SAN DIEGO — The Padres do not need an All-Star infielder in 2023, which is unusual, they’ll let you know, as a result of they really feel Ha-Seong Kim has been lots worthy.
And perhaps he has been. (Extra on Kim later.) However the true motive it’s unusual? The Padres make use of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth of their infield. All three have been All-Stars in 2021 and ’22. Then all three have been paid handsomely earlier than the ‘23 season.
The primary half of that ‘23 season, in fact, has been wholly underwhelming in San Diego. An 8-5 victory over the Angels on Tuesday apart, the Padres will hit the All-Star break under .500. Every of these three perennial All-Stars has posted numbers considerably under their profession averages.
It’s not superb. However on the very least, it makes the Padres’ path to a second-half turnaround abundantly clear. If that trio can mash like their observe data point out they’re able to …
“It will imply great things for us,” stated Padres supervisor Bob Melvin.
It certain felt doable on a sunny Fourth of July afternoon at a packed Petco Park, the place the Padres trounced Shohei Ohtani. Cronenworth doubled in every of his first two at-bats, earlier than going again to again with Bogaerts within the sixth. That marked the primary time any teammates had taken Ohtani deep consecutively within the Majors, and the Angels’ celebrity exited quickly after with a blister on his finger.
Bogaerts’ homer was his second in as many video games, and he completed 2-for-3 with a stroll. Neither of these two reached base as many occasions as Machado, who went 3-for-3 with a stroll. It was a show of offensive pressure towards one of many sport’s greatest pitchers.
“It’s all the time enjoyable to have a problem and face a man that’s nearly as good as he’s, arguably one of the best participant ever,” Cronenworth stated. “Getting a possibility to face a man like that, that’s all the time a enjoyable competitors.”
Cronenworth, who had by no means confronted Ohtani earlier than Tuesday, turned the primary participant to notch three extra-base hits towards him in an enormous league sport. As soon as a two-way participant himself within the Rays’ system, Cronenworth would have a singular appreciation for Ohtani’s skills.
“Yeah — however not that good,” Cronenworth stated, laughing. “He’s among the finest hitters in baseball, and he’s among the finest pitchers in baseball. No person else can say that.”
As such, maybe Tuesday introduced simply the breakout Cronenworth was trying to find.
“Off a fairly good pitcher … you’ll be able to see the boldness soar somewhat bit,” Melvin stated. “He’s staying again somewhat bit higher, bat’s within the zone somewhat bit longer. Hopefully, it is a actually good sport for him to get him going.”
Similar goes for Bogaerts and Machado, who handled their share of accidents through the first half. Each had proven indicators of a breakout not too long ago. Then Tuesday marked the primary time each had three hits in the identical sport as teammates.
“That’s clearly the extent that me and him wish to play,” Bogaerts stated. “We all know that we’re able to that – and might do much more.”
It was loads of help for Joe Musgrove, who restricted the Angels to 1 run over seven dominant innings whereas hanging out 11. The Padres’ bullpen wobbled within the ninth, with newly promoted lefty José Castillo surrendering 4 runs, prompting Melvin to name for nearer Josh Hader.
Hader had pitched on Monday as effectively, leaving his standing for the sequence finale Wednesday in query. Hader has but to pitch in three straight video games as a Padre, and Melvin was clearly making an attempt to keep away from utilizing Hader until he completely needed to.
“ what?” Melvin would later say. “It’s higher than shedding a sport.”
Hader wasn’t his sharpest both, strolling a pair to deliver the go-ahead run to the plate with the bases loaded. Then Taylor Ward shot a clumsy spinner over the mound. Kim charged it at second base and made an impressive operating play to finish the sport.
Kim entered play Tuesday main all Nationwide League defenders with 11 outs above common. 5 innings earlier, he made a equally wonderful play on a ball that caromed off Cronenworth’s glove at first base. He coolly knocked it down, picked it up and fired again to Cronenworth for the out.
“I feel he’s one of the best defender within the sport,” Melvin stated. “I feel a variety of his numbers would counsel that. … That’s an enormous play proper there to finish that sport, and never too many guys can do this.”
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Revealed : 2023-07-05 03:47:00
