Padres Press Clips Tuesday, June 27, 2017 Article Source Author Page Reggie Lawson strong in TinCaps' win UT San Diego Sanders 2 Gwynn pupil Ty France 'keeping it simple' as he ascends Padres system UT San Diego Sanders 4 Padres mailbag: Is the offense really worse with runners in scoring position? UT San Diego Lin 8 Hand having All-Star caliber year for Padres MLB.com Cassavell 10 Donor Szczur to appear at Summer Blood Drive Padres.com Center 12 Brandon Maurer's Jekyll-and-Hyde season Padres.com Center 15 Ex-MLB Player's Son on Life Support After Freak Baseball Accident NBC 7 Staff 17 Padres On Deck: Reed, Oña, Potts Homer in Fort Wayne Sweep FriarWire Center 19 1 Reggie Lawson strong in TinCaps' win Jeff Sanders Reggie Lawson is settling in at low Single-A Fort Wayne. The 19-year-old right-hander turned in his second quality start in his last three outings, striking out six and allowing a run over six innings in the TinCaps’ 5-1 win over visiting South Bench on Monday night. ADVERTISING A compensation-round pick a year ago, Lawson (2-3) scattered two walks and one hit in the start, lowering his ERA to 5.13 on the season. He has struck out 32, walked 11 and is allowing opponents a .235 average through his first 26 1/3 innings. Second baseman Reinaldo Ilarraza (.202) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and his 14th steal and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (.254) went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, his 14 steal and two runs scored. The TinCaps are 4-1 to start the second half and 30-45 overall. TRIPLE-A EL PASO (37-40) • Sacramento 4, Chihuahuas 2: RHP Bryan Rodriguez (1-6, 6.07) allowed three runs in the sixth inning after LHP Dillon Overton (8.16) allowed a run in five innings in his organizational debut. 1B Christian Villanueva (.282) hit his 10th homer and SS Dusty Coleman (.195) hit his ninth. HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (36-39) • Rancho Cucamonga 6, Storm 4: LHP Eric Lauer (2-5, 2.79) struck out eight and allowed six runs in five innings. LHP Thomas Dorminy (5.64) struck out three 2 over three perfect innings in relief. 1B Josh Naylor (.300) went 2-for-4 and 3B Ruddy Giron (.237) hit his fourth homer. SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (9-3) • Dust Devils 5, Spokane 4 (10): RF Luis Asuncion’s second home run of the game won the contest in extra innings. He drove in three runs, walked and scored twice in lifting his average to .333. 3B Kelvin Melean (.347) and 2B Justin Lopez (.278) each had four hits. RHP Osvaldo Hernandez (2.84) struck out four and allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in three innings. ROOKIE AZL PADRES 1 (0-2) • Brewers 15, Padres 6: LHP Dan Dallas (18.00) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in two innings and LHP Jose Cabrera (40.50) allowed five runs – three earned – in 2/3 of an inning. SS Jordy Barley (.375) went 2-for-4 with a double, his first homer and 3 RBIs and 2B Matt Batten 9.500) went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. ROOKIE AZL PADRES 2 ( 2-0) • Padres 6, Mariners 5: C Luis Campusano (.333) hit his first professional homer and drove in three runs and CF Mason House (3rd round, 2017) doubled and struck out twice in his pro debut. LHP Omar Fernandez (1-0, 3.60) struck out six and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in five innings. ROOKIE DSL PADRES (8-10) • Orioles 11, Padres 4: RHP Moises Lugo (0.95) struck out six and allowed two runs – one earned on three hits and two walks in four innings in the start. 2B Tucupita Marcano (.217) went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored and LF Jaffe Garcia (.278) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. 3 Gwynn pupil Ty France 'keeping it simple' as he ascends Padres system Jeff Sanders As a San Diego State recruit out of West Covina’s South Hills High School, Ty France had as primary points of contact then-assistants Mark Martinez and Eric Valenzuela. But once he became an Aztec, France learned first-hand the foundation of the approach that delivered eight NL batting titles in Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career. “His biggest philosophy,” France recalled, “was get in position and take your best swing. “The rest will take care of itself.” TEXAS LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME • Where: Frisco, Texas • When: 5:05 p.m. Tuesday • Watch: MILB.TV • Padres prospects in the game: SS Luis Urias, INF Ty France, RHP Michael Kelly, RHP Kyle Lloyd, RHP Trey Wingenter and RHP Eric Yardley THE TY FRANCE FILE • Position: 3B/1B • Age: 22 • School: San Diego State • Drafted: 34th round in 2015 4 • 2017 stats (A+/AA): .292 avg., .368 OBP, .408 SLG, 3 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 steals, 13 walks, 42 strikeouts, 72 games (267 ABs) As simple as it sounds – and Gwynn preached “keep it simple” – it’s that philosophy that’s taking care of the 22-year-old France, a 34th-round pick who’s ascended all the way into Tuesday’s Texas League All-Star Game in two short years since the Padres drafted him into their system. Although a replacement for the recently-promoted Jose Rondon, France earned his invitation with a blistering start to his stay at Double-A San Antonio, whose push to a South Division first-half title coincided with the arrival of a new corner infielder. The Missions were 19-15 on May 12 after France went 0-for-3 in his first game in the Texas League. He then proceeded to pile up 35 total bases while penning .462/.500/.673 batting line over his next 13 games. That run included the fourth four-hit game of his career, an effort topped the next month when France drove in a career-high six runs on a homer and two doubles. He collected three more hits the day after that June 4 spectacle, two each hits each of the next two days after that and was still hitting .336 when the Missions – buoyed all season by strong pitching from All-Stars Michael Kelly and Kyle Lloyd and 20-year- old shortstop Luis Urias – clinched a first-half title. Naturally, France went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in the clincher. “He’s got a knack for something you can’t teach,” San Antonio manager Phillip Wellman said as his team approached the break with a Texas League-best 45-31 record, “and that’s driving in big runs. He’s made as much of an impact as anyone on this team.” To be sure, this is the best run of France’s pro career, although he insists a renewed focus, spurred on by his mid-May promotion out of the California League, is not the catalyst. 5 Timing, France says, is everything, and he would know. He had, after all, waited 34 rounds to hear his name called in 2015 despite chatter from his agent indicating that France could go as high as the third after fashioning a .905 OPS in three seasons at State. “The draft was a process for me,” France admitted. “I was pretty upset at the time. I felt like I had earned throughout my college career a little bit higher (of a slot), but everything happens for a reason.” The Padres’ offer was more than enough to get France to sign on the dotted line: $100,000 and the rest of his education paid for. He went on to hit .294 at his first stop in short-season ball, hit nine of his 14 home runs last year following a promotion to the California League and was hitting .288/.389/.360 30 games into his return in Lake Elsinore when the Missions needed a capable bat on the corners of the infield. The 6-foot, 205-pound France fit that bill. "He came in very prepared,” Wellman said. “He’s hit from Day 1 because he makes very good swing decisions, knows the strike zone and is disciplined.” Which is why there’s been little anxiety on Wellman’s part during a 1-for-24 slide that saw France’s average drop from .341 to .295. Just a brief conversation in the cage Sunday, a day after Wellman delivered news that France was headed to Frisco for the Texas League All-Star Game. “When he’s swinging the bat good, he’s driving balls to right-center,” Wellman said. “So I asked him, ‘When’s the last time you drove a ball to right-center?’” Ten days, France surmised. The correlation immediately evident, France set to work on going the other way in the cage. 6 “When I’m at my best, I’m spraying the ball all over the field and driving it to the right-center gap,” France said. “I’d gotten away from that. My front shoulder was leaking a little bit and I’d been more pull-happy.” In the game, France scalded two balls in that direction, albeit both for outs. It was, however, a start and yet another reminder to “keep it simple.” 7 Padres mailbag: Is the offense really worse with runners in scoring position? Dennis Lin The Padres are 31-45 after a series win against Detroit.