Good morning,
It’s never too soon.
A brief “Beat L.A.” chant broke out a few minutes after the Padres completed a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Reds yesterday afternoon.
As Petco Park announcer Alex Miniak reminded the departing crowd of the upcoming series against the Dodgers, the video board prompted the chant with a flashing “Beat L.A.” But still, it was a reminder of what is to come over the next three nights.
This should be good.
Virtually every one of the seven games the Padres and Dodgers played in April was fantastic.
Here is what I wrote the day after the teams last played:
It started and finished with extra innings. There was the catch to end a game in center field and one to save a game at third base. There was a comeback in the final game of the first series and a comeback in the final game of the second series. There was the double play. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two home runs in a game. Then he hit two home runs in the next game. Then he hit a home run in the one after that. Near the end of a five-hour game that started it all, a second baseman pitched to a pitcher who hit a sacrifice fly to a pitcher playing left field in the 12th inning. Near the end of a five-hour game that concluded seven meetings in 10 days, two pitchers pinch hit in the 10th inning.
Through the 68 innings the Padres and Dodgers played, the Dodgers led at the end of 25 innings, the Padres at the end of 22 and the teams were tied for 21. For just six of the 68 innings did either team lead by more than two runs. For 124 of the 220 plate appearances after the sixth inning in the seven games, the score was either tied or the tying run was at the plate or on base.
If you want a refresher, here is that April 26 story, which briefly touched on the biggest moments in all seven games (including video of the most impactful plays).
It might be too much to ask for this series to maintain the same fervor. But then, we couldn’t have expected what happened in April.
“Every time we play it’s been a great ballgame,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said yesterday. “Both teams are going to lay it all out there. It should be another fun series.”
What will certainly be enhanced this time is the crowd.
Even at a cap of just more than 15,000 for the three games at Petco Park and four games at Dodger Stadium, the energy in April was sensational. Now Petco should be packed, or close to it.
The size and eagerness of the crowds for the Reds series — the first four days the ballpark could be at capacity — suggest we’re in for three crazy nights.
Relief pitcher Daniel Camarena, who grew up in the South Bay and attended numerous Padres games, said this after his major league debut for his hometown team on Saturday:
“I think back to the World Baseball Classic. Those times I remember the stadium was rocking like that. Some of the playoff games, that’s the last time I remember it being like this.”
Yes, the Padres hit far better and played nearly flawless defense against the Reds. Those things, especially the 24 runs scored in four games, will make a team seem more alive. But there is no question the Padres appeared energized by the crowds that averaged 37,646 for the series and were as continually engaged as any Petco Park gatherings in some time.
The moment Saturday in which Ha-seong Kim hit a go-ahead homer as the majority of the crowd chanted, “Let’s Go Kim” should probably go down as one of the coolest in the park’s history.
In my game story from yesterday (here), I quoted second baseman Jake Cronenworth crediting the crowd with the Padres playing so well after returning from a 1-5 road trip.
Said Tingler: “To get in front of the fans … coming off the long road trip, the energy in the stadium was most definitely felt. It’s something we can build on going forward. It was just exciting to show up to the ballpark every day. The place is rocking. You look up in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning, glance at the stands and no one is going anywhere. Everybody was into it, and that energy was felt. … It’s starting to be the dog days of summer, no doubt about it. So, to get fueled by them bringing it (is) greatly, greatly appreciated.”
So get ready.
Cronenworth, in his second major league season, is too new to remember that the Dodgers went 88-45 against the Padres from 2013 to ’19. That’s OK. All that really matters is now anyway.
“We always play great games against the Dodgers,” Cronenworth said. “They’re a great team, we’re a great team.”
(mlb; baseball-reference)
Working up
Last week Tommy Pham was lamenting hitting too many singles. Now it’s too many doubles for his taste.
“I gotta get the ball out of the park more,” he said before yesterday’s game.
His double as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning yesterday was his fourth in six at-bats. Seven of his 16 extra-base hits (five doubles and two home runs) have come in his last 29 at-bats. The other nine came in his first 183 at-bats.
“It’s no coincidence,” he said yesterday morning. “I’m starting to get my strength back.”
Pham had two offseason surgeries, was on bed rest for a time after the second and had his workouts somewhat curtailed even into spring training.
“I’ve just got to keep working in the weight room, keep building my strength,” he said.
Pham’s .452 on-base percentage since May 21 is second highest in the majors in that span while his 1.040 OPS is 10th highest. He has also hit five of his total six home runs in that stretch of 29 games.
Battling himself
Trent Grisham was batting .301/.383/.515 when he was sideline by a bruised heel on May 21. Since returning June 12, he is 4-for-31 (.129) with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
Even more than usual, it seems Grisham is battling his penchant for selectivity.
His ability to identify balls and strikes and mostly limit his swings to strikes is what has enabled him to build a .343 OBP in his 155 career games. Among players with at least 600 plate appearances since 2019, Grisham’s 19.8 percent rate of chasing pitches outside the strike zone ranks second. He also has swung at just 60.5 percent of pitches in the zone, which is 11th lowest.
He has been seeing a lot of strikes since his return, and he has not been making the most of that.
He has taken at least one strike in seven of those strikeouts.
Grisham talked earlier in the week about how his quest to control the zone “can help my game and also … can hurt my game if you don’t do it the right way.”
When the word “selective” was used in reference to him, he responded in a way that suggested he is working to be more aggressive.
“Another synonym for selective is passive,” he said. “I don’t want to be passive. It’s always fighting that balance. You’re a hitter first. You have a good eye, you want to use it to your advantage. You don’t want it to hurt you. So that’s something I’m always fighting with.”
Tidbits
- Before securing their fifth sweep of the season, the Padres were 0-4-1 in their previous five series.
- Wil Myers is 6-for-12 with two homers, a triple and two doubles in the past three games.
- Manny Machado and Cronenworth both extended their hitting streaks to six games, tied for the longest current run on the team. Machado is 8-for-21 with four doubles and a homer. Cronenworth is 7-for-19 with two doubles and two homers.
- Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk and is batting .333 with a .407 OBP in 27 plate appearances since June 2. His single in the first inning yesterday came on a 99 mph sinker, not only the fastest pitch he has gotten a hit on but the fastest pitch he has put in play this season. The Padres knew velocity would be his biggest challenge coming from Korea, and it has been. He is 3-for-14 on at-bats that end in pitches 95 mph or faster.
Here’s why
Something unusual happened in the first inning yesterday. Evidently, the Father’s Day crowd at Petco Park was a blue-collar bunch. Machado was booed fairly loudly when he was thrown out jogging to first base on a grounder that was initially bobbled by second baseman Jonathan India.
What is perceived by many to be Machado’s lack of hustle is among the most frequent topics of e-mails I receive from fans. But I don’t recall him being booed for such a play at Petco Park.
Machado is among the majors’ most dependable players, having started the most games since 2015. He plays a demanding position at as high a level as anyone and ranks fourth in the majors in WAR over the past seven seasons.
The reality is his judicious running is condoned and even encouraged by the coaching staff, because the Padres want him on the field rather than run down or injured because he tries to leg out routine grounders that have a 98 percent chance of being an out.
It is true that Machado could reach base a handful more times each season on plays in which a fielder bumbles a seemingly routine grounder. But he’s out on many of those, because he is only going at three-quarter speed, sometimes with his bat still in his hand.
The Padres are generally OK with that.
And, for the record, yesterday was not one of those plays. Even a sprint by Machado was likely not going to result in his being safe on a ball scorched at 112.1 mph to the second baseman. (That was the sixth-hardest ball put in play by Machado this season.)
(baseball-reference)
It’s a girl
After yesterday’s game, as fans were allowed to play catch and run around the outfield grass, Padres players and staff and their families gathered in the infield.
At one point, there was a loud cheer and a poof of pink smoke, as it was revealed Nabil Crismatt and his wife are expecting a baby girl.
All right, that’s it for me.
Talk to you tomorrow.
"crowd" - Google News
June 21, 2021 at 09:30PM
https://ift.tt/3vPAQXM
Padres Daily: Crowd should make Dodgers series even more intense; Pham regaining strength; Grisham battling - The San Diego Union-Tribune
"crowd" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YpUyMI
https://ift.tt/2KQD83I
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Padres Daily: Crowd should make Dodgers series even more intense; Pham regaining strength; Grisham battling - The San Diego Union-Tribune"
Post a Comment