For the 5th time in six contests this season the Padres lost to their division rival Dodgers, this time 6-1.
It was the major league debut of Pads right hander Joe Wieland, but the 22 year old was given a rude welcome to the big leagues. Matt Kemp drove two 2-run home runs in the first two innings, and Andre Ethier added a solo shot of his own to help give LA a 6-1 lead by the end of the second inning. From then on it was all Ted Lilly. The Dodger left hander would 2-hit the Pads over 7 innings, retiring 18 of the last 20 he faced.
THE GOOD:
- Despite getting roughed up in the first two innings of his maiden voyage, Wieland would right the ship and finish with three scoreless, hitless innings. Does that take away from the fact that it was a losing effort? No, but at least he finished on a good note, and can take some positive momentum into his next outing.
- Josh Spence, and Ernesto Frieri combined for three scoreless innings of relief.
- The Padres played flawless defense tonight. Again, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they lost the game, but at least they showed signs of the team that played confidently with the gloves most of spring returning.
THE BAD:
- 2 hits…that simply isn’t going to get the job done.
- Too many mistakes in the hitting zone to the Dodger hitters.
THE DIFFERENCE:
- Matt Kemp: Not only has he not missed any Padres’ mistakes in the zone, but he’s driven them out of the park – twice tonight.
- Ted Lilly: He’s always pitched well against the Padres (10-4, 2.68), and tonight he worked his back an forth magic to near perfection to the point where even when he did miss in the zone the Pads’ batters were unable to make solid contact let alone cause damage.
Tonight the Pads got beat. It’s better than beating yourself, but they still need to find a way to start putting together a complete effort of pitching, hitting, and defense starting tomorrow to avoid a sweep at the hands of Clayton Kershaw.
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