Padres Press Clips Wednesday, April 15, 2015 Article Source Author Page Despaigne confounds D-backs UT San Diego Lin 2 Friar talk: The path toward relevance UT San Diego Sanders 5 Gyorko continues to sit as Solarte starts UT San Diego Lin 8 Prospect VanMeter undergoes surgery UT San Diego Sanders 10 Minors: Justin Hancock under control UT San Diego Sanders 11 Padres about to have wealth of rotation options MLB.com Center 12 Anderson looks to quiet Padres on Robinson Day MLB.com Gilbert 14 Despaigne making the most of his rotation stint MLB.com Brock 15 Hancock pairs with relief for Double-A shutout MLB.com Center 17 J-Up and away: Padres even series behind Upton, Despaigne MLB.com Brock & Gilbert 18 In Petco Park garden, Padres pick peppers that pack plenty of heat Sports Illustrated Newcomb 20 1 Despaigne confounds D-backs Starting in place of Ian Kennedy, right-hander throws seven efficient innings in 5-1 win By Dennis Lin9:41 P.M.APRIL 14, 2015Updated10:48 P.M. In the bottom of the second inning, the television cut to the home dugout at Petco Park. Odrisamer Despaigne, employing a bat wiggle vaguely resembling Gary Sheffield in slow motion, had just flailed at the third pitch he saw, a curveball in the dirt. He'd walked back to the bench, where fellow pitchers Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross were still chortling at their teammate. Despaigne, who wasn't asked to hit in his native country, was now 0-for-27 since his debut in the majors. For the Padres and their affable, resilient Cuban, it was all in good fun. Tuesday, Despaigne continued to endear himself to the club that signed him for $1 million nearly a year ago, watched him exceed everyone's expectations and, after acquiring a pair of talented starting pitchers in the offseason, placed him on their opening-day roster as the staff's long man. Five days after throwing the longest perfect outing by a reliever in franchise history, Despaigne steered the Padres to a 5-1 victory over the D-backs with his right arm, which seems to fly forward at a confounding variety of angles. The Padres improved to 5-4 in front of 20,102. "He’s someone that is difficult to pick up angle with," Padres catcher Derek Norris said of Despaigne. "With hitting, you try to pick up where that arm angle is going to be. For him, he's always changing arm angles and leg kicks. Sometimes, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing before he’s doing it, he does whatever. He’s funky, but in a great way. "I treat him like I did when I caught (former A's pitcher) Bartolo Colon. Just the one finger. It could be a four- or a two-seam. I really don't know what's going to come. It's not a huge deal to me. I told him, you don't have to tell me." Even as the visitors struggled to solve the puzzle on the mound, the Padres jumped on D-backs right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in the bottom of the first. Given a 3-0 lead, Despaigne needed just 84 pitches to finish with seven innings of one-run ball. He may make only one more start before 2 No. 4 starter Ian Kennedy returns from the disabled list, but Despaigne can take comfort in the knowledge that, yet again, he's proven invaluable. "Obviously, I would prefer to start, but I'm a pitcher and I love to pitch," Despaigne said through translator Danny Sanchez. "That's what I'm going to do whenever the team calls on me." At the beginning of the season, the 28-year-old went into the bullpen when the Padres named newcomer Brandon Morrow their fifth starter. "Where he’s from, what he’s been through in international baseball, even in the regular season in the Cuban league, he’s a wise guy. He’s a wise man. He took it in stride," Padres manager Bud Black said. "And he knows that he’s a major league pitcher. We told him the importance of the role of a long man, even though it’s at times not a cherished role by a pitcher, especially a guy trying to make his mark in his prime. But we explained that we need him there. Sure enough, we needed him in the very fourth game of the season, and he’s responded. He pitched great. Despaigne walked the first batter of Tuesday's game, A.J. Pollock, on eight pitches. It was the first baserunner he'd allowed since 2014. He escaped the inning when first baseman Yonder Alonso snared a liner and stepped on the bag, completing an unassisted double play. Otherwise, Despaigne was largely and slyly effective. At one point, he flipped in a 67 mph curveball for strike one. At another, he fired 94 mph past Hellickson, who waved at strike three. Only in the fourth did he stumble, hitting David Peralta and surrendering an RBI double to Mark Trumbo. Despaigne apparently decided that was enough. He retired the next 10 batters before issuing a walk. Then, on his 84th pitch, he induced a routine flyout to left. He'd yielded only two hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. His career ERA against National League West opponents dropped to 2.18 over 74 1/3 innings. His ERA at Petco Park dipped to 1.64 over 65 2/3 innings. In three starts against the D-backs at Petco Park, Despaigne is 2-0 with a 1.31 ERA (3 ER, 20.2 IP). While critics might point to Despaigne's 5.31 ERA in eight road appearances last season, on this night he likely would've been a tough at-bat anywhere. Besides Trumbo's double, hard contact was rare. Only one flyout reached the warning track. 3 "I enjoy pitching here," Despaigne said. "It has a reputation of being a pitcher’s park. But I’m a pitcher, so whether it’s here or on the road, I hope to have better success this year on the road." Conversely, Hellickson was under attack from the first inning, a productive one for the Padres. Wil Myers led off with a line-drive double to right-center, Yangervis Solarte legged out an infield dribbler and Matt Kemp, facing a shift, bounced an RBI groundout up the middle. From there, Justin Upton walked, Derek Norris cranked an RBI double to the left-field corner and Yonder Alonso plated another run with a groundout. In the fifth, Upton, showing power that'd play anywhere, boomed a solo shot to the upper deck in left field. It was his second home run of the season, his first for the Padres at Petco Park. Prior to his December acquisition, Upton's 10 home runs in downtown San Diego had been tied for the most by any visiting player. "It's nice to hit a homer in front of your home fans. Anytime you get it," Upton said. "I enjoyed it." In the sixth, Will Middlebrooks, who might lead the Padres in both hard contact and lineouts, just missed a home run, settling for a double off the top of the left-field wall. He was stranded, but the Padres added an insurance run in the seventh. With two outs, Kemp sent a shallow fly to right, where Trumbo -- not Ender Inciarte, a speedy bane to the Padres on Monday -- was playing. Trumbo attempted a sliding catch, but the ball bounced in front of, and then over, him. Kemp motored around the bases. He slid into third, safe, for his second triple in three games. Moments later, he dashed home on a wild pitch. All of it proved more than enough for Despaigne's first win this season. Meanwhile, his first career hit awaits, though, if he continues to do what he's done on the mound, what he does at the plate won't matter much. "He’s getting closer," Black said with a smile. "We’ve got to put the hit-and-run on him where someone covers in the infield, maybe get him through. He’s getting closer." 4 In his third and final at-bat Tuesday, Despaigne swung at the first pitch he saw, producing a weak grounder to second. Despaigne jogged dutifully down the line. Then, as the sixth inning ended, he turned and headed toward the dugout, 0-for-29. He was grinning. "Hopefully," Despaigne said, "I'll get the next one." 5 Friar talk: The path toward relevance Padres haven't been 2 games over .500 since 2013 By Jeff Sanders5 A.M.APRIL 15, 2015 Not only did Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks, powered by seven strong innings by Odrisamer Despaigne and Justin Upton's second homer, clinch at least a .500 record heading into the team's first off day of the season, it has the Padres on the verge of taking a small yet significant baby step on their path toward relevance: Two whole games above .500. Believe it or not (and you probably do), the Padres (5-4) haven't been there since a 5-2 win over the Dodgers on June 21, 2013, moved their record to 38-36. Yes, almost two years. A glance at the starting lineup that night reveals everything you need to know about the motive behind A.J. Preller's sweeping offseason overhaul. Remember when? June 21, 2013 Order Tonight's probable lineup 2B Logan Forsythe 1 CF Wil Myers RF Chris Denorfia 2 C Derek Norris 3B Chase Headley 3 RF Matt Kemp LF Kyle Blanks 4 LF Justin Upton 1B Jesus Guzman 5 1B Yonder Alonso C Nick Hundley 6 3B Will Middlebrooks SS Pedro Ciriaco 7 2B Jedd Gyorko CF Will Venable 8 SS Alexi Amarista SP Clayton Richard 9 SP Brandon Morrow You'd have to go a few years back – all the way to April 28, 2010 – to find the last time the Padres moved exactly five games over .500.