hunter Renfroe.

(That was the end of the night for Erlin, who moved from the bullpen to replace Luis Perdomo, suspended for his role in last Wednesday’s brawl with the Colorado Rockies.)

Those miscues – with Villanueva going up when he should have gone done and getting caught awkwardly trying to backhand a sharp grounder and Renfroe running up too far on a line drive over his head – followed by a half-inning the same pair putting the Padres up 2-1.

After Renfroe led off the second with a double, Villanueva homered for the third straight game. It was his sixth homer of the season and 10th in 74 career at-bats.

Renfroe was hit by a pitch and Villanueva singled in the fourth, and no other Padres reached base in Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu’s six innings. 5

The Padres, who had a season-high 11 hits on Saturday and 10 more Sunday in pushing their win streak to three games, had three hits in the ninth for a total of six in the game.

That followed Yasmani Grandal’s ninth-inning grand slam off Kazuhisa Makita, which made it an eight-run game.

“That just kind of dictates where we’ve got to get to the next level and project ourselves as a better team thn that,” said Renfroe, who also doubled in the ninth. “… We didn’t swing the bat as well as we possibly could. Ryu had pretty good stuff. But I don’t think we grinded at the plate as good as we could.”

Padres notes: Myers, Margot on track; Lucchesi's limits; Headley's hitting Kevin Acee The work has been done, the hurdles cleared.

“I’m good to go,” Wil Myers said.

The Padres right fielder, on the disabled list since April 3 with nerve irritation near his right elbow, will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday.

The plan is for Myers to play two games for the Storm, at least one as the designated hitter, and be in the Padres’ lineup Friday night in Arizona.

“I feel great,” Myers said. “Game ready.”

Center fielder Manuel Margot, the other member of the opening day outfield on the DL, was seeing a doctor Monday afternoon with the expectation he would be cleared to resume baseball activity.

Margot, who suffered bruised ribs when he was hit by a pitch April 10 in Colorado, is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday — after a likely rehab assignment.

“I think it would be great to get him some at-bats,” Green said. “Some guys dig back in the box after getting hit really hard and don’t ever think about it again. Some guys feel awkward and not right for a couple games. You’d rather have him have that in Triple-A or Double-A.”

Margot has three hits in his past 11 at-bats to raise his season batting average to .159 (with a .245 on-base percentage). With Myers coming back and Franchy Cordero now on the team, it will be interesting to see the playing time mix and where Margot fits in the lineup.

“I think he’s going to bounce back and be really good,” Green said. “I felt he was trending that way. I saw some signs of life. I saw balls being hit in a way that weren’t getting hit earlier in the season. I felt he was getting ready to come on. I don’t think (going on the DL) was a positive from a timing perspective. But I think he’s going to come right back out and be ready to go.”

Perdomo plan? Luis Perdomo, who missed his scheduled start Monday while serving the five-game suspension incurred when his pitch behind Colorado’s Nolan Arenado incited a brawl last Wednesday, could be reinserted in the rotation as soon as Wednesday. Tuesday is the final day of his suspension.

That would push Tyson Ross to Friday, as the Padres are off Thursday. (Ross has an 0-7 career record against the Dodgers.)

Limiting Lucchesi Pitcher Joey Lucchesi, not only a rookie but a veteran of just one full minor league season, had his outing curtailed with intent in Sunday’s start, being pulled after six innings despite feeling and looking strong after 88 pitches.

“I did it yesterday, without question,” Green said Monday. “A 2-1 game, I probably let him go back out there. A 6-1 game … he had thrown the ball very well. As a young starter, let’s let him have that one — six innings of one-run ball.

“You want to stock as many of those outings as you can. That also controls the workload. That also puts him in a position in September where hopefully he’s not out of gas for his first September. … I’m definitely not sitting on a hard innings count, definitely not sitting on a hard pitch count. I wasn’t overly concerned for his health, I felt very good about sending him back out.”

Headley’s value Chase Headley, admittedly struggling in his new role as a fill-in, made some fine defensive plays and reached base via walk and when he was hit by a pitch in his two games filling in for Eric Hosmer.

But Headley did not help his batting average. The 34-year-old is barely hitting his age, with a .038 average in 30 at-bats. A notoriously heady player who relies on timing and feel of the strike zone, he has been unable to get into any sort of rhythm. He is often late on swings and has struck out 13 times.

“I certainly don’t think I can’t hit anymore,” Headley said over the weekend. “I just need to clean some things up. … I have to do better.”

Green backed up the veteran third baseman Monday, starting with a reiteration of how Headley has invested in helping mentor a young clubhouse but also claiming faith in the career .263/.343/.400 hitter.

“He’s in one of those starts to the year that if it happened in June and he was hitting .290 and it dropped to .250 no one would think anything of it,” Green said. “But it happens the first 20 at- bats of the season, everybody draws huge conclusions. It’s a tough role for someone like him who has played every day of his career to adjust to sporadic at-bats. … He’s definitely learning a new role that’s probably difficult at this point in time, but I have no doubt he’s going to figure it out.”

Cal Quantrill earns first '18 win with Missions Jeff Sanders Cal Quantrill roomed with Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer this spring. He’s got some catching up to do in 2018 – Lucchesi is in the majors and Lauer is in the Pacific Coast League – but Monday was another step in that direction.

The 22-year-old right-hander turned in five strong innings in Double-A San Antonio’s 9-1 win, Quantrill’s first victory of the season.

The Padres’ top pick in 2016, Quantrill struck out four and allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk in five innings. The effort, on the heels of a tough-luck loss (6 IP, 1 ER), lowered his ERA to 1.23 through his first 14 2/3 innings this season in the Texas League.

Quantrill has struck out 15, walked nine and held opposing hitters to a .180 batting average.

The bullpen followed Quantrill with four shutout frames, including one perfect inning from right-hander Erik Johnson in his first game since returning from the Tommy John surgery that wiped away the 2017 season.

Left-hander Dillon Overton (1.60) threw two perfect innings and right-hander Robert Stock (2.25) struck out two in the ninth.

Third baseman Ty France (.250) drove in three runs on three hits, including a double, and right fielder Forrestt Allday (.273) went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. (.208) collected his third multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

The Missions are 7-4.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (7-5)

• Las Vegas 9, Chihuahuas 6 (11): RHP Colten Brewer (0-1, 6.75) allowed four runs – three earned – in the 11th to take his first loss. RHP Walker Lockett (5.06) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings in the start. Brett Nicholas(.406) hit his third homer of the season in the pinch and 1B Allen Craig (.281) hit his first. Craig and 3B Diego Goris (.333) each had two hits.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (4-8)

• Inland Empire 6, Storm 5: RHP Elliot Ashbeck (0-1, 0.90) allowed one run in three innings in relief after RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (6.10) allowed five runs – four earned 9

– on four hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings. LF Buddy Reed (.318) went 3-for-5 with his first homer and 3B Hudson Potts (.357), RF Jorge Ona (.205) and CLuis Torrens (.161) each had two hits.

Transaction

• To make room for Johnson, RHP Jared Carkuff was transferred from San Antonio to Fort Wayne, which had the day off on Monday.

On Petco's windiest night in recent memory, the Padres struggled on both sides of the ball By Dennis Lin

If you subscribe to the utility of advanced metrics over a brief amount of time, the Padres began their series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers as the stingiest team in baseball. They opened Monday’s game with a total of 17 Defensive Runs Saved, a statistic that rates players as above or below average on defense. The Cleveland Indians, a team that won 102 games last season by doing the little things right, ranked second in the majors with 13 DRS. Defense, however, is variable, especially over brief amounts of time. Metrics can be useless in short spurts. The Padres reaffirmed that in a 10-3 laugher of a defeat that dropped them from third to last in the National League West. Such swings tend to occur in the first month of a season. On what multiple players and coaches described as the windiest night at Petco Park in recent memory, the Padres looked unmoored. Left fielder José Pirela made a diving catch but also dropped a routine fly ball. Third baseman Christian Villanueva whiffed on a tough hop, resulting in a two-base error. On the next play, right fielder Hunter Renfroe committed a three-base mistake when he misjudged a line drive. “I think, honestly, our defense has been good,” manager Andy Green said. “But typically, when we’ve made a mistake, which is going to happen over the course of a season, those errors, we’ve paid for. That’s something where we’ve got to stop that trend.” The Padres could blame neither their defense nor the wind for their offensive showing. They created a breeze themselves, striking out 12 times and drawing only one walk, courtesy of beleaguered infielder Chase Headley. The grisly numbers were in stark contrast to Sunday, when the Padres walked seven times en route to a third consecutive victory, a 10-1 drubbing of San Francisco. Exacerbating their problems, the Padres required six innings from a bullpen that has pitched well but too often in these first few weeks. Robbie Erlin, starting in place of the suspended Luis Perdomo, surrendered six runs, four earned, and failed to reach the top of the fourth. The left-hander lacked the pinpoint command he had shown in recent relief appearances, delivering fastballs over the heart of the plate. On a night the ball carried, former Padres Matt Kemp and Yasmani Grandal obliged with loud contact. Erlin underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016. Monday’s start was his first at the major-league level in two years, and dismissing him as a valuable contributor for the rest of the season would qualify as short- sighted. Prior to this game, the 27-year-old had recorded a 2.38 ERA in five bullpen appearances. “I think it just boils down to being sharp all the time,” Erlin said. “That’s kind of what pitching is, right? It wasn’t there tonight. That was evident. I have something to work on.” Through 18 games — seven wins and 11 losses — the Padres have broader issues to address. Their arms, particularly those in the bullpen, have supplied consistent opportunities to win, though the pace seems unsustainable. Adam Cimber continued the trend Monday; the rookie fired three hitless

11 innings, running his season workload to 13 frames. No Padres reliever has reached 20 innings in a calendar month since Cla Meredith, more than a decade ago. Another submariner, Kazuhisa Makita, yielded a late grand slam to Grandal. The offense, despite a few bright spots, remains uneven. The injury-related absences of Wil Myers and Manuel Margot have been felt. Villanueva on Monday became the fifth Padres rookie to launch a home run in three consecutive games. Including a stint last September, the infielder is up to 10 homers in 77 big-league at-bats. He had remedied a recent dry spell by practicing more discipline, compelling pitchers to target the strike zone. Most of his teammates have produced a mixed bag. According to FanGraphs, the Padres entered the game with the seventh-highest swing rate in the league. They had made contact less often than all but three clubs. Neither percentage moved in the right direction against the Dodgers; while Villanueva and Renfroe combined to go 5-for-7, the rest of the lineup went 1-for-25. No hitter has been less productive than Headley, with 13 strikeouts and exactly one hit to show for 26 at- bats. Headley, who is making $13 million, has been unseated at third base by Villanueva and introduced to the foreign role of bench bat. During Green’s pregame availability, a media member referred to the former franchise cornerstone as “a lost soul.” The manager sprang to Headley’s defense, citing the variability of early-season numbers. “If it happened in June and he’s hitting .290 and it dropped to .250, nobody would think a ton of it,” Green said. “But when it happens the first 30 at-bats of the season, everybody draws huge conclusions on it.” Monday night, there was little defense for the Padres’ overall play. Headley was a momentary bright spot, delivering a pinch-hit walk in the eighth.

Sloppy defense too much to overcome for SD Villanueva homers in third straight game, but Dodgers bats answer back By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Apr. 16th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Christian Villanueva gave San Diego an early lead on Monday night with his third homer as many games. An inning later, the Padres would, quite literally, let that lead slip through their fingers.

Villanueva, Hunter Renfroe and Jose Pirela all turned routine plays into errors, and the Dodgers took full advantage in a 10-3 victory at Petco Park. It was a sloppy showing from the Friars after an encouraging weekend in which they won three straight.

View Full Game Coverage Left-hander Robbie Erlin -- given the start in place of Luis Perdomo, who was suspended for his role in last week's brawl -- didn't get much help from his defense. But his strikes were entirely too hittable, as he allowed six runs (four earned) over three innings.

"It wasn't his sharpest day," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Those plays behind him definitely don't help."

, 2018 Renfroe doubled twice, and Villanueva went 3-for-4, but their shoddy defense ended up costing the Padres. Staked to a 2-1 lead in the third, Erlin opened the frame by getting Chris Taylor to bounce to third base. Villanueva attempted to backhand the chopper, but he lifted his glove a bit too high and the ball skittered into left field.

Corey Seager followed with a line drive directly at Renfroe. The Padres right fielder first broke in, then to his left, but his first move should've been back. The ball kicked off his glove, and Seager ended up at third base.

"It was topspun," Renfroe said. "I took two hard steps, and obviously it was smoked, so it just kept travelling, kept going, and I wasn't able to recover from it."

Three batters later, former Padre Matt Kemp lifted a three-run blast into the left-field seats to put the Dodgers on top, 6-2. The defense reached its nadir in the fourth, when Pirela dropped a routine pop from Seager. It was the second time in as many innings that Seager reached base on a fly ball with a 99-percent catch probability, according to Statcast™.

To be fair, Monday's game offered an odd challenge for a night game in downtown San Diego, which usually features a calm marine layer. The wind at first pitch was 16 mph out to right field, and it picked up as the game wore on.

"This isn't to nullify blame on catching a popup, because we do that at the Major League level, but this was the windiest day that I've felt out at Petco since I've been here," Green said. "It was unique the way the wind was whipping through. I'm sure that had something to do with it. We still expect him to catch it."

"For San Diego, in the middle of downtown, with all these buildings blocking [the wind], tonight was different, for sure," Renfroe said.

. 16th, 2018 Villanueva's bat was the bright spot for San Diego. His six home runs are the most among all Major League rookies. He's the fifth Padres rookie to homer in three straight games. (Only Alex Dickerson, in 2016, made it four.)

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Left stranded: Renfroe and Villanueva reached base in the fourth inning as well, as the Padres mounted their only serious threat against Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu over his final four innings. Ryu -- who struck out nine and allowed three hits -- fanned consecutive lefties Franchy Cordero and Carlos Asuaje. San Diego wouldn't put another man in scoring position until the ninth.

Grandal slammed: After five hitless innings from the Padres bullpen, right-hander Kaz Makita loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. He left an 0-2 changeup over the plate to Yasmani Grandal, who crushed it into the second row in left-center, ending the Padres hopes for a late comeback.

. 16th, 2018 Makita, an offseason signing from the Seibu Lions in Japan, entered the game having allowed one run through his first six outings, but he was charged with four on Monday.

Cimber time Righty reliever Adam Cimber still hasn't allowed a run since Opening Day, a stretch that reached 13 innings after three more scoreless frames Monday.

"I'm just trying to get innings right now and prove myself," Cimber said. "Any time I can get out there on the mound -- whether we're up or down -- I'm just going to get out there and attack."

Cimber has been used in just about every situation imaginable, and on Monday night he served as the Padres' long man. (Typically, it's Erlin who fills that role.)

"Cimber's been unbelievable for us, eating innings at times when we've desperately needed them," Green said. "The nice thing about him, if you look back through his Minor League track record, this is how he's been used. He's a very resilient arm."

WHAT'S NEXT? Bryan Mitchell's brief Padres tenure has been a rocky one, as he's recorded more walks (14) than innings pitched (12 2/3). But the Padres believe in Mitchell's upside, and he'll face the Dodgers on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Alex Wood -- whose accusation that Pirela was stealing signs sparked a benches-clearing altercation last June -- starts for Los Angeles.

Villanueva homers in third straight game By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Apr. 16th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Another game, another homer for Christian Villanueva.

Earlier this season, the Padres' rookie third baseman went deep three times in the same game. Now, he's homered in three consecutive games, bringing his total to six on the season, the most among all rookies.

Villanueva crushed an 0-1 cutter from Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu into the lower level of the left-field seats, putting the Padres on top, 2-1, though they ultimately fell, 10-3. He visited the Western Metal Building against the Giants on Sunday, and he hit the scoreboard on Saturday.

Alex Dickerson set the franchise rookie record by homering in four straight games in 2016. Villanueva is one shy of that mark, and three shy of Graig Nettles' all-time Padres mark set in 1984. He faces Dodgers lefty Alex Wood on Tuesday, and Villanueva is 10-for-18 with five homers against left-handed pitching this year.

Prior to Monday's game, manager Andy Green spoke at length about the ups and downs of Villanueva's first few weeks. Following his three-homer game against Colorado, Villanueva got a bit too swing-happy, and fell into a minor slump. He's broken out of it, in Green's eyes, largely because he's been more selective.

"It's been great to see Villa make the adjustments he's made," Green said. "When he got to the point where he was swinging at everything, you know that's not going to play well in the long run. Seeing him make that adjustment, be a bit more patient, means more to me than seeing him hit three homers in a game."

Clearly, Villanueva loves hitting at Petco Park. All six of his home runs have come at home this season, and he's gone deep in nine of his 52 career plate appearances in San Diego.

Villanueva tacked on a pair of singles Monday night, though his third-inning error proved particularly costly as the Dodgers plated five runs in the frame.

Still, he sits atop the rookie leaderboards with 12 extra-base hits and 34 total bases, and he leads the Majors with his .822 slugging percentage -- despite an eight-game stretch between homers in which he batted .148 with 12 strikeouts.

"He's back to seeing the baseball well, and swinging the bat," Green said. "He's much more productive that way. I think he's looked really good in the box."

Rookies Lucchesi, Villanueva impressing early Third baseman, left-hander making cases for Padres' long-term plans; injury updates on Hosmer, Myers, others By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Apr. 16th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Halfway through April, there's little doubt that Shohei Ohtani has been the American League's top rookie. That race is much tighter in the National League, where, by most objective measures, it's between two Padres.

Christian Villanueva and Joey Lucchesi have been the NL's top hitting and pitching rookies, respectively, through 2 1/2 weeks. It's an extremely small sample, but entering play Monday night, they've both been worth 0.8 fWAR. Villanueva has five homers and a 1.152 OPS, while Lucchesi owns a 1.66 ERA and 25 strikeouts over four starts.

Obviously, their early success is mostly attributable to the opportunity they've been given. But the early playing time wasn't a courtesy.

"They've earned it, both of them have," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We gave them opportunity, but then you have to cash in that opportunity."

With future jobs readily available in the rotation and at third base, both are making strong cases for inclusion in the Padres' long-term plans.

The duo offers an interesting juxtaposition, too. Villanueva toiled for eight seasons in the Minor Leagues before his callup last September. Lucchesi, meanwhile, was the fastest to reach the Majors from among all pitchers taken in the 2016 Draft.

"You can come a lot of different ways and still be a productive big league player," Green said. "You're happy for the guys that work [Villanueva's] path. And the guys that do it in a year and just fly through, you always believe really good players usually come really quick. That's what Joey's done."

"I've been feeling more comfortable, the more games I've pitched," Lucchesi said. "I want to stay here. I love it here."

. 15th, 2018 For Villanueva, it's a long-awaited opportunity, even though he's only 26. Stuck behind Kris Bryant in the Cubs' system, he became a Minor League free agent following the 2016 season. The Padres believed strongly in his upside and inked him to a Minors deal that offseason while he recovered from a broken ankle.

Their faith paid off. Since his Sept. 18 callup last season, only Aaron Judge has a higher slugging percentage than Villanueva's .753 mark.

It's far too early to open any discussions for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. But -- now that it's been brought it up -- it's worth noting that the Padres have had two in their history: Butch Metzger in 1976 and Benito Santiago in 1987. 16

Injury updates • Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer returned to the lineup Monday night after missing two games with lower back tightness. Hosmer said the injury absence was mostly precautionary, given the early stages of the season.

• Right fielder Wil Myers is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. He'll play two games there, and he could rejoin the Padres Friday in Arizona.

• Right-hander Kirby Yates threw off a mound for the first time since he landed on the disabled list with right ankle tendinitis. He felt no effects of the injury. Yates will be re-evaluated Tuesday before the Padres consider the next step.

• Center fielder Manuel Margot could begin baseball activity as soon as Tuesday, Green said. The club has yet to determine whether Margot -- on the disabled list with bruised ribs after being hit by a pitch last week in Colorado -- will require a rehab stint.

Grandal's slam, Kemp's 3-run HR send Dodgers past Pads 10-3 11:25 PM PT Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Yasmani Grandal and Matt Kemp were traded for each other in December 2014, when the San Diego Padres tried for a quick fix with high-priced veterans.

Now that they're teammates with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they punished their old team on Monday night.

Grandal hit a grand slam, Kemp had a three-run homer and Hyun-Jin Ryustruck out nine in six strong innings for the Dodgers in a 10-3 victory over the Padres.

"Definitely weird but definitely good to be on the same team," Kemp said. "We're doing what we're doing. Long season, got a long way to go, hopefully just keep the hits coming."

Grandal hit his third career slam with two outs in the ninth off Kazuhisa Makita.

Kemp, booed by Padres fans as he came to the plate in the third, elicited cheers from Dodgers fans at Petco Park when he drove the first pitch he saw from lefty Robbie Erlin (0-2) an estimated 399 feet to left-center to highlight the inning, which was a mess for the Padres.

"For sure you come to a place where you played, you want to do good," Kemp said. "I had some fans screaming at me tonight so I shut them up for a little while."

Third baseman Christian Villanueva and right fielder Hunter Renfroecommitted errors that allowed Chris Taylor and Corey Seager to reach safely at the start of the inning. Enrique Hernandez hit an RBI single, Cody Bellinger had a base hit and Kemp launched his second home run for a 6-2 lead.

Kemp was the centerpiece of San Diego general manager A.J. Preller's wild shopping spree in the winter of 2014, acquired in a five-player trade with the Dodgers that sent Grandal to Los Angeles. That win-now approach with high-price veterans failed. Kemp was traded to Atlanta on July 30, 2016. The Braves dealt him to Los Angeles last December.

Grandal hit an RBI double in the second, one batter after Kemp was thrown out by center fielder Franchy Cordero while trying to stretch a single. "He is as good as we have as far as looking over a baseball and understanding strike from ball, and when he gets impatient and out of the strike zone, it goes the other way," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When he is stubborn in the strike zone, he is as good as anybody.

"I think right now he is seeing it really well. He's taking walks and hitting the ball hard and he is getting rewarded. This is as locked in as I've seen him."

Ryu (2-0) won his second straight start. His nine strikeouts were a season high and he walked none while allowing two runs and three hits. His only big mistake was a two-run homer by Villanueva in the second that came with Renfroe aboard on a leadoff double.

Villanueva has homered in three straight games and has six overall.

Erlin started in place of Luis Perdomo, suspended five games for his role in a brawl at Colorado on Wednesday. Erlin made his first start since April 17, 2016, against Arizona. He made three starts that season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He missed all of last season and began this year in San Diego's bullpen.

Erlin lasted three innings, giving up six runs, four earned, and six hits while striking out four and walking one.

"I felt inconsistent," Erlin said. "I felt like there wasn't very good command of the fastball. That's kind of what you pitch off of. That inconsistency led to the hitters' counts. Just wasn't able to make pitches."

He said he left too many pitches over the plate "and second time through the order they didn't miss them."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: OF Wil Myers, on the disabled list with nerve irritation in his right arm, is scheduled to start a rehab assignment at Class A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. He could rejoin the Padres on Friday for the start of a series at Arizona.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 5.09 ERA) is scheduled to start the second game of the three-game series Tuesday night.

Padres: RHP Bryan Mitchell (0-2, 5.27) is still looking for his first win with the Padres. He and INF Chase Headley were obtained from the New York Yankeesin the offseason for OF Jabari Blash.

This Day in Padres History — April 17

By Bill Center

April 17, 1974 — Second baseman Derrel Thomas goes 4-for-5 with a RBI as the Padres score a 6–1 win in Atlanta.

April 17, 1996 — Left fielder Marc Newfield goes 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, four RBIs and four runs scored in the Padres’ 11–6 win in Colorado.

April 17, 2002 — Trevor Hoffman breaks Dennis Eckersley’s Major League record for saves with one team with his 320nd as strikes out two in a perfect inning in a 5–3 victory over the Giants at Qualcomm Stadium

April 17, 2008 — Colorado defeats the Padres 2–1 in a 22-inning marathon at Petco Park. It is the longest game by innings in Padres history. At six hours and 18 minutes, it is also the second- longest game in Padres history by time, missing that mark by one minute. Padres pitchers tie a franchise record with 20 strikeouts in an extra-inning game.

April 17, 2010 — Right-handed starter Kevin Correia and four relievers combine on a four-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts as the Padres blank Arizona 5–0 at Petco Park.

#PadresOnDeck: Quantrill Lowers ERA to 1.23 in Third Start

By Bill Center

Right-handed starter Cal Quantrill allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings Monday for Double-A San Antonio.

Quantrill, 23, the Padres’ first pick (eighth overall) in the 2016 draft, is ranked the Padres №4 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

In three starts for the Missions this season, Quantrill has a 1–1 record and a 1.23 earned run average. He has allowed two earned runs on nine hits and nine walks with 15 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.

Other top performances Monday:

— Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres’ top-ranked prospect, was 2-for-5 for San Antonio with a RBI and two runs scored.

— Catcher Austin Allen (.317) was 2-for-4 with a walk, a RBI and a run scored. He is the Padres’ №29 prospect.

— Third baseman Hudson Potts was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored for Advanced Single- A Lake Elsinore to raise his batting average to .357. Potts is the Padres’ №17 prospect.

— №18 Jorge Oña was 2-for-5 with a double, a RBI and a run scored for the Storm. The outfielder is hitting .205.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (7–5): Las Vegas 9, CHIHUAHUAS 6 (11 innings) — 1B Allen Craig (.281) was 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. 3B Diego Goris (.333) was 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. PH-C Brett Nicholas (.406) was 1-for-2 with his third homer for two RBIs and two runs scored. PH Javy Guerra (.351) was 1-for-1. C Raffy Lopez (.276) had a double and a run scored in four at-bats. OF Shane Peterson (.214) was 1-for-4 with a walk. Starting RHP Walker Lockett (5.06 ERA) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks

21 with three strikeouts in six innings. RHP Eric Yardley (15.43) pitched a perfect inning. LHP Buddy Baumann (0.00) allowed a hit and a walk with a strikeout in a scoreless inning. RHP T.J. Weir (3.52) allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout in two innings. RHP Colten Brewer (0–1, 6.75) allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in an inning to take the loss.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (7–4): MISSIONS 9, NW Arkansas 1 — LHP Dillon Overton (1.69 ERA) followed Quantrill with two perfect innings. RHP Erik Johnson (0.00) struck out one in a perfect inning. RHP Robert Stock (2.25) allowed a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. San Diego State grad Ty France (.250) backed Tatis and Allen, going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, three RBIs and a run scored. It was his second three-hit game in a span of three games. RF Forrestt Allday (.273) was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. 1B Josh Naylor (.436) was 0-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a run scored. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.222) was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored.

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (4–8): Inland Empire 6, STORM 5 — CF Buddy Reed (.318) backed Potts and Oña, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored. C Luis Torrens (.161) was 2-for-4 with a RBI. SS Ruddy Giron (.171) was 1-for-4 with a RBI. 1B Brad Zunica (.216) was 1-for-3 with two walks, a RBI and a run scored. Starting RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (6.10 ERA) allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and five walks with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. RHP Blake Rogers (4.91) allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. RHP Elliot Ashbeck (0–1, 0.90) allowed a run on a hit with two strikeouts in three innings to suffer the loss.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (2–9): The TinCaps were off Monday.

Struggling starters take mound when Padres host Dodgers

STATS

Apr 17, 2018 at 1:16p ET

SAN DIEGO — Two pitchers who struggled in their most recent starts will be paired Tuesday night at Petco Park.

Left-hander Alex Wood starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they seek a second straight win against the San Diego Padres. Right-hander Bryan Mitchellstarts for the hosts.

Overall, neither is off to a fast start.

Wood has an 0-2 record with a 5.09 earned run average in three starts — although opposing hitters are batting only .209 against him. He also has a 0.79 WHIP, allowing 14 hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.

The strange stat regarding Wood is that 10 of the 14 runners who have reached base against him have scored.

Mitchell is 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA in three starts. But his other numbers are not so good. In just 13 2/3 innings, Mitchell has allowed 15 hits and 14 walks — or a WHIP of 2.12.

But both are coming off bad outings.

Against the Giants last Thursday, Mitchell gave up three runs on four hits and five walks in three innings.

And against the Athletics last Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, Wood gave up seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Ironically, Mitchell’s last outing was his shortest start since he lasted only 2 1/3 innings against the Dodgers on Sept. 12, 1016, while pitching for the New York Yankees.

Mitchell’s problem has been his best pitch, the curve. It is his out pitch. But he has had problems throwing it for strikes.

“His curve is one of the best in baseball,” Padres manager Andy Green said recently. “But he’s struggled with his command of the fastball and his breaking ball.”

In his second start of the season, Mitchell didn’t allow a run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. But he also issued six walks. In his Padres debut, Mitchell allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings without striking out a hitter. In fact, in 13 2/3 innings, Mitchell has three strikeouts against 14 walks.

Mitchell was acquired by the Padres to be a major part of their 2018 rotation. He came from the Yankees along with third baseman Chase Headley in large part because the Padres accepted Headley’s $13 million contract. For his part, Headley is off to a 1-for-26 (.038) start.

While Mitchell, who turns 27 on April 19, has only one previous outing against the Dodgers, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Wood has seen considerable action against the Padres while with the Dodgers.

Wood, 27, has a 4-2 career record against the Padres with a 2.62 ERA in 12 games (eight starts) with 54 strikeouts in 57 innings. He was 2-1 against the Padres last season with a 3.15 ERA in four games (three starts) — giving up seven runs on 17 hits and eight walks with 17 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Wood has a 2-1 record at Petco Park with a 2.25 ERA in seven games (four starts). He has 35 strikeouts in 28 innings while pitching in downtown San Diego.