The Friar Faithful have been waiting for signs of life from the San Diego Padres offense that the season-long funk was coming to an end. Fernando Tatis Jr. provided hope that might be the case with a walk-off home run and a 4-for-6 day at the plate in two of the three games against the Cincinnati Reds to close their recent homestand. Tatis has been struggling to pull the ball with power but has finally started doing so and has seen positive results. Jackson Merrill also had a solid series, which
included his first triple of the season and a double in the final game that allowed him to score on a Gavin Sheets double to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth. Manny Machado has hit 11 home runs this season but has lacked the ability to get hits and his sub-.200 average reflects that fact. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes the recent success could be due, in part, to some recent additions to the roster in Samad Taylor, Jase Bowen and Will Wagner who are looking to have success at the MLB level and has thus far found it.
Padres News:
- Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball takes a look back at was a busy and eventful week for the Padres, even if it was not as successful as the Friar Faithful would have liked.
- Manny Machado has drawn the ire of some Padres fans for his play this season, but there are many who are waiting for him to get back to the player he was. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Machado is working to do just that.
- Jhony Brito continues to ramp up toward a return to the San Diego roster with another solid start for the El Paso Chihuahuas.
Baseball News:
- Shohei Ohtani hit a home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers but left the game with knee inflammation. The Dodgers went on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates even without their superstar.
- The Chicago Cubs rode the momentum from a Seiya Suzuki grand slam to a win over the Colorado Rockies.
- The New York Mets squeaked past the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4.
- The Baltimore Orioles scored six runs in the third inning en route to a win over the Seattle Mariners.
- The Texas Rangers got back to .500 with a win over the Kansas City Royals.
- The Miami Marlins got their second shutout in as many days to complete a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
