Padres Press Clips Monday, August 21, 2017

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Padres mailbag: What's to be gained from Hunter Renfroe's UT San Diego Lin 2 demotion?

Wild Lamet off the mark in Padres loss UT San Diego Sanders 4

Padres promote Fernando Tatis Jr. to -A San Antonio UT San Diego Sanders 6

Dusty Coleman's swing remains a work in progress UT San Diego Sanders 9

Inbox: What's ahead for Padres' rotation? MLB.com Cassavell 11

Padres can't get bats going in finale vs. Nats MLB.com Powers/Ruiz 14

Richard aims to stay on a roll vs. Cardinals MLB.com Powers 17

Fastball command eludes Lamet vs. Nats MLB.com Powers 18

Gonzalez, Nationals beat rookie Lamet, Padres 4-1 Associated Press AP 20

This Day in Padres History, 8/21 FriarWire Center 22

Padres On Deck: De Los Santos, Avila top Padres Players FriarWire Center 23 of the Week

Padres On Deck: AAA-El Paso Closes on Playoff Berth FriarWire Center 25 Behind Villanueva, Overton

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Padres mailbag: What's to be gained from Hunter Renfroe's demotion? Dennis Lin The Padres dropped to 55-69 with Sunday’s loss to the . Tuesday night, they officially begin a road trip in which they’ll draw at least two problematic matchups. First up are the St. Louis Cardinals and Jedd Gyorko, who torched his former team last season with six homers in seven games. Then it’s on to Miami, where Giancarlo Stanton has been on a Ruthian pace since the All-Star break.

Let’s get to the mailbag. As always, you can submit questions via Twitter or email.

What do we do with Hunter Renfroe? Settle this debate once and for all.

Renfroe was optioned Saturday to -A El Paso, a move that surprised most observers. Internally, the Padres had discussed a potential demotion for weeks. Manager said the club contemplated sending Renfroe down at the end of July.

The right fielder simply hasn’t made adjustments the Padres had been asking him to make. After drawing 15 walks in May, he’d walked only nine times since. While he wasn’t getting on base much, what power he was providing wasn’t nearly enough to compensate.

The hitter-friendly doesn’t present a serious challenge for Renfroe, the 2016 PCL MVP. This move is largely about sending a message to the rookie, who has more than enough talent to re-establish himself as a productive regular in San Diego.

“Cory Spangenberg was about as upset about getting sent down as anybody I’ve ever seen,” Green said over the weekend, referencing the who was optioned out of . “He handled it right after that.

“When I’d call down and talk to Rod (Barajas), he’d tell me Cory Spangenberg is doing everything right, he’s working like crazy, he’s a great teammate, he’s working on his defense, he’s working on his offense. Then you look up, and he’s hitting in the middle of a major league lineup. That’s usually what happens when you couple talent with hard work.”

If they send Margot down for 20 games or so, do they postpone his arbitration a year? Does that apply to renfroe ?

Regardless of whether or not Manuel Margot is sent down before the end of the season (he won’t be), he still will become eligible for salary arbitration after 2019, assuming he spends the entirety of the next two seasons on the major league roster (he very likely will). The same goes for Renfroe. Players need two seasons and about 130 days of service time to reach arbitration.

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Including their call-ups last September, Margot and Renfroe have both spent about 150 days in the majors.

Speaking of service time, the Padres optioned Renfroe because of performance, not in order to delay his eventual free agency. (If the latter reason applied, especially this late in the season, they’d be in major trouble with the players’ union.) It’s true that the Padres could wind up netting an extra year of control — players need six full years of service time to reach free agency — but at that point, Renfroe would be into his 30s. This isn’t near the top of the priority list. how does pirela figure into long term plans?

Jose Pirela has been the surprise of the Padres’ season. A 27-year-old who’d never received an extended big-league opportunity is hitting .295/.346/.512 through 263 plate appearances.

Pirela’s defensive deficiencies limit his value, so the Padres may look to deal him to an American League team this winter or next summer. Still, his emergence has been a very welcome development.

Can we expect any interesting Sept call ups?

This September’s promotions won’t be nearly as interesting as last September’s. About a year ago, players like Margot, Renfroe and Carlos Asuaje were making their major league debuts. The candidates to come up next month are mostly players we’ve already seen, including Franchy Cordero and Travis Jankowski.

Do you feel that Green's extension was justified? Has he shown signs that he can be a good manager? What about when the team gets better?

The Padres were never going to let Green approach lame-duck status — the manager’s original contract was set to expire after 2018 — so the fact that they extended him wasn’t shocking. Some rival officials were surprised that he received three more years, as opposed to, say, two. Ownership, meanwhile, has been fully committed to Green since his hiring. The new deal proved that.

Green has his detractors, but most people in the industry agree his baseball acumen is top- notch, and he’s gotten the team to play hard. Given San Diego’s current talent level, it remains a bit difficult to evaluate Green’s managerial ability. The Padres, who believe they’ll be contending for the playoffs by 2020, intend to find out exactly what they have.

Will Solarte get traded this winter? Or does he figure in Pads future?

Yes, there’s a chance Yangervis Solarte gets dealt. There’s also a chance the Padres move Spangenberg or even Asuaje instead. With all three infielders playing well and Luis Urias nearing his Petco Park debut, the Padres can afford to make a trade.

Is the Padres SS for 2018 in the organization today?

I don’t think so. The Padres aren’t making the playoffs next season, but they’d like a reliable to back a young pitching staff. A.J. Preller will continue looking for external options.

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Wild Lamet off the mark in Padres loss Jeff Sanders Gio Gonzalez flicked 46 pitches toward home plate through the first two innings of Sunday’s matinee. His defense committed two errors behind him. All the early traffic – six base runners – added up to one measly run.

A wild needed more charity than that.

He needed to help himself, too.

After a 4-1 loss to the Nationals, the 25-year-old Lamet’s fleeting command was as much a focal point as much as his role in the wasted opportunities that allowed Gonzalez to sidestep early trouble to turn in his NL-best 20th quality start. Lamet walked a career-high six batters, failed to move runners over with a in the second and, somehow, didn’t score from first base when Washington’s Alejando De Aza misplayed Manuel Margot’s two-out drive to right field.

“There’s two different ways to look at it,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “One, you realize how good he can be. To walk six guys … and effectively give up one run through the first four innings, very few pitches can do that against a good offensive lineup. His stuff’s that good. The flip side is you can’t walk six games and expect to win a baseball game.”

Green continued: “To take it a step further, if he wants to be a winning in the big leagues, learn to get bunts down, learn to run when you’re on the bases. Learn to take care of the simple things that are attainable at this point in time in his career.

“He’ll be pushed that way.”

Sunday’s effort snapped a string of four straight wins for Lamet, who has allowed three or fewer hits in five straight starts.

As has been the case, Lamet didn’t yield his first Sunday until after the first time through the order.

Wilmer Difo’s one-out double proved especially troublesome because Lamet walked Gonzalez, the pitcher, to start the third inning.

After Daniel Murphy’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 1, Lamet walked two more to load the bases before Anthony Rendon swung through a full-count slider to end the threat, one of 14 swinging strikes.

The slider produced nine of those.

“I think the key to the game today,” Lamet said through an interpreter, “was me not being able to command that fastball early and having to resort to using my slider as a main pitch.” 4

After a one-two-three fourth, Lamet allowed a leadoff single to De Aza, a and a one- out, run-scoring double from Murphy. A third run crossed the plate when the left-handed Adam Lind greeted left-handed rookie Buddy Baumann with a run-scoring double.

Lamet finished with three hits allowed and struck out eight batters to improve upon a rate (10.99 per nine innings) that was third in the NL coming into the game.

A high pitch count (94 pitches, 52 strikes), however, ultimately chased Lamet before the end of the fifth for the first time since July 18 – his last loss.

“He's going to be really good, so that's exciting,” Green said. “At the same time, let's get to work.”

The Padres had Gonzalez cornered early.

Difo’s throwing two-out throwing error after Jabari Blash’s and Jose Pirela’s back-to-back singles gave the Padres a 1-0 lead on ’ bouncer to shortstop in the first inning. After Lamet bunted into a force out at second base the next inning, they got nothing out of De Aza’s whiff on a catch in right because Lamet wasn’t jogging — not running — with two outs.

The rookie pitcher ended up at third on the play, Blash flied out to right to end the inning and the Padres didn’t get another runner past first base as Gonzalez retired 15 of the final 18 hitters he faced.

In between, the Nationals left-hander struck out eight and scattered five hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings. The one run he allowed was unearned. His 20 quality starts are tied with Chris Sale for the most in the majors.

“He's been great all year,” Green said after the Padres went 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded 19 runners in losing three of four to the NL East-leading Nationals. “His command is as good as I’ve seen it. His changeup was beneath the zone and away the whole day. He came in with angle on his fastball. The breaking ball was coming from backdoor all day.

“But the reality when you look at the series is they gave us opportunities to beat them early in the game. They made mistakes. If you want to beat good , you have capitalize on mistakes. We didn't do that. I don't think we did that all series.”

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Padres promote Fernando Tatis Jr. to Double-A San Antonio Jeff Sanders The hasn’t challenged 18-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. much lately. Maybe the Texas League will.

The Padres are promoting Tatis — their top positional prospect — from low Single-A all the way to Double-A San Antonio, a team official confirmed Sunday afternoon. ESPNscouting guru Keith Law and were the first to report a promotion that appears to be one in a series of moves.

Gabriel Arias, a 17-year-old shortstop from the Padres’ 2016-2017 international free agent investments, was promoted Saturday from the rookie-level Arizona League to Fort Wayne, where the TinCaps are pushing toward a playoff spot. At San Antonio — which won a first-half title — a full roster could mean a looming roster decision for the scuffling Javier Guerra, once viewed as the organization’s shortstop of the future.

That title clearly belongs to Tatis now.

He already set a Fort Wayne single-season record with 21 homers. He also leads the farm system with 224 bases, has driven in 69 runs, swiped 29 bases and is hitting .281/.390/.520, thanks in large part to a blistering second half (.311/.458/.650) of his first full season of pro ball.

Acquired last June in the deal, Tatis ranked No. 15 in all of baseball in Law’s midseason update to his top-50 prospects.

He’s also ranked among the game’s top prospects by Baseball America (101), Baseball Prospectus (22) and Fangraphs.com (26) and was listed among the top-10 power-speed prospects in the game in Baseball America’s recent “Best Tools” edition.

Tatis would be leaving behind a Fort Wayne team that had won 35 of 55 in the second half to become a Midwest League playoff contender.

Arias started at shortstop on Sunday after starting the season in rookie ball, where he was hitting .275/.329/.353 with 13 RBIs and four steals in 37 games. Last July, Arias – a slick- fielding shortstop out of Venezuela – signed for $1.9 million as part of the Padres’ unprecedented dip into the international amateur market.

The Missions are currently the lone Padres affiliate headed to the playoffs as a first-half champion in the Texas League.

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Luis Urias had seen time at shortstop for San Antonio before Guerra was promoted in July from Lake Elsinore, where he’d posted a .625 OPS in his second stint in the .

Added to the 40-man roster this offseason because of plus defensive potential, Guerra is hitting .196/.257/.309 with three homers, 11 RBIs and 32 in 27 games in San Antonio. He was out of the lineup Sunday for a second straight day after fouling a pitch off his leg Friday night.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (64-64)

• Chihuahuas 5, Tacoma 1: RHP Adam Cimber (3-1, 2.97) turned in two scoreless innings for the win after RHP Chris Huffman (4.64) struck out five and allowed one run on three hits and no walks in six innings in the start. 1B Chase d’Arnaud (.311) his fourth homer and CF Travis Jankowski 9.239) and SS Jose Rondon (.290) both drove in two runs .

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (30-25, 71-54)

• Tulsa 3, Missions 2: SS Luis Urias (.304) hit his third homer and OF Nick Schulz (.245) hit his 13th homer. RHP Brett Kennedy (12-7, 3.65) allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings in the start. LHP Jose Castillo (0.00) struck out the side in the ninth.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (23-34, 58-69)

• Rancho Cucamonga 4, Storm 3: LHP Logan Allen (2.94) struck out seven over four shutout innings of one-hit ball in relief fte RHP Miguel Diaz (5.40) allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings in a rehab start. RHP Gerardo Reyes (3-3, 2.59) allowed two runs in the ninth. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.240) went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (35-21, 61-65)

• Great Lakes 2, TinCaps 1: RHP Pedro Avila (3.01) struck out 13 and allowed a run on four hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings in the start. RHP Dauris Valdez (0-1, 2.45) allowed a run on two hits and a walk over the final 1 1/3 innings to take the loss. 3B Hudson Potts (.248) went 3-for-4 with a run scored.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (15-10, 35-28)

• Dust Devils 5, Spokane 3: LHP Ben Scheckler (2.81) struck out four and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision. RHP Blake Rogers (1-0, 5.00) struck out one over 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief in the win. C Jalen Washington (.190) went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored.

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ROOKIE AZL PADRES1 (23-22)

• Padres 4, Royals 2: RHP Caleb Boushley (2-2, 6.40) struck out six and allowed just two hits and a walk in five shutout innings in the win. CF Jeisson Rosario (.308) went 3-for-5 with a double, his eighth steal and a run scored and 2B Esteury Ruiz (.380) went 2-for-4 with a triple, his 21st steal and a run scored. .

Transactions

• LHP Osvaldo Hernandez, the 19-year-old Cuban who signed for $2.5 million in March, was transferred from Tri-City to Fort Wayne. • RHP Evan Miller was transferred from Fort Wayne to Tri-City.

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Dusty Coleman's swing remains a work in progress Jeff Sanders In the lineup at shortstop for the third time this week, Dusty Coleman is still searching for his first walk in 58 career appearances in the majors. What the 30-year-old minor league signee has provided the Padres, however, is what was expected: A stabilizing presence up the middle of the field and pop to pair with strikeouts.

“He's always been a guy who has had power and driven it out of the park,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “He's also been a guy that has struck out a lot. I think those two things are holding true for the most part here at the major league level, but if you miss out over the plate he can hit you out to any part of the ballpark and he's done that time and time again.”

Indeed, Coleman has more extra-base hits – four homers and three doubles – than singles (six) in 21 games with San Diego. He’s also struck out (24) in nearly half of his 53 plate appearances, a deficiency that plagued Coleman even when he slugged a career-high 18 homers while driving in 81 runs at Double-A Midland in 2014.

Coleman also struck out in 202 of his plate appearances that year, a number he more than halved the following year as he moved from the A’s organization to Kansas City’s. A year after hitting .223 despite big power numbers, Coleman’s batting average jumped to .292 as his strikeout numbers dropped to 92.

One reason behind the improvement, Coleman said recently, was leveling out a chop-down swing he’d used since he was in Little League. Even today, Coleman finds himself fighting against old tendencies to employ a swing that stays in the zone longer.

“When you feel like you have a swing that can get to certain pitches and not others,” Coleman said recently, “you feel like you’re cheating to protect against the other. Then you get yourself in between a lot. That’s something I realized in hindsight. I was always in between pitches because I feel like I couldn’t get to one of them.”

A clean Capps Right-hander Carter Capps fetched three groundball outs in the ninth inning Sunday without yielding a baserunner, his first perfect inning since returning from Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Capps has allowed eight runs on 10 hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He is still searching for his first strikeout and has induced just four swinging strikes through his first six appearances – none on Sunday.

“He's pushing himself coming back,” Green said. “Sometimes after surgery it takes a while, but there's a lot of encouraging signs.”

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Notable

• RHP Miguel Diaz (forearm) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings at high Single-A Lake Elsinore, his second rehab start. He struck out two and threw 31 of his 51 pitches for strikes. Diaz threw two scoreless innings in the Arizona League on Tuesday. • SS Erick Aybar, on the DL with a fractured left foot, “financed” the Padres’ Tommy Bahama-themed clothing for the upcoming trip to St. Louis and Miami. • Green said he is hopeful that OF Matt Szczur is able to rejoin the Padres on Tuesday. Szczur was placed on the family leave list on Thursday.

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Inbox: What's ahead for Padres' rotation? Beat reporter AJ Cassavell answers fans' questions

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 12:27 PM ET

What's your 2021 starting rotation? -- Chris H., San Diego

Nicely done, Chris. You've submitted a question that's guaranteed to make me look foolish in four years. I have a hard enough time piecing together a 2018 staff, let alone a starting five for '21. But I'm here to give the people what they want, so here's my best guess: 1. MacKenzie Gore 2. A free-agent signing 3. Cal Quantrill 4. Adrian Morejon, or Michel Baez 5. Dinelson Lamet or Luis Perdomo

The Padres expect to be routinely competing for a playoff spot by 2021. By then, they should be willing to spend on a free-agent arm that can sit toward the top of their rotation. As for Gore, he's only 18. But he's as close to a big league lock as any 18-year-old can be. For the sake of this exercise, let's assume that Gore pans out. Let's also assume Quantrill -- who has thrived since his Double-A callup -- pans out. He's close enough to the big leagues where it would qualify as a surprise if he didnt.

After that, things get murkier. No one's denying the potential within Morejon, Espinoza and Baez, the club's Nos. 5, 6 and 7 prospects, respectively. But Morejon is only 18, and Espinoza is coming off Tommy John surgery. Baez, meanwhile, came out of nowhere to dominate at this season. All three have plenty of development ahead, and if we're playing the percentages, it's probably likeliest that only one becomes an impact pitcher at the big league level.

The last spot goes to either Perdomo or Lamet, two rotation fixtures this season. Remember, folks, four years is a long time, and a lot will happen between now and then.

What do the Padres plan to do with their Cory Spangenberg, Yangervis Solarte, Carlos Asuaje and Luis Urias logjam? -- Pog L.

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While we're at it, we might as well throw Ryan Schimpf into the mix as well. The Padres have four players capable of manning second and/or third base in the bigs. And Urias, the club's No. 3 prospect, is knocking on the door.

Make no mistake, it's a nice problem for general manager A.J. Preller to have. But it's an issue that needs addressing. Entering the offseason, I'd guess Solarte, Asuaje, Spangenberg and Schimpf will all be shopped. Solarte, given his age and team-friendly contract, is the likeliest to be dealt.

Spangenberg, meanwhile, is probably most likely to stay, given his ceiling and his resurgence this season. Until Urias is ready, San Diego should be content with Spangenberg at third, Asuaje at second and Schimpf as a backup option at both spots.

It seems like Jose Pirela is at least a starting Major League , potentially a star. Where does he fit into the future plans, if at all? -- Austin, Scottsdale, Ariz.

"Potential star" doesn't seem like a fair label to place on Pirela. But "starting Major League outfielder" certainly does at this point. His defense remains subpar, but it has improved immensely. And there's reason to believe Pirela's run-producing bat is here to stay.

So how does Pirela fit? Well, there's room on any roster for a player who can play multiple positions and rake against pitchers from both sides. Plus, if he puts up similar numbers next season, it's feasible another team could come calling at the Trade Deadline. Pirela will be 28 then, and the Padres might be able to turn him into an interesting prospect or two.

It seems a foregone conclusion that Cody Bellinger has the National League Rookie of the Year Award race locked up. If he were to fall off the face of the earth, how would you rate Manuel Margot's chances against the rest of the competition? -- Cam D., Bend, Ore.

Padres fans might disagree, but Bellinger is one of the most exciting rookies in recent memory. Still, as Cam points out, Bellinger's historic season has robbed us of any semblance of an NL Rookie of the Year Award race. Instead, the only suspense come November will be: Who finishes second?

Right now, that's got to be Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong. But there's a serious case to be made for Margot, who has improved in all facets during the second half. In fact, Margot's numbers probably don't

12 do his season justice, as he spent part of the first half dealing with a nagging calf injury. The guess here is that Margot's resurgence continues, and he finishes in the top three -- making him the first San Diego player to do so since Khalil Greene and Akinori Otsuka both did so in 2004.

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Padres can't get bats going in finale vs. Nats By Tim Powers and Nathan Ruiz / MLB.com | August 20th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Gio Gonzalez overcame a cumbersome first inning to pitch into the seventh Sunday, guiding the Nationals to a 4-1 victory over the Padres as they took three of four games at Petco Park.

Gonzalez threw 32 pitches in the first, the result of a pair of singles and 's two-out error that brought in a run. From there, Gonzalez baffled the Padres, finishing his day having allowed one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings, while striking out eight on a season-high 121 pitches.

"Just tried to stick with the same game plan," Gonzalez said. "... As soon as Matt Wietersand I settled in, we tried to make more contact, more ground balls, some routine fly balls."

The Nationals tied the game against Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet in the third when Gonzalez walked to begin the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Murphy. , who lost a fly ball in the sun in the second inning, forcing extra pitches from Gonzalez, bunted for a single to begin the fifth and stole second. Murphy drove him in with a single to right, ending Lamet's outing after 4 2/3 innings.

Adam Lind followed with an RBI double, tagging Lamet with a third run. In his shortest outing since July 18, Lamet issued a career-high six walks, but also struck out eight and allowed three or fewer hits for the fifth straight start.

"When [Lamet] gets off with his fastball, his slider gets him back on," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Today, for some reason he stayed fastball-dominant for a long period of time. The way he uses the slider gets him back in line, but he struggled. You appreciate his stuff and his fastball, but at the same time, he has to mix it up, as well."

The Nationals added an unearned run in the eighth, providing an extra run for a group of relievers that was effective throughout the series. Joe Blanton, Brandon Kintzler and Sean Doolittle combined for 2 1/3 scoreless, with Doolittle striking out the side in the ninth to improve to 11-for-11 in save opportunities with Washington. In the series, Washington's revamped bullpen allowed two runs in 11 innings, but Nationals manager Dusty Baker said they lacked depth in the 'pen Sunday, making Gonzalez's outing more crucial.

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"He took one for the team," Baker said. "We needed him to go as deep as he did. We were thinking about it around the fifth and the sixth, but we needed some innings. We couldn't fill those innings. So that was an outstanding performance for Gio."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Two pitches, two outs: Gonzalez needed to be efficient to work deep into the game after the lengthy first. He entered the sixth having thrown 97 pitches, but Wil Myers and Cory Spangenberg both made outs on the first pitch they saw, helping Gonzalez pitch into the seventh.

"Pitch count was up," Gonzalez said. "You learn there's always that one time you're going to have to pitch one more and save one more out or one more inning for the bullpen."

BB to GG: Of Lamet's six walks, the most damaging was arguably the one he issued to Gonzalez to begin the third. Lamet struggled to find the strike zone against the opposing pitcher, leading to a six-pitch base- on-balls. Gonzalez scored the game-tying run on Murphy's sacrifice fly after Difo doubled for the Nationals' first hit. More >

QUOTABLE "That was a three-car pileup at second base, but we got the double play." -- Murphy, on the Nationals' eighth-inning double play that left him and San Diego's Yangervis Solarte on the ground

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With his 20th quality start, Gonzalez tied Red Sox ace Chris Sale for the most in the Majors.

MURPHY BENEFITS FROM DAY OFF Murphy didn't play Saturday, Washington's only loss of the series. But in his return Sunday, he played revitalized.

Murphy played in eight straight leading into the day off, hitting .231 during that stretch, but the All-Star went 1-for-2 with a walk and drove in a pair. Baker said Murphy seemed to regain concentration, adding his swing looked faster, as well.

"I think each time you're able to take a day off, as much physically, I think mentally as well, too, you get to come in and just know you're not going to the post," Murphy said. "So, yeah, I felt like I had a little more energy out there today."

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WHAT'S NEXT Nationals: After an off-day, right-hander Tanner Roark takes the mound Tuesday in Houston for an 8:10 p.m. ET matchup with the Astros. He has pitched at least six innings in five of his past six starts, posting a 3.13 ERA in that span.

Padres: Left-hander Clayton Richard will start Tuesday in St. Louis, coming off a shutout in his last outing. The Cardinals have won six straight against the Padres after taking the season series, 6-1, in 2016. Game time is set for 7:15 p.m. CT.

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Richard aims to stay on a roll vs. Cardinals By Tim Powers / Special to MLB.com | August 20th, 2017

The Padres and Cardinals open a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, following an off-day for both teams. Clayton Richard will take the mound for San Diego and face off against Lance Lynn.

Richard is coming off a shutout in his last outing -- the third shutout of his career and second complete game this season. No pitcher in the National League has thrown three complete games in 2017, as Richard will look to be the first to do so.

Lynn has not lost a game since July 4, and will face San Diego for the first time this season.

Things to know about this game

• Lynn has put together a stretch of eight consecutive quality starts, going 3-0 over that span.

• Richard has gone 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA over his last five starts against the Cardinals.

• St. Louis has won six straight against San Diego after taking the season series 6-1 in 2016.

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Fastball command eludes Lamet vs. Nats Padres rookie strikes out eight, but walks six in loss

By Tim Powers / Special to MLB.com | August 20th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Coming off of one of the better outings in his young MLB career, Dinelson Lamet labored through his latest start.

Lamet (7-5) walked a career-high six batters and allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings on Sunday as the Padres dropped the series finale to Washington, 4-1, losing the series three games to one.

After walking the first batter he faced, and one more in the first inning, Lamet struggled with his control most of the game, but did manage to strike out eight. Lamet's bout of wildness follows his last start against Philadelphia, in which he walked one over seven innings and picked up his fourth straight win.

"I think the key to the game today was me not being able to command that fastball, and having to rely on my slider too much," Lamet said through a translator.

Including Sunday, Lamet has allowed three hits or fewer in his last six starts.

"I'm always trying to limit that, but at the same time I'm not trying to avoid contact, so I can get deeper into the game." Lamet showed poise in the third after allowing a double to Wilmer Difo and issuing a pair of walks, but recovering to strike out Anthony Rendon with the bases loaded, limiting the damage to one run.

"When you look at him, there is a lot to like," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Even the fight to him, punching out [Rendon] with the bases loaded, he did some good things."

While Lamet did not surrender a hit until the third, and only allowed three hits total, the 25-year-old right- hander let the game slip away in the fifth when he walked opposing starter Gio Gonzalez to lead off the inning. He scored on a Daniel Murphy sacrifice fly.

Lamet lost for the first time since July 18, a span of five starts, but Green had two perspectives on his young starter's performance.

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"There are two different ways you can look at it," Green said. "One, you realize how good he can be, walking six guys and effectively giving up one run. Very few pitchers can do that against a good lineup -- his stuff is that good. On the flip side, you can't walk six guys and expect to win baseball games."

Green also lamented Lamet's lack slider usage when his fastball command was clearly off.

"When he gets off with his fastball, his slider gets him back on," Green said. "Today, for some reason he stayed fastball-dominant for a long period of time. The way he uses the slider gets him back in line, but he struggled. You appreciate his stuff and his fastball, but at the same time he has to mix it up as well."

The Padres' offense did little to support Lamet, as Gonzalez held San Diego at bay over 6 2/3 innings. Gonzalez yielded one run on five hits opposite Lamet, and struck out eight Padres batters.

"[Gonzalez] has been great all year, and his command is as good as I've seen it," Green said. "He pitched well, but in reality, and I think you saw this all series, they gave us opportunities to beat them early, with some mistakes. If you want to beat good pitchers, you have to capitalize on mistakes. We didn't do that."

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Gonzalez, Nationals beat rookie Lamet, Padres 4-1 Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Gio Gonzalez did his best to save the Washington Nationals' bullpen, which was down to four available pitchers Sunday afternoon.

Gonzalez almost made it through seven innings before manager Dusty Baker decided the left- hander had gone far enough on 121 pitches. Gonzalez allowed only five singles and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings to lead the Nationals to a 4-1 victory against the San Diego Padres.

The NL East-leading Nationals won three of four against the rebuilding Padres.

"That was big. He took one for the team," Baker said. "We needed him to go as deep as he did. We needed some innings so that was an outstanding performance by Gio."

It wasn't easy, either, because Gonzalez (12-5) threw 32 pitches in the first inning, when he allowed a run on two singles and shortstop Wilmer Difo's throwing error.

"Pitch count was up, but you learn there's always that one time you're going to have to probably pitch one more, save one more out or one more inning for the bullpen," he said. "These guys have been working hard for us. I don't mind going out there and constantly keep throwing.

Again, we have such a great bullpen that this day off is going to be huge for us."

Gonzalez retired 15 of his last 18 batters, including eight straight until allowing a single to Manuel Margot with two outs in the seventh. Baker then turned to Joe Blanton, who struck out Jabari Blash to end the inning. "I tried my best to give them seven," Gonzalez said. "It was nice to see Joe go out there and get an out."

Gonzalez walked only one.

"He's been great all year," San Diego manager Andy Green said. "His command is as good as I've seen it. The breaking ball was coming from back door all day."

Sean Doolittle struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save.

The Nationals are off Monday, which will give the staff time to rest. The bullpen was stressed because Max Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start Friday night due to a sore neck. Including that night, when reliever Matt Gracemade an emergency start and went 4 1/3 innings, the Nationals' bullpen worked 13 innings in the first three games of the series.

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The Nationals' only loss in the series was Saturday night, when looked good in his return from almost a month on the disabled list but took the 3-1 loss after allowing a two-run to Yangervis Solarte in the first inning.

"This series, the bullpen was absolutely unbelievable, and the starting pitching," Washington second baseman Daniel Murphy said. "We didn't necessarily swing the bats as well as we'd like, but the pitching staff did an unbelievable job. They're the reason we won the series."

Murphy drove in two runs as the Nationals took advantage of rookie Dinelson Lamet's struggles. Lamet (7-5) labored through 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and three hits while walking a season-high six and striking out eight. He walked three in the third inning, when Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to tie it at 1. Consecutive walks loaded the bases with two outs before Lamet struck out Anthony Rendon.

Lamet struggled again in the fifth, when the Nationals scored twice. Alejandro De Aza beat out a bunt for a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Murphy's one-out single to right. Buddy Baumann relieved Lamet with two outs and allowed Adam Lind's RBI double to center.

Green said he looked two ways at Lamet's performance.

"One, you realize how good he can be. He walked six guys and effectively gave up one run through the first four innings. Very few pitchers can do that against a good offensive lineup. On the flip side of it, you can't walk six guys and expect to win a baseball game."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: OF Jayson Werth (bruised left foot) and SS Trea Turner (broken right wrist) are scheduled to begin rehab assignments with Triple-A Syracuse.

UP NEXT

Nationals: After a day off, RHP Tanner Roark (9-8, 4.70 ERA) is scheduled to open a three game series at Houston, which will counter with RHP Charlie Morton (10-5, 3.69).

Padres: After a day off, LHP Clayton Richard (6-12, 4.84) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game series at St. Louis, which will counter with RHP Lance Lynn (10-6, 3.05).

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This Day in Padres History, 8/21 Hoffman’s №51 retired; Caminiti homers from both sides; Niekro wins own game

By Bill Center

Aug. 21, 1969 — Right-hander Joe Niekro drives in the game’s only run with a 10th-inning sacrifice fly then completes a 10-inning complete game shutout, allowing six hits and two walks with five strikeouts, in a 1–0 Padres win in Montreal.

Aug. 21, 1972 — Center fielder Johnny Jeter caps a four-run, ninth-inning rally with a two-run walk-off homer as the Padres defeat the Cubs 6–5 at San Diego Stadium.

Aug. 21, 1980 — The Padres suffer a 9–8, 17-inning loss in Philadelphia.

Aug. 21, 1981 — Left-hander Chris Welsh allows three hits and four walks with three strikeouts in a complete-game shutout as the Padres defeat the division-leading Reds 6–0 in San Diego.

Aug. 21, 1996 — Switch-hitting Ken Caminiti homers from both side of the plate and drives in four runs in a 7–2 win over Montreal at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Aug. 21, 2011 — The Padres retire the №51 worn by then all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who spent 16 of his 18 seasons with the Padres. He is the Padres’ all-time leader in saves (552), (2.76), games (902), strikeouts per nine innings (9.72) and opponents’ batting average (.211).

Aug. 21, 2016 — Outfielder ties a franchise record by reaching base six times in his first two Major League Games. He is 4-for-6 with a home run (in his debut) and two walks.

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Padres On Deck: De Los Santos, Avila top Padres Players of the Week

By Bill Center

Two right-handed, Latin American pitchers who turned in career-best performances last week head this week’s Players of the Week in the Padres’ Minor League system.

Enyel De Los Santos came within five outs of his first career no-hitter and the second by a Double-A San Antonio pitcher this season. And Pedro Avila set a single-game Single-A Fort Wayne record with 17 strikeouts in a game.

The other weekly winners were Triple-A Rocky Gale, Lake Elsinore Fernando Perez, Tri-City pitcher Osvaldo Hernandez, Arizona Rookie League second baseman Esteury Ruiz and catcher Gilberto Vizcarra.

A look at the Padres’ seven Players of the Week:

Triple-A El Paso — Catcher Rocky Gale:

Gale, 29, is in his eighth season in the Padres’ system. He was 9-for-23 (.391) last week with three doubles, a home run, five RBIs, four runs scored and two walks for a .440 on-base percentage and a .696 slugging percentage for a 1.136 OPS. Gale is hitting .292 on the season with a .335 on- base percentage and leads the Pacific Coast League with a 39 percent throw out rate on steal attempts.

Double-A San Antonio — Right-handed starter Enyel De Los Santos:

Rated the Padres №13 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, the 21-year-old native of the allowed one run on a hit and two walks with seven strikeouts against Tulsa last Saturday night. The only hit came with one out in the eighth. De Los Santos is 9–4 on the season with a 3.85 earned run average, a 1.14 WHIP and 121 strikeouts over 131 innings in 23 games (21 starts).

Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore — First baseman Fernando Perez:

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The 23-year-old product of Otay Ranch High in Chula Vista packed a week into a pair of innings Sunday as he hit a three-run homer in the eighth and a in the ninth as the Storm rallied to win in Lancaster. Perez was 12-for-30 (.400) during a seven-game hitting streak for the week with a double, a triple, the two homers and 11 RBIs for a .700 slugging percentage.

Single-A Fort Wayne - Right-handed starter Pedro Avila:

Acquired from Washington last off-season in exchange for catcher , the 20-year-old Venezuelan allowed one run on three hits and no walks with 17 strikeouts on Aug. 8. The TinCaps single-game record for strikeouts had been 15 by LaTroy Hawkins in 1993. Avila’s total was the most in since David Hernandez struck out 18 in 2007. Avila is 6–1 with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts at Fort Wayne.

Short-Season Single-A Tri-City — Left-handed starter Osvaldo Hernandez:

The six-foot, 175-pound, 19-year-old Cuban allowed one unearned run on four hits and no walks with six strikeouts in his lone start for the Dust Devils last week. Hernandez is 2–3 with a 3.81 ERA in seven starts with Tri-City. But over his last four starts, Hernandez has allowed five runs on 15 hits and three walks with 31 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings — for a 2.02 ERA and 0.81 WHIP.

Arizona Rookie League — Second baseman Esteury Ruiz:

The 18-year-old acquired from Kansas City in a six-player trade last month was 9-for-20 for the week with two triples, a home run, six RBIs, four runs, four walks and five stolen bases. Ruiz hit .450 for the week with a .583 on-base percentage and a .800 slugging percentage for a 1.383 OPS. Ruiz, who ranks second in the ARL with a .370 average, was a member of the MLBPipeline.com’s Prospect Team of the week.

Dominican Summer League — Catcher Gilberto Vizcarra:

The 18-year-old native of Mexicali, Mexico, was 4-for-13 last week with a double, a homer and two RBIs with a walk and two runs scored. Vizcarra is 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Vizcarra, who is hitting .220 on the season, is one of two Baja California natives playing on the Dominican Summer League Padres.

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Padres On Deck: AAA-El Paso Closes on Playoff Berth Behind Villanueva, Overton INFs Giron, Baker lead A-Lake Elsinore to walk- off win

By Bill Center

Left-handed starter Dillon Overton allowed three hits over seven shutout innings and third baseman Christian Villanueva homered and scored both runs Saturday night as Triple-A El Paso scored a 2–0 win at Tacoma to pull to within a game of the lead in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific South division.

Villanueva (.295) was 1-for-3 with his 19th homer, a walk and a stolen base. Overton, who made a spot start for the Padres on July 1, didn’t issue a walk and struck out two while improving to 6–5 and lowering his earned run average to 6.80.

— Shortstop Ruddy Giron (.230) was 2-for-4 with a homer and a triple and scored the winning run on second baseman Chris Baker’s walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to give Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore defeated Rancho Cucamonga. Baker (.228) was 1-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs and center fielder Michael Gettys (.261) hit a two-run homer in four at- bats.

— Left-handed reliever Fred Schlichtholz (4–1, 0.86 earned run average) allowed one hit with a strikeout over three scoreless innings to get the win as short-season Single-A Tri-City scored a 4–3 win at Everett. Left-handed starterNick Margevicius (1.89 ERA) allowed one run on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in four innings. Margevicius was the Padres’ seventh- round pick in the June draft while Schlichtholz was their 13th-round pick.

— Third-round pick Mason House was 3-for-6 with two RBIs and a run scored in the Arizona Rookie League. Right fielder House is hitting .325.

There was one notable move Saturday. Infielder Gabriel Arias was promoted from Tri-City to Single-A Fort Wayne, becoming the only 17-year-old currently playing for a full-season minor league team. 25

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (63–64) — Chihuahuas 2, TACOMA 0: RHP Jose Valdez (5.15 ERA) followed Overton and allowed a hit and a walk with a strikeout in a scoreless inning. RHP Kevin Quackenbush (4–79) allowed a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless inning to complete the shutout and get his third save. SS Jose Rondon (.292) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI. 1B Diego Goris(.273) was 1-for-3 with a walk. RF Rafael Ortega (.312) doubled in four at-bats. 2B Chase d’Arnaud (.314) was 1-for-4.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (30–24, 71–53) — TULSA 3, Missions 2: Starting RHP Enyel De Los Santos (9–5, 3.81) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings in addition to going 1-for-2 but suffered the loss. RHP Cesar Vargas (2.83) allowed a hit with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings. 3B Ty France (.283) was 2-for-3 with a walk. 1B Josh Naylor (.278) was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a RBI. SS Luis Urias (.304) was 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. LF Nick Torres(.261) was 1-for-2 with a run scored. C (.327) was 1-for-3 with a walk.

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (23–33, 58–68) — STORM 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5: LF Rod Boykin (.323) backed Baker, Giron and Gettys, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. DH River Stevens (.296) was 1-for-4 with a run scored. 3B Carlos Belen (.244) had a double in four at-bats. 1B Fernando Perez (.289) was 1-for-4. Starting RHP Adrian De Horta(5.23 ERA) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts in five innings. RHP Zech Lemond (4.78) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning. RHP Jake Smith (1.42) allowed a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. RHP David Bednar (4.09) struck out two in a scoreless inning. RHP Colby Blueberg (7–2, 2.73) struck out one in a perfect inning to get the win.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (35–20, 61–64) — Great Lakes 10, TIN CAPS 1: SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.281) was 2-for-3 with two walks. DH Hudson Potts(.243) was 2-for-5. RF Nate Easley (.262) was 1-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. 2B Reinaldo Ilarraza (.226) was 2-for-4. LF Tyler Selesky (.176) had a double in four at-bats. Starting RHP Michel Baez(5–2, 2.56 ERA) gave up five runs on four hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in four innings to suffer the loss. RHP Evan Miller (6.48) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. LHP Will Headean (4.67) allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. RHP Hansel Rodriguez (4.03) had a strikeout in a perfect inning.

SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI CITY (15–10, 34–28) — Dust Devils 4, EVERETT 3: RHP Dalton Erb (1.44 ERA) followed Margevicius allowed two hits with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings. RHP Elias Torrez (6.00) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk without retiring a hitter before Schlichthoilz took over. RF Luis Asuncion (.275) was had two doubles in four at-bats with a stolen base and a run scored. DH Tyler Benson (.302) had a double in five at-bats with two RBIs. 1B Chris Mattison (.207) was 1-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. 3B Kelvin Melean (.237) was 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. SS Justin Lopez (.247) had a double in four at-bats with a walk.

ARIZONA ROOKIE LEAGUE PADRES-1 (7–8, 22–22) — The Padres-1 were off Saturday. 26

ARIZONA ROOKIE LEAGUE PADRES-2 (11–6, 26–18) — PADRES-2 10, Mariners 9: 3B Eguy Rosario (.305) backed House, going 2-for-6 with two RBIs and a run scored. SS Olivier Basabe (.254) was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, a RBI and two runs scored. 1B Justin Paulsen (.280)was 2-for-5 with a double, a RBI and two runs scored. C Juan Fernandez (.286) was 1-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. CF Tirso Ornelas (.218) was 1- for-5 with two runs scored. 2B Kelvin Alarcon (.218) was 1-for-5 with two runs scored. RHP Manny Guzman (8.33 ERA) allowed six runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in four innings. RHP Jamito Lebron (12.32) allowed a hit in a scoreless inning. LHP Cristian Machuca (0.00) issued a walk with two strikeouts in an otherwise perfect inning. RHP Starlin Cordero (4.22) allowed a run on a hit and three walks with a strikeout in two- thirds of an inning. RHP Cole Bellinger (0.00) allowed a hit and a walk with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. RHP Jeremy Smith (1–1, 3.95) allowed two unearned runs on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in two innings to get the win.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (23–42) — Diamondbacks 5, PADRES 3: DH Miguel Molina (.256) was 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk. SS Bryan Torres (.236) was 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. CF Jaffe Garcia (.207) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI. LF Edward Burgos (.074) was 1-for-3 with a walk. Starting RHP Luis Eusebio (1–6, 4.10 ERA) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in four innings.

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