Padres Press Clips Friday, April 1, 2016

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MLB scouts grade Padres, NL West UT San Diego Krasovic 2

Zinter returns home to El Paso UT San Diego Lin 11

Erlin hit hard in El Paso exhibition UT San Diego Lin 13

Roster Rankings: No. 1 UT San Diego Sanders 16

Tyson’s punchout pitch among MLB’s best MLB.com Cassavell 17

Blash’s 2 HRs lead Padres’ punch parade MLB.com Chavez 20

Padres hit 6 homers in exhibition win over Triple-A El Paso Associated Press AP 22

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MLB scouts grade Padres, NL West The Pink Pony chat covers the Padres and four rivals By Tom Krasovic | 11:38 a.m. March 31, 2016 is over, finally. And that means the Pink Pony Scouts Chat is here.

What did big league scouts see in their studies of the Padres the last six weeks?

You'll find their comments below. As well, the scouts sized up the other four NL West teams.

Six years ago I created the Pink Pony chat in honor of the late Phil Collier, a longtime Padres beat writer for the San Diego Union. The Pink Pony steakhouse in Scottsdale was one of Phil's favorite spots to hang out and talk with scouts, managers, coaches, other scribes, even players.

Here's what scouts told the U-T about the 2016 Padres and their rivals.

Padres In his team overview, one scout said the Padres are, for sure, improved on defense, but he expects them to finish fourth place or last, even if several plausible scenarios pan out in their favor.

Newcomer Alexei Ramirez looks ready to improve the team’s defense at , if only to respectable levels. The scout forecasts , another veteran new to the team, to do “a pretty good job” in center and left fields.

Among the team's prospects, Austin Hedges is improved as a hitter. The scout regards young shortstop Javier Guerra, obtained from the Red Sox in the trade, as a bona fide top-drawer prospect. He slow-played center fielder , 21, but likes his defense.

The Jabari Blash experiment doesn’t excite the scout, who sees "a lot of holes" in Blash's batting profile.

Offering a prescription for the Padres, who've finished with losing records seven of the last eight years, the scout suggested a comprehensive rebuilding plan like Houston undertook a 2 few years ago and one Milwaukee is attempting now. He said it appears the Padres, perhaps to their detriment, are 'in between” trying to contend and rebuild. A lot is riding on Preller “killing it in Latin America,” he said.

Here are comments from other evaluators:

“I think A.J. Preller has traded them into oblivion. They made a lot of noise for big-time players last year, but it was, to me, ill-conceived, because they still didn’t have anyone for up-the-middle defense. And they had Austin Hedges in the big leagues, but they didn’t play him.”

“Is there hope? I don’t see how they’re going to do it. They’ve got (Matt) Kemp for a lot of money. And he’s on the downside. The big contracts for (James) Shields and (Melvin) Upton, good luck with that.”

“Preller signed some great guys for Texas. Is he a GM? I think he’d rather be out on the road watching games. I think A.J. can evaluate talent. But I really think he doesn’t know how to put a team together.”

“You hear that Preller gets out and interacts with people, which is good. He probably outworks everybody in the industry, knows how to evaluate a player. Can he put a team together? I think they set themselves back last year quite a bit.”

“Everyone in the business knows the Padres are rebuilding. They dug themselves a big hole last year. I think they felt like when they got there, that nothing was there. But I think they had a pretty good farm system and payroll flexibility.”

“ is very bright. Good values, good people. No phoniness to him. How he interacts with the big league player, I don’t know. It won’t be because of a lack of preparation. I think that’s a real good hire.”

“Javy Guerra looks like a real good player. He has a chance to be one of the better young players we’ve seen from San Diego in awhile. Good defense. His swing, bat speed, IQ at the plate – he’s a guy I’d bet on.”

“(Manuel) Margot is a nice player. You wonder if this is who he is. Not a lot of upside.” 3

“Margot looked really good. He was a great piece to get.”

“Margot, I love the athlete. Not sure he’s gonna hit.”

“I think (Cory) Spangenberg is going to be a nice player.”

“(Travis) Jankowski could be a left-handed (Chris) Denorfia for them. Good defender. Pretty good contact rate.”

“(Alexei) Ramirez, his defense is OK – (but) it’s not like the White Sox had someone great to replace him.”

"Ramirez is talented. He'll make all the plays. But the parts don't add to the sum like you'd want. He can make some dumb decisions."

“I think (Tyson) Ross is a real good one. plays vs. righties and lefties. He’s probably got better command of that than his fastball.”

“(Andrew) Cashner, big arm. But if you stay close, he’ll find a way to get beat.”

“ never had a breaking ball in Colorado, but that could’ve just been Colorado.”

“I like Pomeranz. Has a fastball that plays up. Hitters don’t get good swings on it. I like him for their rotation.”

“(Fernando) Rodney is a top-stepper. Green is going to go through a pack of Tums watching him throw."

“Christian Bethancourt is a really good-looking athlete. (Derek) Norris is better on defense than he was a year ago. With Hedges too, their catching is in pretty good shape.”

“ looked pretty good at first. The talent is there.”

"Wil Myers, the tools are still there. He still hits the ball hard. The approach was all over the place."

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“I like (Yangervis) Solarte a lot. I think he’s just a good baseball player. He’s a guy that any contending team would love to have. He’ll probably be forced into being a more prominent player in San Diego than maybe he should.”

“Solarte is a nice player. He’s like a really nice piece on a good club that you could move around.”

“I like the Jon Jay pickup.”

"Jay is a good player. Good in the clubhouse. Upgrade for them. But he gets a little heavy, and the weight can slow him a little."

"Jon Jay looked athletic and strong. He's in good shape. I think he's an upgrade for them defensively."

“, to me, is an average player. He’s terrible defensively.”

“I’d be a little concerned for the rest of the rotation after Ross.”

“I think you’d want (Robbie) Erlin in long relief.”

"Jemile Weeks was unbelievable. In the spring, he looked like a real nice super-. Good at-bats, and moving around really well."

“Last year, the atmospherics didn’t help them at Petco (the ballpark played smaller). Will it play like that again this year?”

“I would be concerned about their ‘pen.”

“Looks like an average NL rotation and below-average .”

“It’s not a good-looking club.”

“I think Kemp and Shields will be stuck. To me, the best case is they get a haul for Tyson Ross.”

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“I think nine months from now, they’re going to have a top-3 farm system. They’ve got a lot of draft picks in June. They’re spending a lot of money in Cuba. And I think they’re going to trade Ross and Cashner and Norris (presumably for younger players). I think their message is going to change after the All-Star game.”

“I don’t see the Padres winning in the next two or three years. Can they get a top-5 farm system in the next few years and translate that?”

On a potential swap of Shields for Pablo Sandoval “I think if you take Sandoval, you try to shine him up and then trade him back to an team."

“ is not good in Fenway Park in his career. Some people think he’s a at this point of his career. But it’s one fewer year (on his contract) than Sandoval. I think Sandoval would be better off outside of Boston. I think he’s been eaten whole there.”

“That trade actually would make some sense.”

Dodgers “Their injuries would decimate most teams. They’ll be at least in the mix, hanging around at mid-season. Then they can get guys back or add guys.”

“They have the most depth of any team in baseball.”

“They can win (the West) again – but I’d take the Giants or Diamondbacks.”

“I still don’t understand what the Dodgers do. It seems like they spend a lot of time trying to bottom-fill the roster. It’s like Tampa, claiming a guy from some team, sending out a guy from their team – repeatedly. Maybe you hit on a guy, but this is the Dodgers. Then they don’t sign their No. 1 draft pick last year.”

“I don’t think their young pitching is ready.”

“(Yasiel) Puig is in better shape. He played hard. He looked pretty good at the plate.”

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“Puig, you’ll have to take the good with the bad. It’ll be better than last year. Then you see him get picked off second base. There’s certain guys you win with and certain guys you don’t win with. When you start having extra sets of rules for someone, I don’t know if that works.”

“They’re depending on two under-sized guys, (Kenta) Maeda and (Scott) Kazmir, to shoulder the load. I think the Maeda guy, the workload gets him. He weighs 160 pounds."

“Most of the successful who come over from Japan have the split-finger. Split isn’t part of Maeda’s repertoire. He’s a slider guy. It’s a pretty good slider. The split-finger differentiates you.”

“Maeda will be fine, especially short-term. He’s a very capable two or three.”

"Maeda missed bats because he will throw any pitch in any count. The stuff looked the same as it did in Japan."

"Kazmir was scary. Not good at all."

“The guy that didn’t look good was Kazmir. He’s in the mid-80s.”

“They played Trayce Thompson a lot. He looked OK. He’s going to get exposed. Contact is going to be an issue.”

“Carlos Frias looks like a reliever to me.”

“(Andre) Ethier was having a decent camp before he broke his leg."

“I like their 'pen a lot."

"Yimi Garcia, there's a lot of deception there."

“I’d bet a lot of money on (Corey) Seager.”

"Cody Bellinger really impressed me. Looks like he's added some muscle and strength. Real good approach. Hit the ball hard. Good defense at first base."

"(Catcher) Austin Barnes had great at-bats. He looks like a big league player today."

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“I think () Dave Roberts will really help their environment.”

Diamondbacks “They’re far ahead of the Padres.”

"They match up with the Dodgers and Giants. They’ll be right there with them."

“They were very impressive. They’re winning a lot of games here (in the Cactus League). That’s not all bad -- just try to get the culture to do things right. Tony La Russa is a great baseball guy.”

"They play with good edge, with good energy."

"I'm not sold on their bullpen. But they've got a good club."

"Their 'pen concerns me."

"Gonna score runs. Aggressive on basepaths. Great defense. Have a chance to be good for awhile."

"I like Jake Lamb and at third. Drury can play second, too."

"Brandon Drury hit the ball hard. I know they resisted trading him this winter because they like him. I'd take Drury over (Jean) Segura at second base."

"(Nick) Ahmed will win games with his glove. (Chris) Owings looks to be their utility guy. He’s an everyday player for most clubs."

"They really like Brandon Drury. You hear they talked about putting him in the outfield, which would be a mistake. Play him every day in Triple-A if he's not going to get the at-bats."

"Socrates Brito is a great athlete. I like him. If they want to put best lineup out there, it would be Brito in left, (A.J.) Pollock in center and (David) Peralta in right. Brito is better than (Yasmany) Tomas."

Giants "They're the healthiest they've been in years. So, they're hoping to get off to a good start." 8

"They’re Steadie Eddie. They’ll be tough. Just good, smart baseball players. (Bruce) Bochy has enough weapons in the ‘pen and knows how to use them. If (Johnny) Cueto and (Jeff) Smardzija are even 3s, I think they’ll be right there."

"That looks like it’ll be the hardest lineup to get through in the National League."

"Very tough lineup to navigate. They can hurt you in different ways."

"I don’t see a whole lot of holes. You can pick at back end of the rotation. (Dave) Righetti is great with pitching. He’ll figure it out."

"They didn’t have a real good spring. (Matt) Cain’s velocity is down. (Jake) Peavy’s in the 80s."

"Peavy is smart, but I think he’s on his last legs."

"I'd have some concerns on Cain and Peavy getting through the season."

"I really love (Joe) Panik. He just grows on you the more you watch him. Hits good pitching, good closers, plays good D."

"If there’s a weakness, I’d say it’s probably their bullpen. (Sergio) Romo's slider doesn’t have the bite it once had. (Santiago) Casilla, good arm but can be erratic. (George) Kontos didn’t have a good spring. But with Bochy there, I don’t bet against them."

"Denard Span is a major upgrade for them."

"(Christian) Arroyo is a good-looking player."

"Prospects below -- they have some bullpen arms that I think are good. The starting pitching is a little thin, and they have some age in their big league rotation."

"Brandon Belt was incredible in the spring. In a different environment (home ballpark), he could be like a sleeper MVP candidate. He's a good player. I think there's more in there still."

Rockies “Has Colorado been eliminated yet?” 9

“They and the Padres are pretty much non-factors.”

“Defensively, they’ll be good. I think they’ll score a lot of runs. I just don’t see their starting pitching matching up with the big boys. I think San Diego may have better depth in starting pitching.”

“They beefed up the bullpen. Clearly, their strategy is to try to shorten the games.”

“Starting pitching, same old, same old.”

“Their bullpen should be a little stronger this year.”

“Hear they’re doing some interesting sports science.”

“(GM Jeff) Bridich is a smart guy. You hear he could be a better people person.”

“CarGo, I don’t think he’s on their next good team."

“Jordan Lyles has really good stuff. But you don’t’ see a lot of swing and miss against him.”

“(Shortstop) Trevor Story, very impressive. He’s got some pop. He can . He can play defense.”

"Story showed very well defensively."

"(Tommy John alum) looked perfectly healthy."

“’s got a big arm, but they’ve had that in the past. They get to Coors Field and they’re not the same.”

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Zinter returns home to El Paso Padres hitting grew up not far from current site of Southwest University Park By Dennis Lin | 5:53 p.m. March 31, 2016 | Updated, 6:17 p.m. EL PASO, TEXAS — When Alan Zinter accepted the Padres' hitting-coach job in November, his thoughts quickly turned to a personal connection. Since 2014, the organization's Triple-A affiliate has played its home games in El Paso, where Zinter grew up and was named Hanks High School Outstanding Athlete of the Year in 1986. He was drafted by the Padres in the 23rd round that summer but didn't sign, instead going on to star at the University of Arizona. When Zinter did enter , three years later as the ' first- rounder, it was the realization of a lifelong dream. Al Zinter, who played collegiately at the University of Minnesota, taught his toddler son to swing a bat left-handed; Zinter would make his career as a switch-hitting catcher. The two frequented games at , Al Zinter giving Alan Zinter dollar bills to stick through the fence for the players. In high school, he served as an enthusiastic bullpen catcher for the Diablos.

Thursday, before the Padres' exhibition against their own , Zinter stood on the field at Southwest University Park in downtown El Paso. Zinter grew up on the east side of the city, but it made little difference. He was home.

"When I became a Padre, I was, like, 'Sweet! Now I'm part of the Chihuahuas," Zinter said. "Once I found out there was an exhibition game, it was just icing on the cake.

"I am so happy to see El Paso. ... I've got a lot of history with the teams here, so it was sad to see the baseball leave this town (the Diablos went from an Arizona affiliate to an independent-league team in 2005). To have it done like this, first-class, it's awesome."

Zinter, who was inducted into the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, may have the extensive history, but he wasn't the only member of the Padres rekindling memories Thursday. Manager Andy Green played for the Diablos, then a Double-A affiliate, in 2003. Former major league catcher , who is entering his first season as El Paso manager, played here in 1999.

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"This is the first time I've seen Southwest University Park," Green said. He added with a smile: "It's a huge step up from what I got to play in when I was here 13 years ago. It's almost got a major league-type feel to it, so it's a lot for the city to be proud of."

Enhancing that feel, Padres great Trevor Hoffman took the mound before the game, "Hells Bells" playing over the PA system, and delivered the ceremonial first pitch. It was a strike, right into Zinter's glove.

Notable

 Padres No. 2 starter James Shields threw three perfect on 39 pitches in a minor league intrasquad game at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday. He struck out three and was clocked at 93 mph on the radar gun. Shields is scheduled to start against the on Tuesday.  A decision is still forthcoming on whether left-hander Drew Pomeranz will open the season in the bullpen or pitch in the rotation. Green indicated that determination likely would come Friday, after the Padres return to San Diego for the first of two exhibitions against the . No. 3 starter will take the mound Friday. Who starts Saturday remains to be seen.  Members of the Padres front office, including President and CEO Mike Dee and senior vice president Tom Seidler, were among civic and government leaders from San Diego-Tijuana and El Paso-Juárez who participated in the Baseball on the Border Summit in El Paso on Thursday. Other attendees included San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, former Mayor Jerry Sanders and El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser.  The Elmore Sports Group — which owns the Padres' Double-A franchise in San Antonio and the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) — will meet with San Antonio's city council to discuss the possibility of moving the Sky Sox to Texas, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. The Elmore group reportedly has expressed interest in moving the into a voter-approved stadium in Amarillo, Texas. The Missions' affiliation with the Padres is set to expire after the 2016 season. The Padres did not have a comment on the matter.

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Erlin hit hard in El Paso exhibition Padres left-hander allows seven runs in four innings By Dennis Lin | 8:43 p.m. March 31, 2016 | Updated, 9:53 p.m. EL PASO, TEXAS — Before the Padres' exhibition against their own Triple-A affiliate here Thursday, manager Andy Green was asked about 's status relative to the opening-day rotation. Erlin, a 25-year-old lefty, arguably had been San Diego's most consistent starting pitcher this spring. He had recorded a 2.25 ERA in four Cactus League outings and admirably navigated a start against the in the stratosphere of Mexico City. "Every start matters," Green said. "We're always assessing, we're always evaluating. Robbie's had a great spring. When you look at the numbers and you look right at it, he's probably had a better spring than anybody else, and he's right there on the verge of making the major league club, but that's not finalized at this point in time."

So where does Erlin stand after the Padres out-slugged Triple-A El Paso in Thursday night's 13-9 victory, after Erlin surrendered 12 hits and seven runs over four innings filled with the crack of the bat?

"He’s had a great spring, and he’s right in the mix still," Green said after the game. "I think we’re going to sit down tomorrow, and I think that’s the day we hash it all out and finally make a decision between him and Colin (Rea) and Drew Pomeranz, and try to determine what’s best for us going forward (in the rotation). You kind of wish somebody would’ve really separated themselves, but they've all had that outing where it wasn’t ideal."

The setting, amid the altitude of El Paso, may have made Thursday's evaluation a bit difficult. Had Rea and Pomeranz, the other primary contenders for the two remaining starter jobs, pitched here, they may not have fared much better. The two teams combined for 38 hits (18 by the Chihuahuas; 20, including six home runs, by the Padres). Rule 5 pickup Jabari Blash and outfield prospect each boomed two home runs. , who started for San Diego in center field and who isn't known for his power, got in on the spree, picking up a two-run blast.

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Still, for Erlin, this was far from an ideal result. He walked none and struck out four, but overall, the Chihuahuas weren't fooled. In the first , El Paso appeared to be taking batting practice, collecting three runs on six hits.

"He was trying to get through the lineup with the fastball-change-up combo," Green said. "The fastball was leaking back over the middle of the plate when he was trying to attack in. For me, at some point in time, you’ve got to make the adjustment a little bit quicker and get to the curveball earlier in the inning. I think there were six hits before he got to the curveball."

Said Erlin: "Bottom line is, (you have to) go out and get outs. Wasn’t really effective at doing that. There’s been some stuff that we’ve been working on that’s been really effective, and I feel like I didn’t do a great job of executing that, the first two innings especially."

Erlin sandwiched a scoreless third inning by yielding two scores in the second and the fourth. He has one minor league option left, and though he's likely to start in the majors at some point this season, Thursday's showing provided at least some reason the Padres might wait a bit.

"That’s how the season goes; you want to see guys rebound," Green said. "The reality is, we’ve got to make a decision for the 25-man roster here pretty quickly."

The deadline to set 25-man rosters is 9 a.m. Sunday.

Blash, who the Union-Tribune this week reported is expected to make the team, squared off with Renfroe in a contest of which could hit the ball farther. After Renfroe obliterated a two-run in the bottom of the first, Blash tied the game in the second with a three-run swat. Blash pulled ahead with a two-run homer in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, Renfroe went deep again, driving in three runs.

Blash finished 4-for-5 — his other two hits were doubles — with five RBIs. He has a team-leading six home runs this preseason. (It should be noted that Blash, who's

14 dominated Triple-A pitching in his career, had a three-home-run game in this same ballpark in 2014.)

"I hope I did enough to make the squad and be a part of this chapter with the guys," Blash said. "I have no control other than come to the ballpark and do my best to show the front office what I can do. This has been fun, it’s been a grind, and I’m definitely hoping to be a part of the 2016 Padres."

In the ninth, veteran , who is competing for a utility job, homered for the fourth consecutive game. First-base prospect Trae Santos and catcher Austin Hedges also belted solo shots for the Padres that inning.

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Roster rankings: No. 1 Tyson Ross Sizing up the players on the Padres’ 40-man roster. By Jeff Sanders | 8 a.m. April 1, 2016

No. 1 Tyson Ross  Position: Right-handed starting pitcher  2016 age:28  Contract status: Agreed to a one-year, $9.65 million contract to avoid arbitration; Arbitration-eligible for a third time in 2017.  Key stats: 10-12, 3.26 ERA, 212 , 84 walks, 1.31 WHIP, 196 IP (33 starts).  Trending: Idle – With good reason, new Padres manager Andy Green named Tyson Ross his Opening Day starter on the first day of official workouts in February. The 2014 All-Star set career-bests in innings, strikeouts and fielding independent pitching (2.98), reduced his home run rate to 0.4 per nine innings and struck out more batters per nine innings (9.7) than any other point in his career. That his ERA jumped only slightly from 2.81 to 3.26 is a testament to how filthy his stuff was, even with Ross walking a major league-high 84 batters. Case in point: Ross’ slider – thrown more often than anyone else’s in baseball – fetched a .532 OPS from opposing hitters, down from .569 last year, and had a higher weighted value (22.6), according to fangraphs.com, than all starting pitchers outside Francisco Liriano (23.2) and Chris Archer (22.7). As such, Ross – who is still two years away from free agency – was the most-asked-about commodity as the Padres received trade offers last summer and again this offseason.  2016 outlook: Improving his command is one way Ross – who led the NL with 14 wild pitches and saw his WHIP balloon to its highest point in three years in San Diego – can launch himself into the upper echelon of pitching. Having more to rely on than a world-class slider is another, and Ross spent a good deal of spring training attempting to phase both a cutter and a work-in-progress change-up into his repertoire. Ross will lead the charge into the season on Opening Day against three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and is a big key to the future of the Padres, whether they decide to offer him a long-term extension or fetch a massive haul in prospects on the trade market.

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Tyson's punchout pitch among MLB's best Slider highlights impressive arsenal for Padres' Opening Day starter By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 12:00 AM ET

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Tyson Ross rocks into his windup, his commanding 6-foot-6 frame made more imposing by the pedestal of dirt he stands upon. He starts with a high leg kick and follows with a short stride toward the plate. He brings his arm back deliberately, then violently snaps it forward, letting go of the baseball.

To the opposing hitter, it's undeniably a fastball for 90 percent of its trajectory toward home plate -- a fastball with one of the sharpest bites in the league, mind you. And just when it's time for that hitter to commit and swing at the fastball, the bottom drops out.

Slider. Whiff. Opening Day cover "It's the best slider I've seen," said catcher Austin Hedges, who backstopped Ross 17 times last season. "It's No. 1 in my opinion. It's a fastball for so long. For it to move that much, that late, there's really no explanation for how he can make a pitch do that."

"It's a devastating pitch," said Padres manager Andy Green. "There's very few in the game that have something that works that effectively to end at-bats against righties and lefties. It's right at the top of the game in my mind, and I'm not in the minority."

For practically his entire baseball life, Ross has been throwing the slider. He learned it when he was 11 years old, playing Little League ball in Oakland, and hasn't stopped throwing it since.

"It just kind of worked with my arm slot, and it came natural to me," Ross says. "Over the years, I've thrown thousands of them. Just with those repetitions and figuring out how it comes out of my hand and how it spins, it's just grown over the years."

It's grown into one of the sport's most prodigious pitches. Of Ross' 212 strikeouts last season, he finished off 149 with the slider, according to Fangraphs. Throughout his career, opponents are hitting an anemic .197/.251/.269 against it.

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So what makes the pitch so tough? "As far as movement goes, it's never the same," said Derek Norris, the man who will catch Ross for the season opener against the Dodgers on Monday. "It's never the same break -- I think the randomness of the pitch has more effect than the actual pitch itself."

In essence, that one pitch plays the role of three -- cutter, slider and curve -- along with all the gray area in between. Ross reiterates that he doesn't have as much control over the precise arc of the pitch as people think. But Norris counters by saying that the unpredictability might make it even more dangerous.

To be clear: Ross is much more than a one-pitch pitcher. His sinker induces some of the weakest contact in baseball, most of it on the ground. (Ross had a 68 percent ground-ball rate with the pitch last season.) He also possesses a that he has used to great success against left-handed hitters.

But Ross' arsenal isn't anything new. When he went 6-18 with a 5.33 ERA in three seasons with the A's, he was throwing those same pitches.

The Padres traded for Ross in November 2012, giving up and . It was the fresh start Ross had been looking for.

"I struggled big-time in Oakland, was really inconsistent," Ross said. "I came to San Diego [and got] the chance to work with [pitching coach] Darren Balsley, who's had so much success as far as getting pitchers back on track.

"They believed in me, gave me a chance to start here. It was just a clean slate overall, and it was a great opportunity for me. I just told myself I'm going to work hard and make the most of it and see what happens."

What happened was a career rebirth. In three seasons with the Padres, Ross owns a 3.07 ERA and has allowed just 7.6 hits per nine innings. If he can reduce his walk rate, some are mentioning Ross as a fringe Cy Young candidate.

Balsley thinks Ross is already a top-five pitcher in the National League -- with room to grow. How exactly did Ross get to that point from the shaken, struggling hurler who came over from Oakland?

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"Confidence doesn't hurt," said Balsley. "It wasn't that he didn't have any confidence before, but now he knows he's good, and he expects to go out there and dominate. He pretty much knows that if he throws well, he's going to dominate the baseball game."

Confidence. And one of the nastiest sliders in the sport.

"I'm biased," said Balsley when asked where Ross' slider ranks, before pausing for effect. "It's probably the best."

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Blash's 2 HRs lead Padres' punch parade San Diego goes yard 6 times in win over Triple-A El Paso By Felix Chavez / Special to MLB.com | 12:21 AM ET

EL PASO, Texas -- Jabari Blash has flashed his power all spring for the Padres. On Thursday night at Southwest University Park, he slammed a pair of home runs -- two of the six dingers hit by San Diego overall -- in helping the Padres to a 13-9 win in an exhibition game against the El Paso Chihuahuas, their Triple-A affiliate, in front of 10,022 fans.

It was the first time a team has played in El Paso since 2003, when the Diamondbacks played the Double-A El Paso Diablos.

The 26-year-old Blash, who served as the designated hitter, added a double and scored a run in a three-run sixth.

Blash is still hoping to lock up a spot on the Opening Day roster. His big night could not have hurt his cause.

"I hope I did enough to make the squad and be a part of the next chapter with these guys," Blash said. Outfielder Travis Jankowski, who starred for El Paso last summer, belted a two-run blast after Blash's double to make it 9-7. Outfielder Edwin Moreno added a run-scoring single in the seventh to make it 10 - 7.

Blash finished 4-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, three runs scored and five RBIs. Adam Rosales, Austin Hedges and Trae Santos each added a solo home run in the top of the ninth for San Diego for the final margin.

San Diego outhit El Paso, 20-18. El Paso added runs in the seventh and eighth to cut the lead to 10-9. Luis Perdomo was the winning pitcher. He gave up one run in two innings.

After falling behind 3-0, the Padres took a 4-3 lead in the top of the second. The big blast was a three-run homer by Blash off El Paso starter Carlos Pimentel. It was Blash's fifth homer of the spring. Blash added his sixth homer of the spring in the fourth, a two-run shot to put San Diego up 7-5. The Chihuahuas took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Hunter Renfroe two-run homer over the 400-foot sign in center field. Yeison Asencio added an RBI single for the Chihuahuas, who treated staring 20 pitcher Robbie Erlin rudely with six hits. Erlin pitched last season for El Paso and had a 2.25 ERA in four appearances entering Thursday's game.

El Paso came back in the bottom of the second with two more runs. Renfroe drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, while Nick Noonan drove in a run on a groundout. Erlin gave up nine hits in the first two innings.

Renfroe, a top Padres prospect, showed off his power again in the fourth with a two-run homer off Erlin to tie the game at 7. Renfroe finished with six RBIs on the night. Erlin, who is battling for a spot on the Padres roster, went four innings, gave up seven runs on 12 hits.

"I feel good out there, it's been a good spring and I'm injury-free," Renfroe said. "It was a great atmosphere playing here in El Paso against the Padres. El Paso has the best fans in the league. It's just a neat atmosphere."

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Padres hit 6 homers in exhibition win over Triple-A El Paso 10 hours ago AP - Sports

EP PASO, Texas (AP) -- Jabari Blash hit two of San Diego's six homers, and the Padres beat Triple- A El Paso 13-9 in an exhibition on Thursday night.

Blash belted a three-run shot in the second that tucked just inside of the foul pole in left. He connected for a two-run shot in the fourth that lifted San Diego to a 6-5 lead against its top minor league affiliate.

''It's always good to put the ball in play hard, it was a fun day,'' said Blash, who homered three times in Southwestern University Park two years ago when he was with Tacoma. ''This ballpark has always done right by me. The ball flies through the air. I feel like I'm close to getting where I need to be. I'm looking forward to 2016.''

Blash, a Rule 5 pick from Seattle, also doubled twice and scored three times.

''I hope I did enough to make the squad and be part of the next chapter with these guys,'' Blash said.

Adam Rosales, Travis Jankowski, Trae Santos and Austin Hedgesalso homered for the Padres, who finished with 20 hits.

Luis Perdomo gave up one run in two innings to get the victory.

Hunter Renfroe was 3 for 4 with two home runs, a sacrifice fly and six RBIs for El Paso.

STARTING TIME

Padres starter Robbie Erlin, in a fight for San Diego's final rotation spot, didn't help himself with a rocky outing. He allowed seven runs on 12 hits in four innings, and it would have been worse if the Chihuahuas hadn't handed him two outs on the base paths during a three-run first. The highlight there was a 460-foot two-run homer from Renfroe.

''He's got to make adjustments a little quicker, go to the curve ball a little quicker,'' manager Andy Green said. ''But he's had a great spring and he's right in the mix.''

ROSTER CRUNCH

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Depending on how San Diego uses the disabled list, Green is looking at trimming about 10 players off the current roster before Monday's opener, many of whom will start the season in El Paso.

''These are some hard decisions, some aren't as clear cut as you'd like them to be,'' Green said. ''But a lot of guys we send down are going to be back up midway through the season. This is pretty close to the opening day lineup, but we're not all the way there now.''

The big decisions will involve the final two spots in the rotation and in the bullpen, left field and backup catcher.

BACK IN EL PASO

Green played for the Double-A El Paso Diablos in 2003 when they were an affiliate of the . He remembers living in a two-bedroom apartment.

''My mother came to visit, I had a roommate so we didn't have a room for her,'' he said. ''She had to sleep in the closet.''

HOMECOMING

The trip to El Paso was a welcome one for new Padres hitting coach Alan Zinter, a native of the city who went to high school there in the 1980s. He was given the honor of catching the first pitch Thursday from Padres adviser Trevor Hoffman.

''I remember growing up, going to Dudley Field (the original home of the Diablos) and sticking dollar bills through the fence,'' he said. ''Then I was a bullpen catcher for the Diablos. There's a lot of history here. ... When I found out we were going to have an exhibition game here, I was excited.''

UP NEXT

Padres: Host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday afternoon.

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