Padres Press Clips Thursday, August 30, 2018

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Padres notes: Urias’ bomb that wasn’t; Renfroe’s accidental bomb; SD Union Tribune Acee 2 Lucchesi’s laughing matter

Urias, Lucchesi lift Padres past Mariners for season’s first sweep SD Union Tribune Acee 5

Padres needed a win, not another losing lesson SD Union Tribune Acee 8

Padres announce 2019 schedule SD Union Tribune Sanders 12

Colin Rea pitches El Paso to 80th win SD Union Tribune Sanders 14

Padres’ young bats crank way to win vs. Seattle MLB.com Cassavell 17

Urias collects 1st 3 hits in 2nd big league game MLB.com Cassavell 20

Looking back at Padres’ best stretch-drive run MLB.com MLB.com 21

Lucchesi, long balls carry Padres to 8-3 win over Mariners AP AP 26

This Day in Padres History, 8/30 FriarWire Center 29

Urias has 3 hits, Lucchesi dominates in Padres’ 8-3 win over AP Wilson 30 Seattle

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Padres notes: Urias' bomb that wasn't; Renfroe's accidental bomb; Lucchesi's laughing matter

Kevin Acee

Luis Urias has been all the Padres could have hoped in his first two major league games.

He was almost even more.

After walking once in his debut, Urias was 3-for-5 with a double in Wednesday’s 8-3 victory over the Mariners.

And for a minute, he had his first major league — before a replay review found Urias’ opposite-field shot tailed just wide of the right-field foul pole.

“It was kind of fine,” he said later. “When I was running to first base, I thought it the pole at the end. But the replay, it doesn’t lie, right?”

Funny, after all

Catcher ’ face was full of concern as he knelt next to Joey Lucchesi, the rookie in clear pain after being hit by a line drive in the very sensitive groin area.

As it became clear Lucchesi was not seriously hurt, Hedges covered his face with his glove. A minute later, as Lucchesi had walked off the shot and was beginning his warm-ups, all of the Padres stood watching with their gloves over their faces.

They were concealing smiles.

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“We’re all boys,” Lucchesi said after the game. “It’s pretty funny I got hit there. And I was all right, so I guess it’s OK to laugh at.”

Lucchesi proceeded to strike out the next five batters en route to a career-high 6 2/3 innings and the victory.

Accidentally deep

Hunter Renfroe says his home runs are often accidents.

Like Wednesday’s 389-footer to left field. With runners on second and third in the third inning, Renfroe reached out with a swing clearly intending to just get his second sacrifice fly of the game.

“That was just a change-up,” Renfroe said. “Chipped it.”

It was Renfroe’s ninth home run in his past 22 games, tied for second-most in the majors in that span (since Aug. 5). His four RBIs Wednesday gave him 26 RBIs in his past 23 games.

His 17 home runs are three fewer than team leader Christian Villanueva, who is almost certainly done for the season after fracturing the middle finger of his throwing hand last week.

Extra bases

• Manuel Margot went 3-for-4 with a double and home run and is batting .308/.293/.513 in his past 11 starts, all in the seventh or eighth spot in the batting order. In his previous 13 starts, all hitting first or second, Margot’s line was .213/.203/.344. • Eric Hosmer was 3-for-5, tying his season high for hits in a game (eight times). He entered the game with one hit in his previous 25 at-bats. • The Padres not only got their first sweep of a series but swept the Mariners for the first time since June 18-19, 2014. The teams split two and the Mariners swept two of their two-game series since then. The teams, who have played at

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least four games every year since 1997, play twice more, Sept. 11 and 12 in Seattle. The Padres last won the season series in 2012. • Rookie right-hander Colten Brewer, making his first appearance since being activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, allowed two runs in the eighth inning. He had allowed no runs and just one baserunner in his previous three appearances (2 1/3 innings). • The Padres drove in two runs on sacrifice flies Wednesday (Renfroe and Lucchesi). Their 15 sacrifice flies lead the since the All-Star break and rank third in the majors behind the Rays’ and Yankees’ 16. In the first half, the Padres ranked last in the NL and second-to-last in the majors with 17 sacrifice flies. The Padres ranked 28th in the majors with 3.7 runs per game in the first half and rank 25th with 4.1 runs per game since the break.

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Urias, Lucchesi lift Padres past Mariners for season's first sweep

Kevin Acee

In the Luis Urias Era, the Padres have not lost.

Facetiousness implied. But not entirely.

The 21-year-old Urias, in his second game since being promoted from Triple-A, on Wednesday got his first three major league hits as the Padres beat the 8-3 at Petco Park.

“When you’ve got a young guy with high expectations, it changes everything a little bit,” Freddy Galvis said. “He’s changed the momentum since the first play he made in the first inning (Tuesday). You can see a new energy on the team. Two days and two wins. … The kid gives a lot of energy. He plays hard, he knows how to take pitches, he knows how to get on base. That’s extra, extra energy you give to the team.”

The victory gave the Padres, who have been swept nine times, their first sweep of 2018.

This was just a two-game set against the Mariners. But the Padres, at 52-83 overall and losers of five straight and 11 of 13 coming in, were swept in three of their previous four two-game series.

Oh, and the Padres are pitching with precision and toughness, too, in this new epoch ushered in by Tuesday’s arrival of Urias, the 5-foot-9 dynamo who is the first of the Padres’ top-tier prospects to arrive in the big leagues.

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After Jacob Nix came within two outs of a complete-game shutout Tuesday, fellow rookie Joey Lucchesi allowed one run and struck out nine in pitching a career-high 6 2/3 innings Wednesday.

Give Lucchesi co-headliner status among the rookies who shone Wednesday — Urias the sparkplug at second base and in the batter’s box, Lucchesi the tough guy on the mound.

The 25-year-old left-hander took a line drive to the groin, picked up the ball and threw to first base to get the first out of the fourth inning before crumpling to his knees and staying on the infield grass for a couple minutes.

“It woke me up for sure,” said Luchessi, who has a 3.18 ERA and has struck out 36 over 28 1/3 innings in his past five starts. “I was like, ‘All right, let’s attack these guys and keep going.’ ”

Lucchesi (7-7) remained in the game, struck out the next five batters and retired 10 of 11 before a two-out walk to Cameron Maybin and a single by Mariners relief pitcher Roenis Elias ended his day with two out in the seventh inning.

“The ball back off of him, to get right back up and finish that play, a lot of pitchers end up staying on the ground in that moment,” said. “He recovered and was able to keep going.”

It was just the second time in his 21 starts that Lucchesi lasted into the seventh, as he tied his high of nine and threw a career-high 108 pitches.

Deftly locating his fastball and keeping his churve down in a manner he could not do consistently for good portions of the past two months, Lucchesi allowed his only run Wednesday on two singles and a stolen base in the first inning. Half of the Mariners’ six hits against him came in the first inning, and they got just one after the third.

The Padres supported Lucchesi by getting 11 of their 13 hits and scoring all of their runs in the first five innings.

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They took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first on Galvis’ single, the first of ’ two walks, the first of Eric Hosmer’s three hits and a sacrifice fly by . Manuel Margot hit a home run in the second, and Renfroe sent a ball to the second balcony of the Western Metal Building in the third for a three-run homer. Margot also doubled in a run in the fifth.

The third inning also featured the first major-league hit (a single) by Urias and the first major-league RBI (on a sacrifice fly) by Lucchesi.

Urias, who debuted Tuesday, rounded the bases with what appeared to be his first home run in Wednesday’s fourth inning. But the shot down the right-field line was ruled foul after a replay review. Urias ended up grounding out in that at-bat but doubled in the sixth and added a single in the eighth.

He has reached base in four of nine plate appearances.

“It’s been two games so far, I know,” he said. “It’s fun. That’s a big part that I can help the team to win. I’m just going to try to keep doing the same thing.”

The small sample size doesn’t mean it’s not a reflection of what the Padres mean to be with him in the lineup.

“You add one of these young guys to the mix and it buoys everybody else,” Green said. “It's no secret that we've talked about a lot of these guys for a while. I think it causes guys here to fixate on those guys to a degree and think about when they show up. And he shows up and gets on base, it helps.”

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Analysis | Padres needed a win, not another losing lesson

Kevin Acee

Craig Stammen sat in a chair in the visitors’ clubhouse at Dodger Stadium late Sunday afternoon following another loss that completed another series sweep and essentially without prompting said, “Losing stinks.”

A little more than 48 hours later, after the Padres beat the Mariners, Stammen played one-on-one against Brett Kennedy on a mini basketball hoop in the home team’s clubhouse at Petco Park as music blared from a nearby speaker.

Stammen is 34 years old, a veteran of nine major league seasons, has come back from career-threatening injury. He has a toddler son and a beautiful wife and a contract that pays him millions. Later in Sunday’s conversation, he relayed the eternal theme of a sermon he heard earlier in the day. He has perspective.

And in the moments after the Padres’ 83rd loss of this season, he looked like a great physical weight was pushing him deeper into his seat. And in the moments after their 51st victory, he was smiling and joking freely.

Stammen didn’t pitch Sunday or Tuesday. But he has pitched in 60 games this season and has worked virtually every day since spring training to remain in shape and stay sharp. He has both counseled and ceded pitching time to rookie relievers. His calmly sharing wisdom has helped pitchers every bit as much as A.J. Ellis’ intensely sharing wisdom has helped position players.

“Losing wears on you,” Stammen said Wednesday, in the hours before the Padres played (and beat) Seattle again.

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And that is why manager Andy Green pulled Jacob Nix on Tuesday night after the rookie allowed a home run with one out in the ninth inning on just his 79th pitch of the game.

“It’s tough when you lead an entire baseball game if you’re just going to let a lead slip away late,” Green said Wednesday morning. “Those are tough things for guys to endure in here, and it hurts the collective atmosphere. So you do what you think is best to win a baseball game. And then there’s other opportunities where guys are thrown in the fire and they work their way through that.”

Green has left young pitchers on the mound plenty of times this season. He has constructed lineups differently on several occasions than he would if he had a greater choice of proven position players. He will run out four rookie starting pitchers through the end of the season. He has a bullpen recently rife with young arms.

But on this night, Green felt the best growth opportunity was winning.

There were 10 other players who participated in Tuesday’s game and deserved for their manager to do everything possible for them to win a game in which they made a number of excellent defensive plays and got just enough hits and were basking in Luis Urias’ debut.

Green believes Nix could have finished Tuesday’s game.

“Absolutely,” the manager said.

He believes Nix will finish a game — and maybe soon. He could hardly be any more pleased with the rookie who was called up to make his debut fewer than three weeks ago.

But Green also knew Mariners batters were getting their fourth look at Nix and he felt closer Kirby Yates matched up well with the next batter, Denard Span. Indeed, Yates retired Span on a ground ball before striking out to preserve the 2-1 victory.

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It shouldn’t be discounted that Yates hadn’t pitched since allowing a walk-off home run Thursday in Colorado, his third loss in four appearances that was the result of a ninth-inning home run. Yates kind of needed Tuesday, too.

It also shouldn’t be discounted the benefit of Hunter Renfroe’s 22nd RBI in his past 22 games mattering. The Padres lost exactly two-thirds of the first 21 of those games. Tuesday, Renfroe’s fourth-inning single that drove in Wil Myers served as the deciding run.

“It sucks to lose,” Renfroe said Tuesday. “When you prepare and do what we do every single day in the process of trying to win and you go in day and day out and battle your ass off and to lose this many games, it sucks. It’s just hard on the psyche to go through it.”

Renfroe, 26, understands the process. His gaining experience is an essential part of it.

“You’re going to have growing pains,” he said. “I think you’re seeing a lot of good things coming out of it.

Multiple veterans queried for this story volunteered that they are on board with the reality of a team in transition needing to devote a good amount of energy to teaching and sometimes sacrificing victory in the name of growth.

But there has been a subtle change in the clubhouse atmosphere after losses, of which there were 11 in the 13 games leading up to Tuesday, including five straight. Among those have been seven games in which the Padres were down by at least two runs after two innings and four in which they scored two or fewer runs.

The Padres have basically found every which way to lose lately.

“These pitchers, they don’t want to give up six runs, and we don’t want to strike out,” Renfroe said. “But when you’re going up there and it’s the second inning and it’s 6-0 or you’re a pitcher and they’re going into their seventh inning pitched and it’s 0-0, you’re like, ‘Come on, man. You gotta help us out here or there.’

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“You want to help your team, and you try so hard. It just comes up short sometimes. You’ve got to keep grinding. … It gets hard. Nothing gets under my skin; that’s how I am. But it does suck.”

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Padres announce 2019 spring training schedule

Jeff Sanders

The Padres and Mariners apparently can’t get enough of each other.

The two teams will open their 2019 Cactus League schedules with a game at their shared Peoria Sports Complex on Feb. 23, close their spring slates with two exhibition games at Safeco Field and play home-and-home regular season series in (April 23-24) and in Seattle (Aug. 6-7).

Padres pitchers and will report Feb. 13. The first full-squad workout is set for Feb. 18.

The Padres will play 15 of their 31 games next spring in Peoria.

Camp will break after a March 24 game at Peoria against the Cubs, followed by the two-game exhibition series at Safeco Field. The Padres will host the Giants on March 28 for a 1:10 p.m. first pitch on .

The full spring schedule follows:

• Feb. 23: at Mariners • Feb. 24: vs. White Sox • Feb. 25: at Cubs • Feb. 26: at Brewers • Feb. 27: vs. D-backs • Feb. 28: at Royals • March 1: at Dodgers • March 2: vs. Giants • March 3: at Rangers • March 4: vs. Indians • March 5: vs. Mariners, at White Sox 12

• March 6: at Reds • March 7: vs. Rangers • March 8: at Athletics • March 9: vs. Reds • March 10: at Royals • March 12: vs. Athletics, at Reds • March 13: at Angels • March 14: vs. Dodgers • March 15: at Brewers • March 16: vs. Royals, at Giants • March 17: vs. Angels • March 18: at Indians • March 19: at D-backs • March 20: vs. Brewers • March 22: at Rockies • March 23: vs. Angels • March 24: vs. Cubs • March 25: at Mariners at Safeco Field • March 26: at Mariners at Safeco Field

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Minors pitches El Paso to 80th win

Jeff Sanders

Colin Rea threw five shutout innings, Shane Peterson hit a three-run homer and Triple-A El Paso outlasted host Fresno, 6-3, on Wednesday night for the Chihuahuas’ franchise-record 80 with.

The 28-year-old Rea, on the comeback from his 2016 Tommy John surgery, is 3-2 with a 5.05 ERA in 46 1/3 innings since moving his rehab to the . There, after allowed just three walks, striking out three and giving up one hit Wednesday, he has struck out 44 and allowed a .291 batting average to opposing hitters.

Peterson (.283) also singled and walked, while Forrestt Allday (.279) and (.316) each had two hits.

Catcher Raffy Lopez (.272) tripled in two runs.

Right-hander (1.99) stranded a ninth-inning single to save his ninth game.

El Paso is 80-54 and has already clinched its division.

Logan All honored

A winner in four straight starts in the Pacific Coast League, left-hander Logan Allenwas honored on Wednesday as the Texas League’s pitcher of the year.

Before his promotion, Allen was 10-6 with a 2.75 ERA, 125 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP in 121 innings with Double-A San Antonio. Opposing hitters had a .205 batting average against Allen, who rose into MLB.com’s top-100 rankings (85) for the first time in his career. He is ranked No. 8 in the Padres’ system.

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Patino shut down

Right-hander Luis Patino was a healthy shutdown in the after throwing 83 1/3 eye-opening innings in the Midwest League. He was 6-3 with a 2.16 ERA, 98 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP.

Opposing hitters managed a .220 batting average against Patino, who rose to No. 12 in MLB.com’s Padres prospect rankings.

The 18-year-old Patino had thrown just 56 innings before this season as a professional.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (25-38, 70-63)

• Midland 5, Missions 4 (10): In his first start of the season, LHP Travis Radke(2.25) struck out four and allowed a run on four hits and no walks in five innings. RHP Eric Yardley (2-4, 3.49) allowed two runs – one earned – in 1 1/3 innings in the loss. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.259) hit his fourth homer and drove in three runs and 1B Kyle Overstreet (.272) hit his ninth homer.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (30-35, 64- 71)

• Inland Empire 8, Storm 3: RHP Pedro Avila (7-9, 4.27) struck out 11 but allowed three runs – one earned – on five hits and two walks in five innings in the loss. DH Luis Torrens (.281) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (31-33, 63-70)

• TinCaps 3, Lake County 1: LHP Tom Cosgrove (3-6, 3.87) struck out four and allowed a run on seven hits and no walks in six innings in the win. RHP Evan 15

Miller (2.45) struck out three in the ninth to record his sixth save. C Michael Cantu (.313) went 2-for-3 and hit his third homer and 3B Owen Miller (.384) and RF Aldemar Burgos (.187) each had two hits. DH Esteury Ruiz (.248) went 1-for-4 with two steals (45).

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (16-16, 34-36)

• Dust Devils 5, Spokane 3: RHP Efrain Contreras (1-0, 0.00) closed the game with four strikeouts over three shutout innings of no-hit ball. He walked one. LF Michael Curry (.253) hit his second homer and drove in four urns and C Blake Hunt (.267) went 2-for-3 with a double and his third homer.

Transactions

• C Luis Roman was transferred from El Paso to the AZL Padres. • LHP Joey Cantillo was transferred from AZL Padres2 to Fort Wayne • RHP Nick Kuzia was transferred from Tri-City to Fort Wayne. • RHP Luis Patino was transferred from Fort Wayne to the AZL Padres. • RHP Dylan Coleman was transferred from Fort Wayne to the AZL Padres.

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Padres' young bats crank way to win vs. Seattle

Lucchesi earns win after 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball

By AJ Cassavell

SAN DIEGO -- There's a clear blueprint for the offense of the future in San Diego. It was on full display Wednesday afternoon.

Within the organization, the Padres feel as though the most critical pieces are already in place for a lineup that could ultimately carry them toward annual contention in the . In an 8-3 victory over the Mariners at Petco Park, that offense of the future looked an awful lot like the offense of the present.

Hunter Renfroe -- whose development at the plate over the past two months has been astounding -- smashed a three-run homer in the third inning and had four RBIs. Manuel Margot homered as well, and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Eric Hosmer and new callup Luis Urias had three hits apiece.

"I think that's how it's supposed to be drawn up," said Renfroe, who now has nine homers and a .950 OPS in August.

Perhaps most notably, Urias -- the top second-base prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline -- sprayed line drives all over the ballpark. The 21-year-old earned his callup on Tuesday, and he's wasted no time making an impact.

Urias notched his first career hit in the third, an opposite-field single, and he received a standing ovation. In the fourth, he came inches shy of his first career homer, which was overturned after a replay review. No matter, he doubled in the sixth and singled in the eighth, completing a 3-for-5 afternoon.

"I'm very excited, very happy," Urias said. "We won the two games [against the Mariners], and that's what's great."

Sure, it's only one game in late August. San Diego remains 31 games under .500, and long-term questions persist at several key spots.

But the outline is in place. Along with the top second baseman, the Padres also own the game's best catching and shortstop prospects in Francisco Mejia and Fernando Tatis Jr., respectively. By early next season, both should be making an impact at the Major League level.

"Every one of these young guys we add to the mix buoys everybody else," said Padres manager Andy Green. "It's been no secret we've talked about these guys for a while."

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If everything goes according to the plans of general manager A.J. Preller, the Padres should boast a pretty potent offense in the next year or two. When they do, it's supposed to look an awful lot like it looked Wednesday afternoon.

JOEY EN FUEGO The eight-run, 13-hit outburst was plenty of support for rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi, who was excellent over 6 2/3 innings -- the longest outing of his impressive rookie season. Lucchesi struck out nine and allowed just one run on six hits.

Lucchesi had mostly struggled since he returned from a right hip strain in June. But he's looked sharp in four of his last five outings now.

"He's pitched very, very well," Green said. "It's going to be an outstanding rookie campaign for him. … There's a lot to be encouraged by."

On Wednesday, Lucchesi eclipsed the 100-inning plateau and lowered his ERA to 3.59 in the process. Since 2001, only one Padres rookie has thrown at least 100 innings with a lower mark - - in 2011.

THAT'S GOTTA HURT Lucchesi's outing came into some doubt in the top of the fourth inning when Ryon Healy hit a comebacker at Lucchesi's midsection. Lucchesi scrambled to field the ball and delivered an accurate throw to first.

Then, he was down for the count.

Understandably so. Replays showed that Healy's liner caromed off the heel of Lucchesi's glove and into his groin area. His teammates converged on the mound. When they realized Lucchesi would be OK, they covered their faces with their gloves, an attempt to conceal laughter.

"That woke me up, for sure," Lucchesi said. "Then I was like, 'All right, I'll just attack these guys and keep going.'"

Sure enough, Lucchesi struck out each of the next five hitters, and he wouldn't allow another hit until there were two outs in the seventh.

HE SAID IT "You look back at when me, [Austin Hedges], Margot, [Carlos] Asuaje all got called up on the same day [in 2016] and how we all felt when we got our first hit. Then you look to these guys, and it's awesome to see. It's awesome to be a part of that and to be almost a veteran now. You know how it feels when you see that smile on their face." -- Renfroe, on Urias' first hit

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY Urias' fourth-inning drive was initially ruled a home run by first-base umpire Ben May. He rounded the bases and celebrated with his teammates in the dugout, while the Mariners asked for a crew chief review. It was eventually granted, and replays showed that the ball struck the fence to the right of the foul pole, negating Urias' blast. He'd ground out two pitches later.

"That's the most painful home run overturn I've ever been a part of," Green said.

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UP NEXT has spent the past month on the disabled list with a left forearm strain. He's slated to return from the DL on Thursday when the Padres open a four-game series at Petco Park with the Rockies at 7:10 p.m. PT. Lauer finished the first half strong, but slumped after the All-Star break before his injury. He looks to get back on track after three poor starts. Colorado counters with right-hander German Marquez.

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Urias collects 1st 3 hits in 2nd big league game

Rookie also celebrates homer before it's overturned by replay

By AJ Cassavell

SAN DIEGO -- Luis Urias is officially in the hits column. For a moment, the top-ranked second-base prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline found himself in the home run column, too. But Urias will have to settle for a 3-for-5 day and an 8-3 Padres victory instead.

Urias, who earned his promotion to the Majors on Tuesday, notched his first career hit in the bottom of the third inning Wednesday afternoon. He took an 0-1 fastball from Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez to the opposite field for a single.

And he wasn't done.

An inning later, Urias sent an opposite-field blast toward the right-field foul pole. It caromed into the Petco Porch area, and the first-base ump signaled home run. Urias rounded the bases and was mobbed by his teammates in the home dugout -- only for the celebration to come to an abrupt halt.

"It was kind of fun, you know," said Urias, who is rated as the No. 22 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. "When I was running to first base, I thought it hit the pole, but in the end, the replay doesn't lie, right?"

During a crew chief review, replays showed that the ball caromed off a fence to the right of the foul pole, negating the homer. Urias would ground out later in the at-bat.

"That's the most painful home run overturn I've ever been a part of," Padres manager Andy Green said.

Urias rebounded nicely. He doubled down the left-field line in the sixth and singled through the hole between short and third in the eighth.

"Nine [plate appearances], and he's hit the ball everywhere," Green said. "That's a good sign."

"I like to put the ball in play," Urias said. "It doesn't matter if I go to right or left field."

Urias is the fourth-ranked prospect in a loaded Padres farm system, which has already begun paying dividends at the big league level this year. In 120 games for Triple-A El Paso this season, Urias batted .296/.398/.447. His hit tool rated as one of the best in the Minor Leagues. At long last, he's putting that hitting prowess on display at Petco Park.

"In the end, it's the same game," Urias said. "It's baseball."

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Looking back at Padres' best stretch-drive run

A look back at the greatest late-season surges in MLB history

MLB.com

When the calendar flips to September, the excitement of the baseball season ratchets up and the margin for error becomes razor thin as teams battle to reach the postseason. There have been many memorable stretch-run performances over the years, and here's a look from all 30 MLB.com beat writers at the best one in each club's history:

Angels, 2002 The Angels went 18-9 in September to secure an Wild Card berth and return to the postseason for the first time since 1986. After defeating the Yankees in the AL Division Series and the Twins in the AL Championship Series, the Halos advanced to the and rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Giants for their first and only championship in franchise history.

Astros, 2004 A star-studded Astros team that included Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell -- along with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jeff Kent, Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman -- underperformed for much of the season and was 56-60 in mid-August. Houston caught fire and went 36-10 down the stretch (20-7 in September), and the Astros secured the National League Wild Card spot on the final day of the season before losing to the Cardinals in seven games in the NL Championship Series.

Athletics, 2012 The A's were five games behind the first-place Rangers with nine to play and won all but one of them, including six in a row to cap the regular season -- the final three against Texas. Oakland erased a 5-1 deficit on the final day of the season to secure sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time all year and claim its first ticket to the playoffs since 2006.

Blue Jays, 2015 The Blue Jays were eight games back of first place when they traded for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on July 28, 2015. In the coming days, general manager Alex Anthopoulos decided to go all-in by acquiring , and reliever Mark Lowe. By Aug. 12, the deficit in the standings was erased and Toronto took over with a half-game lead. The Blue Jays finished 42-18 over their final 60 games, including an 18-9 record in September to secure the club's first division crown since 1993.

Braves, 1993 Fueled by the acquisition of Fred McGriff, the Braves went from 10 games out on July 22 to 3 1/2 games back by the end of August. They completed a 104-win season by winning 22 of their last 29 games. A win combined with a Giants loss on the regular season's final day gave Atlanta its third consecutive NL West title.

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Brewers, 2011 A five-game losing streak through Sept. 10 shaved four and a half games off the Brewers' seemingly safe lead in the NL Central, but they rebounded to win 11 of their final 15 regular- season games to set a franchise record with 96 victories. Milwaukee then beat the D-backs in a five-game NLDS for their first postseason series victory in 29 years before falling to St. Louis in the NLCS.

Cardinals, 1964 Trailing the Phillies by 6 1/2 games with 13 games left on their schedule, the Cardinals surged up the NL standings with 10 wins over the season's final two weeks. They swept the Phillies during an eight-game win streak, clinched the NL pennant on the season's final day and went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series. Forty-seven years later, the Cards followed a similar script, erasing an 8 1/2-game deficit over their final 21 games en route to their 11th World Series championship.

Cubs, 2015 The Cubs needed a late-season surge to win a Wild Card berth in manager 's first season. The team was 19-9 in August and went 23-9 in September/October. The Cubs won their last eight games of the season to finish one game behind the Pirates and three behind the division winner, the Cardinals. They weren't able to clinch the berth with a win. The Cubs had a magic number of one on Sept. 25 but lost to the Bucs. They still secured the Wild Card spot that night when the Giants lost to the A's on the West Coast. threw a complete-game shutout in the Wild Card win over the Pirates and the Cubs beat the Cardinals in the NLDS, but they were swept by the Mets in the NLCS.

D-backs, 2011 The D-backs were just five games up on the second-place Giants after losing 6-2 to San Francisco on Sept. 2. But Arizona responded by taking the next two from the Giants, keying a 16-9 September run that would net them the NL West title and the organization's fifth postseason berth. The D-backs faced off against the Brewers in the NLDS and ended up losing in a five-game thriller on Nyjer Morgan's walk-off single in the 10th.

Dodgers, 1965 In a season when Tommy Davis broke his ankle, Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game and Juan Marichal took a bat to John Roseboro's head, it's easy to overlook that the Dodgers were 4 1/2 games back on Sept. 16, then reeled off 13 straight wins, with Koufax and Don Drysdale getting seven of them. They clinched the pennant with one game left in the regular season, as Koufax threw a four-hit complete game with 13 strikeouts on two days' rest. Then the Dodgers beat the Twins in the World Series, with Koufax throwing a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in Game 7 on two days' rest.

Giants, 1951 Trailing Brooklyn by 13 games on Aug. 11, New York won 37 of its last 44 games to force a best-of-three playoff against the Dodgers for the NL pennant. The showdown ended with perhaps the most celebrated home run in baseball history: Bobby Thomson's three-run clout in the ninth inning of Game 3 that sent the Giants to the World Series.

Indians, 1948 The Indians went 33-4, including an AL-record 22-game winning streak, to finish 2017 as the AL's top seed. The Tribe rattled off 10 in a row to finish the 2013 season, winning a Wild Card 22 spot. The best finish, however, belongs to the 1948 squad. Cleveland went 19-5 down the stretch to earn a one-game playoff against Boston for the AL pennant. The Indians beat the Red Sox, 8-3, and went on to win the World Series against the Boston Braves.

Mariners, 1995 A Seattle franchise that had never made the postseason in its first 18 years put together one of the greatest late-season comebacks in MLB history, making up 11 1/2 games on the Angels in the final 36 games. In a strike-shortened season, the Mariners were 54-55 on Aug. 23, but they finished 25-11 with a "Refuse to Lose" club led by Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner, ultimately winning a one-game tiebreaker with the Halos to claim their first AL West title. The Mariners beat the Yankees, 3-2, in a dramatic AL Division Series before losing to the Indians in six games in the ALCS.

Marlins, 2003 Their season seemingly over after falling 10 games under .500 in May, the Marlins completed their improbable climb into the postseason by going 18-8 in September, overtaking the Phillies for the NL Wild Card spot. Driven by manager Jack McKeon, who replaced in May, Florida went 42-25 after the All-Star break. Leading the late charge was brash right-hander , who posted a 2.08 ERA in five September starts. Beckett went on to become the World Series Most Valuable Player, capping a storybook comeback season.

Mets, 1969 They're called the "Miracle Mets" for a reason. Ten games back in the NL East on Aug. 13, the Mets surged ahead of the Cubs on Sept. 10, punctuating their run with a pair of 1-0 wins in a Sept. 12 doubleheader in Pittsburgh. Pitchers Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell combined for 17 shutout innings and drove home the only runs in those games for the Mets, who wound up winning the division by eight games -- and eventually the World Series, too.

Nationals, 2014 Washington has had the fortune of owning a large lead in September each time it has won the NL East, but the 2014 Nationals were dominant to cap off the season's final month. The Nats went 19-8 in September, their highest of any month that year, en route to clinching the division title on Sept. 16 in Atlanta to secure their spot in the postseason for the second time in team history.

Orioles, 2012 Baltimore went 19-9 in September en route to securing its first playoff berth since 1997. The underdog Orioles put together a season-high six-game win streak from Sept. 16-22 to finish 93- 69 and secure an AL Wild Card berth. The O's went on to win the AL Wild Card Game on the road at Texas, before falling in the ALDS in five games to the Yankees.

Padres, 1996 With three weeks remaining in the 1996 season, the Padres trailed the Dodgers in the NL West and the Expos for the Wild Card. They reeled off a 13-6 stretch to finish the year, one that included three walk-off wins and five in extras. Two of those extra-innings victories came during a dramatic final weekend in which San Diego swept Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium to secure its first division title in 12 years. The Padres scored runs in the eighth inning or later to win all three games, with recording the save in each of them.

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Phillies, 2007 The Phillies trailed the Mets in the NL East by seven games with 17 to play in September 2007, but they went 13-4 the rest of the way, while the Mets went 5-12. The Phils clinched the division on the final day of the season, capping one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history.

Pirates, 2014 The Pirates reeled off 24 wins in their final 36 games and entered the postseason as the hottest team in baseball. That stretch with the Majors' best winning percentage launched the Bucs from two games above .500 on Aug. 19 into the top NL Wild Card spot at 88-74. But Pittsburgh fell two games shy of the NL Central title and ended the year in frustrating fashion, as pitched a shutout in the NL Wild Card Game at PNC Park.

Rangers, 2015 The Rangers were 50-53 and eight games out on Aug. 1, one day after acquiring Cole Hamels from the Phillies. In his first media session in Texas, Hamels said he believed the Rangers could come back and win the division. His new teammates took that to heart and did just that by going 18-10 both in August and September, and then clinching the division on Oct. 4 -- the last day of the season -- with Hamels' complete-game victory over the Angels preventing a potential one-game tiebreaker with the Astros.

Rays, 2011 On Sept. 1, 2011, the Rays were third in the AL East standings and nine games out of first place. They proceeded to go on a 17-10 run, while the second-place Red Sox went 7-20. On the final day of the season, Boston lost while Tampa Bay defeated New York, 8-7, on Evan Longoria's walk-off home run to propel the Rays into the playoffs as the AL Wild Card winner.

Red Sox, 2004 It is sometimes forgotten that the fabled 2004 Red Sox -- who broke an 86-year championship drought -- played .500 ball from May 1-July 31. But Theo Epstein shook things up at the non- waiver Trade Deadline when he traded Nomar Garciaparra for Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz while also acquiring Dave Roberts from the Dodgers. From Aug. 7 through the end of the regular season, the Sox went a blistering 40-15. In the postseason, they were 11-3, with all three losses coming at the start of the ALCS against the Yankees.

Reds, 1973 The Reds were 11 games out in the NL West on June 30 before they swept a doubleheader from the Dodgers on July 1. Hal King delivered a pinch-hit home run to win Game 1 and a 10th- inning single by Tony Perez won Game 2. Including those two wins, Cincinnati went 60-26 over the remainder of the season. The Reds entered September three games back, but they went 19-8 in the final month to finish 3 1/2 games in front and make the playoffs.

Rockies, 2007 Colorado won 14 of its last 15 regular-season games, culminating with an unforgettable tiebreaking Game 163 against San Diego in which they won, 9-8, in 13 innings on Matt Holliday's famous (and disputed) slide into home. The Rockies then won seven straight playoff games to advance to the World Series before being swept by the Red Sox in the Fall Classic.

Royals, 2014 The 2014 Royals were a team of streaks as they dipped out of first place in the AL Central and

24 into the race for one of the AL Wild Card spots. A late surge in September when they won five of six helped seal the first Wild Card spot, the clincher coming in Game 160 in Chicago with a 3-1 win over the White Sox as Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven shutout innings and Greg Holland notched his 46th save. Making the club's first playoff appearance in 29 years, Kansas City became the first team to start a postseason 8-0 as the Royals advanced all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before falling to the Giants.

Tigers, 1987 The Tigers had a back-and-forth race with the Blue Jays all summer for the AL East lead, but they fell 3 1/2 games back with eight games to go. Detroit won six of its final eight, but four of those wins were against Toronto, including a three-game series sweep at Tiger Stadium to end the regular season. Frank Tanana clinched the division with a 1-0 win opposite Jimmy Key on the final day.

Twins, 2009 The Twins trailed the Tigers by 5 1/2 games on Sept. 12, but Minnesota won 16 of its final 20 games to force a one-game tiebreaker against Detroit in the last regular-season game played at the Metrodome. The Twins won in memorable fashion on a walk-off hit from Alexi Casilla in the 12th inning of Game 163 to win the AL Central for the fifth time in eight years.

White Sox, 2005 The White Sox closed September with an 8-2 record, but they won their last five games going into the postseason. That five-game streak included the AL Central division clincher in Detroit and then a three-game sweep in Cleveland to give the team 99 wins and knock the Indians from the playoffs. That Cleveland team had cut a 15-game division deficit on Aug. 1 to 1 1/2 games when this streak began. Factoring in the 11-1 playoff domination resulting in a World Series title, the White Sox finished the season on a 19-3 run.

Yankees, 1978 The defending World Series champions were 14 games behind the Red Sox on July 17 as three big personalities -- owner George Steinbrenner, manager and slugger Reggie Jackson -- clashed repeatedly. Martin resigned one week later, and the Yankees completed a historic comeback under replacement , going 48-20 (.706) the rest of the way, including the four-game "Boston Massacre" sweep at Fenway Park in early September, during which the Bombers outscored Boston, 42-9. A one-game tiebreaker for the division crown was marked by Bucky Dent's famous home run into the netting over the Green Monster. The Yanks dispatched the Royals in the ALCS and defeated the Dodgers in a six-game Fall Classic.

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Lucchesi, long balls carry Padres to 8-3 win over Mariners

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- rookie Joey Lucchesi could have been down for the count after Ryon Healy's comebacker glanced off the big left-hander's glove and then hit him in the groin.

Lucchesi, though, grabbed the ball and threw out Healy, took a few steps and then went down in a heap. But after being checked by the training staff, he got up, walked it off, threw a few warmup pitches and stayed in the game, striking out Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino to end the fourth inning.

"It hurt, for sure, but not enough to where I couldn't play anymore," Lucchesi (7-7) said after striking out nine in a career-best 6 2/3 innings to lead the Padres to an 8-3 win against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday for a two-game sweep.

"It woke me up for sure," Lucchesi said. "I was like, `All right, let's attack these guys, keep going.' `'

Manager Andy Green was impressed with Lucchesi's resiliency.

"The ball back off of him, to get right back up and finish that play, there's a lot of pitchers who just end up staying on the ground in that moment. He recovered and was able to keep going. He battled well today. Those are good signs."

As Lucchesi walked it off, some of his teammates had their faces in their gloves.

"Honestly they were probably laughing at me. I mean, we're all boys," Lucchesi said. "It's pretty funny that I got hit there and I was all right so I guess it's all right to laugh at."

The rookie was the beneficiary of a nice offensive outburst. Hunter Renfroe homered and drove in four runs, Manuel Margot had a homer among his three hits and prized rookie Luis Urias had his first three hits.

Lucchesi held the Mariners to one run and six hits in a career-high 6 2/3 innings, matched his career-best with nine strikeouts and walked two.

The lefty credited "fastball location and finishing them off with two strikes. I was trying to beat my career record. I always get stuck at nine."

The teams, deemed natural rivals by MLB, meet again in Seattle on Sept. 11-12. The Mariners lost their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games.

Eric Hosmer also had three hits for the Padres, who worked over Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-3) for seven runs and nine hits in three innings. 26

San Diego took a 7-1 lead after three innings.

Hosmer had an RBI single and Renfroe a sacrifice fly in the first. Margot homered into the second deck in left field with one out in the second, his seventh, and Renfroe drove a three-run home run into the balcony on the third level of the brick warehouse in the left-field corner. Urias was aboard on his first big league hit, a single to right, and Hosmer on a double to the left-center gap. San Diego loaded the bases on three straight singles and Lucchesi hit a sac fly for his first career RBI.

Urias, promoted Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso, hit a drive to right leading off the fourth that was initially ruled a home run. But the umps huddled and then went to video review, and it was ruled a foul ball. Urias then grounded out.

Green called it "the most painful home run overturn I've ever been a part of , just because I can imagine how his family felt."

Urias doubled leading off the sixth and singled in the eighth to finish 3 for 5. He went 0 for 3 with a walk in his debut Tuesday night.

"When I was running to first base I thought it hit the pole," Urias said. "I mean at the end, the replay, it doesn't lie, right?

"I never thought I had it. I don't hit homers that often," the diminutive second baseman said.

But he was thrilled with his first hit, and said the ball will go to his parents back home in Mexico.

Margot's third hit was an RBI double in the fifth.

Robinson Cano and hit RBI singles and Kyle Seager had a run-scoring double for the Mariners.

"Disappointment might be an understatement," Seattle manager said. "We just didn't play good baseball here at all. We didn't swing the bat particularly well. Obviously we struggled on the mound today early in the ball game. It is very frustrating."

MARINERS HITS

Jean Segura collected his 1,000th career hit in the first, a single. He added a single in the third.

Roenis Elias, who threw a career-high five innings of relief, had his first career hit, a single in the seventh that chased Lucchesi.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: LHP , on the disabled list with a bruised left forearm, is expected to return to the rotation Saturday at Oakland. He was struck by a line drive by Jed Lowrie at Oakland on Aug. 14.

UP NEXT 27

Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (7-3, 3.92) is scheduled to start the opener of a four-game series Thursday night at Oakland, which is second in the AL West behind Houston. The Mariners remain in third place.

Padres: Rookie LHP Eric Lauer (5-7, 5.30) is scheduled to start the opener of a four-game home series against the , who counter with German Marquez (11-9, 4.21).

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This Day in Padres History, 8/30

By Bill Center

Aug. 30, 1996 — allows one hit and three walks with 10 strikeouts over eight innings and combines on a two-hit shutout with Mike Oquist as the Padres win 6–0 in Montreal.

Aug. 30, 2006 — Outfielder Dave Roberts goes 4-for-5 with a double, two steals, two RBIs and a run scored as the Padres score a 4–1 win at Arizona.

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Urias has 3 hits, Lucchesi dominates in Padres’ 8-3 win over Seattle

Bernie Wilson | AP

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hunter Renfroe homered and drove in four runs, Manuel Margot had a homer among his three hits and prized rookie Luis Urias had his first three hits for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3 Wednesday for a two-game sweep.

The offensive outburst made a winner of rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi (7-7), who stayed in the game after needing a few minutes to recover from Ryon Healy‘s comebacker that glanced off his glove and then his groin. Lucchesi fielded the ball and threw to first for the out, and then went down in a heap. He was tended to by the training staff for a few minutes, threw a few warmup pitches and remained in, striking out the next two batters.

The big southpaw held the Mariners to one run and six hits in a career-high 6 2-3 innings, matched his career-best with nine strikeouts and walked two.

The teams, deemed natural rivals by MLB, meet again in Seattle on Sept. 11-12. The Mariners lost their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games.

Eric Hosmer also had three hits for the Padres, who worked over Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-3) for seven runs and nine hits in three innings.

San Diego took a 7-1 lead after three innings.

Hosmer had an RBI single and Renfroe a sacrifice fly in the first. Margot homered into the second deck in left field with one out in the second, his seventh, and Renfroe drove a three-run home run into the balcony on the third level of the brick warehouse in the left-field corner. Urias was aboard on his first big league hit, a single to right, and Hosmer on a double to the left-center gap. San Diego loaded the bases on three straight singles and Lucchesi hit a sac fly for his first career RBI.

Urias, promoted Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso, hit a drive to right leading off the fourth that was initially ruled a home run. But the umps huddled and then went to video review, and it was ruled a foul ball. Urias then grounded out. Urias doubled leading off the sixth and singled in the eighth to finish 3 for 5. He went 0 for 3 with a walk in his debut Tuesday night.

Margot’s third hit was an RBI double in the fifth.

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Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz hit RBI singles and Kyle Seager had a run-scoring double for the Mariners.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: LHP James Paxton, on the disabled list with a bruised left forearm, is expected to return to the rotation Saturday at Oakland. He was struck by a line drive by Jed Lowrie at Oakland on Aug. 14.

UP NEXT

Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (7-3, 3.92) is scheduled to start the opener of a four- game series Thursday night at Oakland, which is second in the AL West behind Houston. The Mariners remain in third place.

Padres: Rookie LHP Eric Lauer (5-7, 5.30) is scheduled to start the opener of a four- game home series against the Colorado Rockies, who counter with German Marquez (11-9, 4.21).

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