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Padres Press Clips Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Padres shut out Indians in Cahill's return UT San Diego Lin 2

Padres close to 30 signees for 2017-18 international class UT San Diego Lin 4

Kirby Yates making most of opportunity with Padres UT San Diego Lin 6

Perdomo set to face Indians for first time MLB.com Kosileski 9

Cahill, Padres 'pen blank Indians in opener MLB.com Koslieski/Bastian 11

In return from DL, Cahill goes 4 1/3 scoreless MLB.com Koslieski 14

Padres activate Cahill, designate d'Arnaud MLB.com Kosileski 16

Padres' first half was a mixed bag Padres.com Center 18

Spangenberg, 6 pitchers lead Padres to 1-0 win over Indians Associated Press AP 21

Padres On Deck: Tatis Jr., Villanueva Players of the Week in FriarWire Center 23

Their Respective Leagues

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Padres shut out Indians in Cahill's return Dennis Lin

The obstacles mounted against the Padres on Tuesday, rendering a narrow lead even more precarious.

Cleveland’s Corey Kluber confirmed himself as a nightmare matchup for a young, on-base-challenged offense. Trevor Cahill made a solid return from the disabled list but did not make it out of the fifth inning. The Indians advanced a runner to third base in four consecutive innings. A spectator plucked a ball out of play. A call at the plate, as well as an ensuing review, went against San Diego.

Despite it all, the Padres captured a 1-0 victory at Progressive Field, shutting out Kluber’s supporting cast with a combination of nervy pitching and precise defense. Designated hitter Hector Sanchez did what the hosts could not, scoring from third after leading off the fifth inning with a single.

“It’s a great win, great team win,” third baseman Cory Spangenberg said. “Our pitchers pitched really well. We managed to get one run against a really good pitcher. That was it for tonight. That’s all we needed.”

Kluber, who completed eight innings of one-run ball, was saddled with a loss.

Cahill, who had been sidelined since mid-May because of a shoulder strain, went 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed four hits and two walks, striking out four. Manager Andy Green lifted him after 85 pitches, noting that Cahill had thrown only 61 in his final rehab appearance.

“I felt really good,” said Cahill, who had emerged as a key trade asset before his injury. “The bullpen picked me up, and we were able to get one across against a guy that's throwing the ball as good as anyone in the league right now. Any time you can win those games, I feel like it counts as more than just one win.”

Jose Torres, who relieved Cahill, recorded the final out of the fifth with the bases loaded. From there, Kirby Yates, Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer each worked a scoreless frame, finishing what Cahill had started. For the fourth time in franchise history, six pitchers combined on a nine-inning shutout.

Buchter’s inning, the seventh, was representative of a strange evening. Carlos Santana opened with a redirection that struck the first-base bag and skittered into foul territory. An opportunistic fan reached over the railling and claimed the ball as a souvenir. The umpires awarded Santana second base, putting the tying run in scoring position. Buchter responded by striking out the next two batters and inducing a popout.

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“Carlos Santana, he might be the first person I’ve ever seen hit both bases in the same game (Santana led off the bottom of the third with a bunt single into the third-base bag),” Green said. “And then (Buchter) strands him at second base. That’s a really well-pitched inning right there, because that’s one of those hits you sometimes get sideways on, get frustrated by, and Buchter kept it together and did a nice job.”

The hardest of the Indians’ five hits arrived with one out in the second. But on an ensuing groundout, Jose Ramirez, who had tripled, ran into a 1-3-2 double play.

Cleveland, which had a runner 90 feet from home in each of the following three innings, finished 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“They had a lot of guys on today,” Green said. “That’s kind of the second game in a row we’ve eked out a win or we’ve stranded a ton of baserunners. That’s pitchers making big pitches and defenders making big plays.”

The Indians missed on a double-play opportunity in the top of the fifth. After Sanchez’s single and a walk by Carlos Asuaje, Sanchez moved to third on a fielder’s choice. He proceeded to score on Spangenberg’s fielder’s choice.

The Padres arguably were robbed of a 2-0 lead in the eighth. On an infield single by Manuel Margot, Spangenberg, who had led off with a single, attempted to score from second. The throw home beat him by several steps, but Spangenberg’s slide appeared to beat the tag from catcher Yan Gomes.

Spangenberg was called out. Green challenged the ruling. Upon review, it was upheld.

“Clearly looked safe to me,” said Green, who is 8-for-23 on manager challenges this season. “From the top step, didn’t even feel like I needed a replay to have somebody tell me he was safe. ... I don't know what it is that it didn’t get overturned, but from my visual from the side in the dugout, you could see him sneak right under the tag.”

The questionable ruling would not cost the Padres. After Santana’s double in the seventh, the Indians did not put another player on base.

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Padres close to 30 signees for 2017-18 international class Dennis Lin

Despite operating under new spending constraints, the Padres have been as active as ever at the start of another international signing period. San Diego has added nearly 30 prospects since the 2017-18 window opened Sunday, according to International Scouting Director Chris Kemp.

The Padres shattered franchise records over the last 12 months, spending a little more than $78 million, including overage taxes, on 47 signees. Under baseball’s newest labor agreement, the organization has a hard cap of $5.75 million to work with between July 2 and June 15, 2018. Additionally, because the Padres exceeded their 2016-17 bonus pool, they are limited to signing each prospect for $300,000 or less.

That has not appeared to deter Kemp and his scouts. Already this period, the Padres have signed young free agents from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cuba and Australia. Thirteen prospects have received the maximum bonus of $300,000, while another, Mexican left-hander Manuel Partida, signed for $350,000.

In Partida’s case, only $87,500 counts against the Padres’ pool. Mexican League clubs typically keep 75 percent of a major league team’s payment for a player.

Kemp called the 6-foot-2 Partida, from Monterrey, the “clearcut No. 1 lefty in Mexico.” The 16-year-old has steadily increased his fastball velocity, now sitting in the 87-90 mph range.

“He throws strikes, he’s got two breaking balls, and the change-up has really come on,” Kemp said.

The Padres also saw signficant upside in Jarryd Dale, also 16. This past winter, the 6-2 shortstop became the youngest player ever to participate in the Australian Baseball League, hitting .206 with one home run in 24 games for the Melbourne Aces. Dale is the son of Phil Dale, a Braves scout who was the first Australian to receive a four-year baseball scholarship from an American university.

Jarryd Dale’s projectable frame, bloodline and early experience against high-level competition intrigued the Padres. He could remain at shortstop long-term or transition to a third or second baseman with pop at the plate.

“If you were going to Australia this year, you were going to see Jarryd Dale,” Kemp said. “He was far and away the No. 1 guy.”

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Other notable signings by the Padres include Venezuelan center fielder Angel Solarte, another 16-year-old who, like Dale, signed for $300,000.

“He’s just got loud tools,” Kemp said. “Fast bat, almost a plus-plus runner, solid-plus arm, live body.”

Solarte is one of 13 Venezuelans who have joined the Padres’ latest international class.

“That was a main focus of ours,” Kemp said. “Our local scouts on the ground had been informing us it’s going to be a deep year in ‘17.”

Kemp said that, in spite of the early activity, the Padres had not yet reached their spending allotment for the 2017-18 signing period.

“It almost helps you, as far as being aggressive, because you know where your limits are,” Kemp said of the new financial paramaters.

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Kirby Yates making most of opportunity with Padres

Dennis Lin

Last April, the Padres claimed a reliever off waivers from the Marlins and saw him become a focal point of their bullpen. Today, that reliever, Brad Hand, is a first-time All-Star.

This April, the Padres claimed a reliever off waivers from the Angels. A little more than two months later, Kirby Yates, like Hand, has found unprecedented success with San Diego.

“Kirby’s on that path,” manager Andy Green said. “Is he to the point that Brad is? No, he’s not, but he’s thrown the ball exceptionally well.”

At the time of his acquisition, Yates, 30, was more of an unknown than Hand had been. The 5-foot-10 journeyman had gone undrafted in 2009, signed with Tampa Bay, reached the majors as a 27-year-old, been traded to Cleveland, been traded to the Yankees just weeks later and been claimed off waivers by the Angels. He made only one cameo in Anaheim this season before the Padres took a flyer on him.

So far, it has looked like another astute pickup. Yates entered Tuesday with a 2.08 ERA and a 41-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 appearances for San Diego. Among major relievers who had worked at least 20 innings, the right-hander ranked ninth in strikeouts-per-nine, fourth-lowest in contact percentage inside the strike zone and fourth in swinging-strike percentage. In each of the latter two categories, he was not far behind the majors’ most dominant bullpen arm, Boston’s Craig Kimbrel.

“Execution of everything has been pretty key,” Yates said. “I’ve made a lot of really good pitches. I’ve left a few pitches over the plate that have been hit, but for the most part I’ve been able to stay out of the middle of the plate with the majority of my stuff.”

Yates’ modest stature can be deceiving. His average fastball velocity this season is 94.2 mph, according to FanGraphs. He also throws a slider and a splitter, which he began throwing this spring.

“I just felt like the last few years, every time I’d run into trouble with the slider, I’d get hit hard,” said Yates, who has scrapped his change-up in favor of the splitter. “So I needed another weapon to complement the slider ... and vice versa, to keep them off my fastball.

“(The splitter has) become, to me, a lot easier than throwing a change-up, because the change-up’s kind of like a finesse pitch. Whereas a splitter, you’ve kind of got to get through it and it’s like a hard pitch. I can just grip it and throw it like a fastball.”

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Still, Yates has leaned on his heater, which, combined with an unusually short arm stroke, tends to get on batters in a hurry. Through Monday, right-handed opponents were hitting .213 and slugging just .297 against Yates’ fastball, according to BrooksBaseball.net.

“Some of the guys we’ve talked to about using more offspeed pitches,” Green said. “We’ve talked to him about using his fastball more and trusting his split more against right-handed guys. Talked to him about pitching to more quadrants of the zone. He’s responded well.

“He’s seen this as an opportunity, and he’s taking advantage of it, and he’s pitching in more and more pivotal roles because of it.”

For Yates, sustaining his newfound effectiveness is the next step.

“I’ve had pretty good half-years and months in the big leagues,” Yates said. “The problem is, I haven’t put together a (full) season.

“The goal is to keep this going all the way through September, till the end of the year. There’s going to be probably a point in the season where I’m going to have to adjust a little bit and do some different things, but I like where I’m at. I love the way I’m throwing the ball, the ball’s going where I want it to go, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Worth watching The Padres continue to monitor the progress of right-hander Carter Capps, who is nearly 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Entering Tuesday, the reliever had a 3.60 ERA and a 13/8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 innings with Triple-A El Paso.

“He’s throwing the ball well in Triple-A right now,” Green said. “Still believe that, before this thing is said and done, he’s going to be a big part of our bullpen.”

Capps was pulled from a rehab assignment early this season to iron out a delivery that remains controversial. In March, Major League Baseball clarified Rule 5.07, stipulating that a pitcher “may not take a second step toward home plate with either foot or otherwise reset his pivot foot in his delivery of the pitch.”

On June 25, during a game at Albuquerque, Capps was called for two illegal pitches.

“We hope it’s an isolated incident,” Green said. “I’ve talked to (El Paso manager Rod Barajas) about it a few times, and I think the difficulty is it’s subject to interpretation. … And that’s the frustrating part for Carter: What is legal? What am I being called for? What am I not being called for? That’s been a challenge for him, and there was one umpire that clearly felt compelled to call it.”

D’Arnaud designated With right-hander Trevor Cahill coming off the disabled list to start Tuesday’s game, the Padres designated utility man Chase d’Arnaud for assignment.

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D’Arnaud, 30, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox on May 21. In 22 games with the Padres, he hit .143 (7-for-49) with one home run and five steals. He made eight starts at shortstop, two at third base and one at second.

Notable Outfielder Travis Jankowski, who is recovering from a fracture in his right foot, is running and hitting off the tee at the Padres’ spring-training facility in Peoria, Ariz.

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Perdomo set to face Indians for first time By William Kosileski / MLB.com | 10:51 AM ET

A pair of right-handers will face off in the second game of three between the Padres and the Indians, as

San Diego's Luis Perdomo and Cleveland's Trevor Bauer will take the mound on Wednesday at

Progressive Field.

In his last outing, Perdomo earned the win after going 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and

two walks, with four strikeouts, against the Braves last Wednesday.

Even though Perdomo didn't get his first win of the season until June 12, the right-hander has pitched well

of late. Perdomo is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA over his last four starts (24 innings). Although he has a lower

ERA on the road (4.50) than at home (4.83), Perdomo is 3-1 in nine home starts and 0-3 in five road

starts. He will make his first career start against the Indians.

"They're good," Padres manager Andy Green said of the Indians. "They're a World Series team. There

really is no weakness, and they're playing good baseball right now. If you look at their lineup, it's not like

lefty-righty matchup plays better. The way [Indians manager Terry Francona has] constructed the lineup

over there, there's no one guy that's going to navigate easily through their order. They're a very good,

complete baseball club, with no discernible weakness."

Bauer is coming off a strong outing against the Rangers last Wednesday, in which he went 6 1/3 innings

and allowed one run on four hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. In his last four starts, Bauer is 2-1

with a 3.16 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

Bauer has faced the Padres twice in his career, but has had little success against them, going 0-2 with a

6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings.

Three things to know about this game

• Erick Aybar is the only Padres player to have faced Bauer. In his career vs. the Indians righty, Aybar is

3-for-7 (.429) with two RBIs, two strikeouts and a walk.

• One of Bauer's strongest pitches this season has been his breaking ball. Per Statcast -- combining his

curveball and his knucklecurve statistics -- opponents are hitting .230 off Bauer's curve. He has relied

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heavily on the pitch lately, as 35.52 percent of his pitches have been curveballs since May 30. In that

span, he has struck out 19 batters with his curve, and has registered 52 called strikes and 33 whiffs with

the pitch.

• Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez has been one of the hottest hitters in the Majors as of late. Going

into Tuesday's game, Ramirez had hit .446 with seven homers and only six strikeouts since June 14.

During that span, he has 10 extra-base hits with two strikes, which is the most of any player. Per Statcast,

he has made contact on 91.4 percent of his two-strike swings in that stretch.

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Cahill, Padres 'pen blank Indians in opener By William Kosileski and Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | July 4th, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Starter Trevor Cahill and the Padres' bullpen combined to shut out the Indians in a 1-0

win in Tuesday's series opener at Progressive Field.

Cahill was activated from the 10-day disabled list (right shoulder strain) prior to the game, and made his

first start since May 13. He went 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, with four

strikeouts. The Padres used five relievers -- Jose Torres, Kirby Yates,Ryan Buchter, Brad

Hand and Brandon Maurer -- to preserve the shutout, combining for 4 2/3 innings and seven strikeouts.

"The pitching staff was outstanding today," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Trevor Cahill coming

back, breaking stuff just as good as ever, getting a lot of chases beneath the zone. Then, Jose Torres all the

way through Brandon Maurer, everybody was outstanding. Real team win in that regard from the

bullpen."

The lone run came in the fifth inning off Indians starter Corey Kluber on an RBI fielder's choice by Cory

Spangenberg, who also had two hits and a stolen base.

"It was a great team win," Cahill said. "The bullpen picked me up, and we were able to get one across

against a guy that's throwing the ball as good as anyone in the league right now, and it showed. Any time

you can win those games, I feel like it counts as more than just one win."

In his first start since being named an American League All-Star, Kluber pitched in ace form. He went

eight innings and struck out 10, allowing one run on four hits. Kluber's 10-strikeout performance marked

his fifth straight start with double-digit strikeouts, setting a new franchise record and leading to a standing

ovation after his final strikeout.

"They got loud, which was pretty cool," Kluber said. "It was definitely appreciated."

However, Kluber took the loss, as the Tribe couldn't give him support. Cleveland had a runner reach third

base four times, but never capitalized. The Indians went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and 1-

for-11 with runners on base.

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"It's frustrating," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "It's not like we're not capable of hitting with

guys on base. It's not like we don't have the offense to do it. Just some nights, we press, or we swing at the

wrong pitches and don't get it done. Tonight was one of those games. It was unfortunate, because Corey

pitched great."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Routine 1-3-2 double play: Cahill worked out of several jams, but perhaps the most important escape

came in the second. After allowing a one-out triple to Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez, the Padres

right-hander induced an unconventional 1-3-2 double play to end the inning. After Indians right

fielder Lonnie Chisenhall grounded out on a weak roller back to the mound, first baseman Wil

Myers threw home to catcher Austin Hedges to nab Ramirez trying to score from third to end the inning.

"When the ball was hit and he first started down, [Ramirez] thought he was far enough down himself to

go ahead and go," said bench coach Brad Mills, the acting manager on Tuesday night. "The pitcher just

kind of glanced at him, didn't really stop him, but he kind of glanced at him. He thought he was far

enough down to go ahead and make it."

"I got [the ball], and I figured he wasn't going," Cahill said. "In my peripherals, I didn't see him going. I

just got it and threw it to first, and, fortunately for us, he tried to sneak in. Wil was heads up and got it and

threw it right home and threw a strike. That's a huge play to get out of the inning, and saved some bullets

for later on in the game."

Lone offense: Kluber cruised until allowing a leadoff single to Hector Sanchez in the fifth, followed by

a walk to Carlos Asuaje. With two on and no outs, Kluber got Erick Aybar to hit a grounder to short.

But Francisco Lindor recorded just one out at second, putting runners at the corners with one out. The

next batter, Spangenberg, grounded to second, where Kipnis bobbled the ball and recorded only the out at

second, allowing Sanchez to score from third.

"I was playing closer to the bag, ground ball right at me," Lindor said of the first double-play chance. "I

thought I was still close to the bag. I lost perception of how close I was to the bag, and it's another

[mental] error that shouldn't be happening. That was the game right there."

"I know the one to me was [a missed double play]," Kipnis said. "It just caught me in the palm a little bit,

top-spinned a little bit more and caught me in the bad part of the glove, and popped out right in front of

me. At that point, I just had to rush and get one. That needs to be turned."

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QUOTABLE

"They had a lot of guys on today. That's kind of the second game in a row we've eked out a win, and

we've stranded a ton of baserunners. That's pitchers making big pitches, and defenders making big plays."

-- Green, on the Padres' victory

"It didn't cross my mind once, to be honest with you. They drafted me, but I've been here since 2010,

which is the majority of my career. I never made it past Double-A with the Padres before I got traded, so

it's not like I necessarily am playing against the team that I broke in with." -- Kluber, on facing San

Diego, which picked him in the fourth round in the 2007 Draft

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Since 1913, there have been 27 instances in which a pitcher had at least 10 strikeouts in at least five

games in a row. Kluber joins Pedro Martinez (six times), Nolan Ryan (three times), Max

Scherzer (once), Curt Schilling (once), Dwight Gooden (once) and J.R. Richard (once) as the only right-

handed pitchers to achieve the feat, and is one of 12 total pitchers to do so.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

With two outs in the top of the eighth and Spangenberg at second, Kluber got Manuel Margot to hit a

ground ball to Ramirez at third, but Margot beat the throw to first. Spangenberg tried to score from

second, but first baseman Carlos Santana threw home to catcher Yan Gomes, who tagged Spangenberg

on a hesitated, feet-first slide between Gomes' legs to try to score. After Spangenberg was called out, the

Padres challenged the play. A review of 2 minutes, 17 seconds confirmed the call, ending the inning.

"Clearly looked safe to me," Green said. "Clearly, from the top step, didn't even feel like I needed a replay

to have somebody tell me he was safe. Somebody came in and told me on the home broadcast they were

saying that it was clearly safe. I don't know what it is that it didn't get overturned, but from my visual

from the side in the dugout, you could see him sneak right under the tag."

WHAT'S NEXT

Padres: Luis Perdomo (3-4, 4.71 ERA) will take the mound for the Padres in Wednesday's 4:10 p.m. PT

tilt against the Indians at Progressive Field. The right-hander is coming off a win against the Braves, in

which he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, with four strikeouts.

Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-6, 5.24 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Tribe in Wednesday's

Interleague clash with the Padres at 7:10 p.m. ET. Bauer is 4-2 with a 4.69 ERA at home this season, and

the righty is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 19 career Interleague outings.

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In return from DL, Cahill goes 4 1/3

scoreless By William Kosileski / MLB.com | 12:17 AM ET

CLEVELAND -- For the first time in more than seven weeks, Padres starter Trevor Cahill took the

mound for Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Indians. In his first start since May 13, Cahill had a tough task in

his return from the disabled list (right shoulder strain), as he had to match up with All-Star Corey

Kluber in the series opener at Progressive Field.

Despite the difficult assignment, Cahill came through with a strong, although abbreviated, outing. The

Padres right-hander went 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He recorded four

strikeouts and seven groundouts.

"[There was] a lot of adrenaline [tonight], more so than I'm used to pitching with," Cahill said. "We'll see

how sore I am tomorrow, but still, right now, I feel fine."

With Cahill back, the Padres could have a better sense of stability in their starting rotation. Manager Andy

Green is hopeful that Cahill's performance can help boost the rotation going forward.

"I thought, all things together, he didn't miss a beat," Green said. "He was right back the way he was

before. I think maybe not quite the fastball command he's had before, but the breaking stuff was off the

charts."

Cahill's breaking ball is one of his strongest pitches, and he went to it when he didn't have a feel for his

sinker. Per Statcast™, Cahill threw his knucklecurve 16 times, resulting in three called strikes and two

swinging strikes. Only three of those pitches were put in play.

"Fastball command wasn't that great," Cahill said. "[Catcher Austin Hedges] is good at kind of figuring

out what's working and adjusting the report mid-game. We felt like we were on the same page. There

were a couple of stressful innings, but I was able to get out of them."

A big key to Cahill's success was keeping the Tribe's first four hitters -- Jason Kipnis, Francisco

Lindor, Michael Brantley and Edwin Encarnacion -- off the bases. That group combined to go 0-for-7

with a walk, three strikeouts and four groundouts against Cahill.

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"It's more than just making your pitches, you've got to sometimes outthink them, because they are smart

hitters, and they put the bat on the ball," Cahill said. "Fortunately, I was able to get some ground balls and

some strikeouts when I needed them."

Cahill worked through jams in the second, third and fourth, but Green opted to pull Cahill after 85 pitches

with two runners on and one out in the fifth. Reliever Jose Torres got the final two outs of the fifth for

the win, leaving Cahill with a no-decision.

"We weren't able to get them in," Indians bench coach Brad Mills said. "Cahill's ball was moving all over

the place. It would've been nice [if] we tried to get up in those situations a little bit. But at the same time,

he pitched well. It was effective, so he kept doing it."

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Padres activate Cahill, designate d'Arnaud By William Kosileski / MLB.com | July 4th, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Prior to their game against the Indians, the Padres activated right-handed starter Trevor

Cahill from the disabled list to start Tuesday's series opener at Progressive Field.

As a result of Cahill's return, infielder Chase d'Arnaud was designated for assignment to open a roster

spot. Cahill -- who will make his eighth start of the season on Tuesday, and his first since May 13 -- has

been sidelined for more than seven weeks after he was placed on the DL on May 17 with a right shoulder

strain.

Cahill returns to the mound after making two rehab starts in the Minors. His first came on June 22 with

Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, in which he allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings. His second was on June

28 with Triple-A El Paso, and he allowed two runs in three innings.

"I watched his Triple-A outing for El Paso," manager Andy Green said. "His curveball is how it's been all

year. It was really, really good. It was biting. It was locating. It was buried when it should be buried. So

he had that pitch. Fastball velo is probably a touch down. A lot of that has to do with rehab outings. ... I

thought the life on his pitches was good. I thought he looked good."

Before going to the DL in May, Cahill was one of the Padres' best starters. In seven starts (41 1/3

innings), he posted a 3-2 record with a 3.27 ERA and 51 strikeouts. In his three starts before going on the

DL, the right-hander had a 1.56 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings.

"He's been the best we've had, starting rotation perspective, up until the point in time he got hurt," Green

said. "He was throwing the ball really well. Complete four-pitch mix. Don't know what you're getting in

any count. Curveball played very effectively for him. Definitely it hurt having him out and missing this

much time."

d'Arnaud played 22 games with San Diego, hitting .143 (7-for-49) with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs

and five stolen bases. The infielder began the season with the Braves, before being waived in late April

and getting claimed by the Red Sox. The Padres claimed d'Arnaud off waivers from Boston on May 22.

Green said that the play of shortstop Erick Aybar was a contributing factor to the decision to waive

d'Arnaud.

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"There was a time, not much more than a month ago, where it looked like Chase would start stealing some

playing time from Erick," Green said. "And Erick's play responded really well."

Injury updates

• Green said that outfielder Travis Jankowski -- who is on the disabled list with a right foot fracture -- is

slowly making progress with his injury.

"He's running," Green said. "I'm hoping he is nearing closer to play, The last medical report on him was

that he was running and moving around better. But at this point in time, he's not playing baseball. He's

hitting and doing some stuff off the tee, I believe."

• Last Wednesday, outfielder Alex Dickerson underwent successful surgery to repair a bulging disk in his

lower back.

"Everything went as it should," Green said. "Now, it's just the road to recovery, which is about six months

for his back surgery."

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Padres' first half was a mixed bag

Injuries to Dickerson, Jankowski, Solarte, Margot slowed

development

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres | July 4th, 2017

The Padres never expected to make the playoffs this season. The future, however, is brighter.

Take a look at the Minor League system. Pitching prospects Michael Kelly, Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer

and Logan Allen were all Advanced-A grade in the past week.

Young hitters like Fernando Tatis Jr. -- and he is 18 years old -- Javier Guerra, Franchy Cordero,

Luis Urías, Michael Gettys, Eguy Rosario and Josh Naylor are getting warmer with the days.

At the Major League level, the Padres completed the first half with a 33-48 mark. But they've played .500

ball over the last 36 games.

"Is .500 baseball the ultimate goal? No," says Padres manager Andy Green. "But there are a lot of

encouraging things in the way these guys have fought. They've fought through some really rough games,

then have come back and won a series. This team has shown over and over that they're resilient and will

battle back."

But again, the Padres are only 34-48 one game into the second half. What grade do you give the Padres?

A big incomplete.

Not once have the Padres fielded the team they expected to have. That's because left fielder and project

cleanup hitter Alex Dickerson never -- and won't -- have a plate appearance this season. Few teams thrive

after losing their cleanup hitter for the entire season.

Would Dickerson have made the Padres a contender? No.

But as Green says, "Dickerson was our most professional hitter."

He would have made a difference and allowed players like Yangervis Solarte and Hunter Renfroe to hit

in spots of the order and be more conducive to success.

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Speaking of Solarte, the bat that has spent most of the season in the cleanup slot has been silenced since

June 20 with a left oblique strain. Green said he hopes to have Solarte -- and his positive attitude as well

as bat -- back in the lineup shortly after the All-Star break. But obliques heal on their own time

schedule.

"It's been an interesting first half," Green said Sunday. "When the season started, if you said Jose

Pirela was going to be playing left field for us consistently and playing really well … that definitely

wasn't in the plans. Or that Carlos Asuaje was going to be your second baseman.

"Every team deals with injuries. Dickerson, Travis Jankowski, Solarte right now, Manuel Margot …

our depth has been challenged, and we knew coming into the season that depth wasn't going to be an

organizational strength at this point in time. …

"You want a better record. But you stop and focus on the last week in May for a team that's been crushed

by injuries and depth and is playing right around .500 baseball for the last month. Individually, we're

aware of what everyone can do and what everyone needs to do to move forward."

NOTE WORTHY

• Brandon Maurer has converted 11 straight saves since the second of his two blown saves this season.

Over those 11 straight saves since May 28, Maurer has worked 10 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and

two walks with six strikeouts. In eight non-save appearances since his last blown save on May 14, Maurer

is 0-2 and has allowed 10 runs on 12 hits and four walks in 7 1/3 innings.

• Renfroe went 4-for-4 with a double in the first four-hit game of his career Sunday. It was his fifth game

of the season with three or more hits with two of those coming in the last four games. Renfroe is 10-for-

19 with three doubles, his first Major League triple and a home run with four RBIs over his last five

games to boost his batting average from .216 to .236. Renfroe leads all National League rookies with 17

doubles.

• Margot was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs Sunday. He is riding a five-game hitting

streak in the six games he's played since returning from the disabled list on June 27. Margot is 10-for-19

(.526) during the streak with two doubles, a homer, four RBIs, two walks and four stolen bases. His

homer in the first inning gave the Padres their first lead over the Dodgers in 32 innings. Margot had

missed a month on the disabled list with a right calf strain.

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• Pirela was 2-for-4 Sunday with a double and two RBIs -- both RBIs coming on two-out hits. Sunday

was his ninth multihit game in just his 22nd start with the Padres. He has hit safely in all but seven games

since being promoted from Triple-A El Paso on June 6.

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Spangenberg, 6 pitchers lead Padres to 1-0 win over Indians Associated Press

CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber put on a record-breaking performance Tuesday night and still lost 1-0 to the San Diego Padres. The ace right-hander struck out 10 in eight innings -- setting a Cleveland Indians mark with five consecutive double-digit strikeout games. But the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner received little help from his offense or defense.

Cory Spangenberg drove in the only run with a groundout, and six San Diego pitchers combined on a five-hitter. Padres manager Andy Green knew his team was fortunate to come out on top against Kluber, who is headed to the All-Star Game next week.

"You're facing a guy who is in a stretch of the best baseball of his career," Green said. "I don't think we took him down, but we got one across the board against him."

Cleveland manager Terry Francona missed the game after he was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic for tests. Francona was hospitalized twice last month after feeling lightheaded and having a rapid heart rate. He was fitted with a heart monitor last week and said at the time doctors had ruled out any serious health issues.

Team president Chris Antonetti said Francona did not experience the previous symptoms again, and the tests were being done to help determine what's causing the issue.

Bench coach Brad Mills ran the team in Francona's absence. Kluber (7-3) yielded five hits and walked one, but Cleveland's defense let him down in the fifth when All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis failed to turn double plays on consecutive grounders.

"It's frustrating, especially to be the one that more or less messed it up and have it be a one-run game," Kipnis said.

Padres starter Trevor Cahill pitched 4 1/3 innings, and Jose Torres (5-2) retired All-Star Michael

Brantley on a groundout with the bases loaded to end the fifth. Kirby Yates, Ryan Buchter, All-Star Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer, who worked the ninth for his 17th save, completed the shutout. Jose Ramirez was thrown out at home trying to score from third on a grounder in the second. Cleveland went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven overall.

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"With the way it was going, you kind of thought one run might win it," Spangenberg said. "It was a great team win."

Spangenberg's fielder's choice scored the lone run. The inning started when Hector

Sanchez singled and Carlos Asuaje walked. Lindor fielded Erick Aybar's grounder but chose to go to second base himself instead of throwing to Kipnis, who was waiting at the bag.

Lindor got the out at second but had no play at first. Kipnis fielded Spangenberg's grounder, but bobbled the ball taking it out of his glove. Aybar was forced at second, but Spangenberg beat the throw to first and Sanchez scored.

"Obviously, you can't assume a double play for a reason," Kluber said. "It's not a given."

Kluber became the only pitcher in Indians history to have five consecutive 10-plus strikeout games in one season. Bob Feller did it four straight times over the 1938 and 1939 seasons.

Kluber has been dominant since spending a month on the disabled list with a strained lower back. He is 4-1 with a 1.24 ERA in seven starts since being activated. He has struck out 74 and allowed 27 hits in 51 innings.

"We didn't help him tonight," Lindor said. "It's a very tough loss."

NO FAMILIAR FACES

Kluber was drafted by the Padres in 2007 and sent to the Indians as part of a three-team trade with St. Louis in 2010. He was pitching in Double-A at the time of the deal. "I don't think there's anybody left on that team that I even played with," he said. "I didn't think much of it."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians RHP Danny Salazar (sore shoulder) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (3-4) pitches Wednesday night in Cleveland. He has won two straight starts, striking out 10 batters over 11 1/3 innings while posting a 3.18 ERA. Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (7-6) earned his seventh win last Wednesday against Texas, allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings.

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Padres On Deck: Tatis Jr., Villanueva

Players of the Week in Their Respective

Leagues

Big games for Cordero, Blash, Guerra, Gettys, Lucchesi,

Margevicius, Rosario

By Bill Center

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Christian Villanueva were named Players of the Week in their respective leagues for the second time this season as part of a memorable Monday for a number of Padres prospects.

Fort Wayne shortstop Tatis, 18, was named the Player of the Week in the Single-A Midwest League. He was 10-for-25 (.400) for the week with two doubles, three homers, six walks, a stolen base, six RBIs and nine runs scored. He was previously named the league’s Player of the Week May 15–21.

El Paso corner infielder Villanueva, 26, was named Player of the Week in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for the second time in six weeks. He went 11-for-27 with a double, a triple, six home runs, nine runs scored and nine RBIs.

Tatis was 3-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored Monday to boost his batting average to .274 as a number of Padres prospects again had memorable days.

— Center fielder Franchy Cordero’s second four-hit game since returning to El Paso ended with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th as the Chihuahuas defeated Reno 6–5. Cordero, 22, was 4-for-6 with a double, a steal, a run scored and a RBI while boosting his batting average to .314.

— Right fielder Jabari Blash (.283) was 3-for-4 for the Chihuahuas with his 16th home run, a walk and three RBIs.

— Shortstop Javier Guerra, 21, homered in a third straight game as part of a 3-for-4 night for Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore. Guerra had a triple and a homer for four RBIs as he raised his average to .232.

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— Center fielder Michael Gettys (.254) homer in two at-bats for the Storm with two walks, two RBIs and two runs scored.

— Left-hander Joey Lucchesi, 24, won his debut at Double-A San Antonio, holding Northwest Arkansas to three runs on nine hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in the Missions 5–3 win on the road.

— Second baseman Eguy Rosario, 17, had two doubles in five at-bats with two RBIs. Rosario’s batting average actually slipped to .433 as the Padres two entries in the Arizona Rookie League played one another for a second straight day.

— Left-handed starting pitcher Nate Margevicius, the Padres’ seventh-round pick in last month’s draft, allowed three hits with six strikeouts over four scoreless innings. Margevicius has a 1.50 earned run average after two starts.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (40–44) — CHIHUAHUAS 6, Reno 5 (10 innings): 1B Diego Goris (.288) backed Cordero and Blash with a solo homer in five at-bats. LF Nick Buss (.379) was 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored. 3B Ryan Schimpf (.270) was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Starting RHP Matt Magill (4.02 ERA) allowed three runs on 11 hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. LHP Brad Wieck (2.70) struck out one in two-thirds of a perfect inning. LHP Keith Hessler (3.93) allowed a run on a hit in one-third of an inning. RHP Jason Jester (7.34) struck out one in a perfect 1 2/3 innings. RHP Jose Valdez (1–2, 5.63) allowed a run on three hits with two strikeouts in two innings to get credit for the win.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (8–3, 49–32) — Missions 5, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 3: RF Nick Schulz (.257) was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a RBI and a run scored. C Stephen McGee (.264) was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. DH Franmil Reyes (.285) had a RBI double in four at-bats. CF Auston Bousfield (.250) was 1-for-3 with a walk, a steal, a RBI and a run scored. LF Alberth Martinez (.274) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. RHP Charles Nading (4.87 ERA) followed Lucchesi and allowed two hits with a strikeout in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Eric Yardley (2.08) struck out one in 1 1/3 perfect innings. RHP Aroni Nina (0.00) allowed a hit in a scoreless inning for his second save.

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (5–7, 40–42): STORM 9, Inland Empire 6: LF Taylor Kohlwey (.222) backed Guerra and Gettys, going 2-for-5 with his first homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. 2B Boomer White (.219) was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. 1B Josh Naylor (.295) was 2-for-4 with a double, a RBI and two runs scored. C Austin Allen (.246) had a double in four at-bats with a run scored. Starting RHP Jake Esch allowed two runs on six hits and three walks in five innings to get the win in his first Lake Elsinore start. RHP Zech Lemond (3.88 ERA) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. RHP David Bednar (13.50) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.

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SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (7–5, 33–49) — DAYTON 4, TinCaps 2: DH Marcus Greene Jr. (.293) and LF Nate Easley (.221) backed Tatis and were each 2-for-4. 3B Hudson Potts (.219) hit his eighth homer in three at-bats with a walk. RF Jorge Oña (.275) was 1-for-4 with a RBI. Starting RHP Mason Thompson (1–3, 6.00 ERA) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts in two innings. RHP Ronald Bolanos (4.04) allowed two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in five innings. RHP Diomar Lopez (4.88) issued a walk in an otherwise perfect inning.

SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI CITY (11–8) — Salem-Keizer 3, DUST DEVILS 2 (10 innings): LF Josh Magee (.208) was 1-for-4 with a RBI. RF Luis Asuncion (.294) was 1-for-4 as Tri-City had only two hits. LHP Travis Radke (2.53 ERA) started and retired the only two hitters he faced. LHP Thomas Cosgrove (7.71) allowed two runs on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. RHP Dalton Erb (0.82) allowed a hit with four strikeouts in three scoreless innings. RHP Austin Smith (0.00) allowed a hit in a scoreless inning. RHP Evan Miller (2–2, 2.31) allowed an unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings to suffer the loss.

ARIZONA ROOKIE LEAGUE — PADRES (3–5) 8, Padres-2 (3–5) 4: RF Angel Santos (.308) was 2-for-3 for the Padres with a double, a walk, two stolen bases, two RBIs and two runs scored. CF Dayon Olmo (.300) had two doubles in four at-bats with a RBI and two runs scored. 3B Jason Pineda (.273) was 1-for-2 with two RBIs. LF Agustin Ruiz (.167) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. DH Blake Hunt (.235) was 1-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored. SS Matthew Batten (.387) had a RBI triple in five at-bats. RHP Lake Bachar (0.00) followed Margevicius and issued a walk with two strikeouts in an otherwise perfect inning. RHP Jonathan Guzman (8.10) allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. RHP Trevor Megill (1–0, 2.84) allowed a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings to get the win.

CF Robbie Podorsky (.364) backed Rosario for the Padres-2, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a steal, a RBI and a run scored. 1B Justin Paulsen (.333) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Starting RHP Jose Guzman (0–1, 3.60 ERA) allowed five runs (only one earned) on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings to take the loss. LHP Anderson Polanco (6.43) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in three innings.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (8–16) — REDS 5, Padres 3: SS Bryan Torres (.297) was 2-for-5 with a run scored. C Gilberto Vizcarra (.159) had a RBI double in four at-bats. 3B Luis Guzman (.190) was 1-for-2 with three walks and a RBI. RF Danny Tovar (.269) was 1-for-3 with a walk. Starting LHP Gabriel Morales (1–3, 4.24 ERA) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings to suffer the loss. RHP Cesar Gonzalez (3.38) allowed two runs on four hits with a strikeout in an inning.