Padres Spring Training Report – Mar. 4, 2015

Today’s first Cactus League contest for the Padres did not go totally as planned…but spring training games rarely do.  The final score found the Pads on the losing end 4-3 in an extra inning game filled with some good, some bad, and some ugly.  Let’s take a look at them all.

• The Good:
  • Justin Upton – The new power hitting left fielder hit his first HR in a Padres uniform. It scored the first Friar run of the spring, and hopefully is just the first of many round trippers Padres fans get cheer about with this revamped offense. Of course it’s only spring training, but still nice to see that first one to wet the appetite for what is possible come the regular season.  Additionally he played a nice left field making several catches fighting the vicious sun field of Peoria Complex, and running down another in the gap.  Good first day for J-Up with the “SD” on his hat.
  • Padres Pitching – 9 pitchers combined in a Cactus League game with the wind generally blowing out to only 3 earned runs. Not a single walk was issued.  No one embarrassed themselves, and each seemed comfortable on the mound and ready to compete with a full repertoire of pitches, and kept what little damage was inflicted to a minimum. Garces by the way, struck out the side – ice water in that kid’s veins.
  • Tommy Medica – 2 hits, an RBI, and a nice leaping play at 1B keeping his foot on the bag to save his infield an error. Oh, and a SB for the former catcher.
  • Yangervis Solarte – 2 hits, including a 2B, and a great back hand diving play at 3B to rob Seattle of an extra base hit with two runners on.  Nice day on both ends for Yangervis

• The Bad:
  • Shaky Defense – Only 2 errors in the scorebook, but one of them cost the Padres the game winning run, and several others were avoided by some nice plays on the other end of the ball, and a forgiving scoring decision.  It’s early, but the lapses were  little surprising none the less.
  • 2-out Damage  – Three of the four runs allowed by the Pads pitchers came with 2-outs. Gotta slam the door more consistently with 2 down.

• The Ugly: 
  • Seattle’s Ji-Man Choi reaching for a high throw at 1B and getting his leg hit by Taylor Lindsey running hard down the line to beat it out.  The result, Choi writhing on the ground in pain, ultimately carted off the field, and later diagnosed with a fractured fibula.  The only good news was for the Padres in that the game tying run scored on the play, and more importantly that Lindsey was not also injured by the impact. Thoughts with Choi that the fracture is clean, and that he fully recovers.

All said and done, it was exciting just to see so many of the new Padres on the field together and start the gelling process for this new mix of talent, as well as the information gathering process for some of the difficult decisions that will need to be made about this roster before opening day.

Tomorrow the Pads will take on the M’s once again.  Game time will be the same 12:05 PST, but the broadcast will be on ESPN 1700 instead of the webcast.  Cashner vs. Elias.  Hope you join uncle Teddy Leitner and me for all the action.  The hunt for October baseball is on!

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