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Padres Press Clips Monday, April 13, 2015

Article Source Author Page Nieves’ heroics key Padres’ victory UT San Diego Sanders 2 One week win, Padres living up to hype UT San Diego Calkins 5 Starters have come together UT San Diego Maffei 8 Minors: Hunter Renfroe hits first homer UT San Diego Sanders 11 Friar talk: The Padres’ productive bench UT San Diego Sanders 12 Padres hold off Giants after Nieves’ slam MLB.com Haft & Powers 14 Ross finds way to win without best command MLB.com Powers 16 Nieves slams ex-batterymate in homecoming start MLB.com Powers 17 Cashner, De La Rosa look to contain offenses MLB.com Powers 19 Nieves’ grand slam off Peavy helps Padres to 6-4 victory Associated Press Wilson 20 Padres Slam Giants, Win Series NBCSanDiego.com Togerson 22 Diamondbacks – Padres Preview Yahoo Sports AP Sports 23

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Nieves' heroics key Padres' victory 37-year-old catcher hits grand slam off Jake Peavy to send team to series win over Giants By Jeff Sanders4:13 P.M.APRIL 12, 2015Updated6:05 P.M

For all the places that Wil Nieves’ career has taken him – from Puerto Rico to San Diego and on to New York and Arizona and so many minor league stops in between his return to Southern California – the 37-year-old journeyman still comes across firsts every now and then.

Sunday’s matinee offered a convergence of a few of them, all of the noteworthy for the last man on the Padres’ 25-man roster.

A first grand slam and a first curtain call, both at the expense of the first pitcher he ever caught in the majors.

“There’s a lot of things that can happen in your career that are unfair or you don’t agree with,” Nieves said after his fourth-inning blast off Jake Peavy got the Padres started on a 6-4 win Sunday over the Giants in front of a crowd of 40,184 at Petco Park. “If you don’t love baseball, you’re going to lose that passion and retire and hang up your glove.

“A lot of stuff happened to me in my career that I don’t think was fair, but I’m doing what I love and not a lot of people can say that.”

That perseverance has carried the Padres’ backup catcher career full-circle.

Back to San Diego, back to the majors, back behind the plate.

Which is where he was nearly 13 years ago when he caught Peavy for his first game for the team that drafted him in the 47th round in 1995.

The Giants’ 33-year-old right-hander doesn’t throw nearly as hard as he did then. His breaking balls, however, remain as effective if they dart off the plate.

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The 1-1 cutter that Peavy unleashed Sunday with the bases loaded and the Giants clinging to a 2-0 lead did not. The resulting line drive sailed over the wall in left, Nieves’ first homer in his first start of a season that began with him signing a minor league deal to compete for the backup job.

“I was excited,” Nieves said. “I know my No. 1 job is to call games, but if you can contribute with the bat, it is a plus. It’s been a while since I had an at-bat, but I had been working hard for when I got an opportunity.

“Peavy made a mistake and I put a good swing on it.”

The Padres added insurance runs on Alexi Amarista’s run-scoring triple in the sixth and Will Venable’s seventh-inning homer and Craig Kimbrel sat down the defending World Series champs with ease in the ninth to close out a third straight victory following a 12-inning letdown in the home-opener.

The hangover didn’t last.

The Padres’ bullpen outlasted the Giants’ the next night, James Shields and the Padres’ remade lineup overwhelmed World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner on Saturday night and Nieves spoiled Peavy’s triumphant return to Petco Park on Sunday afternoon with one swing of the bat.

Until that point, Peavy – a World Series winner twice over since the old penny-pinching Padres flipped him out of town in July 2009 – had negotiated his way through three scoreless innings.

But Matt Kemp singled to open the fourth, Justin Upton walked and Will Middlebrooks dropped a one-out single into shallow center to load the bases for Nieves’ fateful slam.

“I made two good pitches to Nieves,” Peavy said of initial low-and-away cutters to Nieves. “Then I got a ball up when I wanted it down and away again. I definitely wanted the ball down and away and just missed.”

Nieves did not.

That it was just his 10th homer of his career, in a critical spot and against a former Padres hero, no less, made the ensuing curtain call all that much sweeter.

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“A lot of fist pumps a lot of smiles. A couple guys jumped,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “That was a good one.”

So was the effort that Tyson Ross turned in, albeit more workman-like than as dominant as the Padres’ returning All-Star has been at Petco Park. On Sunday, Ross gave up run-scoring singles in the second and third innings and Gregor Blanco’s RBI triple in the sixth, but scattered enough of his traffic – five hits and four walks – to pitch the Padres past the Giants for a third-straight win.

“Tyson was just a little bit out of whack from at-bat to at-bat,” Black said. “He got his punchouts (eight), threw some quality pitches, but (pitching coach Darren Balsley) noticed he wasn’t quite as rhythmatic as he can be when he’s truly on. We saw a couple four-pitch walks, which you don’t like to see.

“Again, it’s a great sign for Tyson. Not on the top of his game … but he got the victory.”

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One week in, Padres living up to hype By Matt Calkins7:49 P.M.APRIL 12, 2015

One week in the books — and there was nothing weak about it.

The Padres just logged their first seven days of the season, and by this town's standards, it was a seven-day wonder.

Three straight wins over the defending World Series champs? Check.

An attendance record for a series at Petco Park? Check.

A feeling that pixie dust may sprinkle onto the field at any given moment? Yeah, you can check that, too.

One week down here in San Diego, and for the first time in forever — we don't know how many weeks to go.

A reporter and I were talking after the Padres beat the Giants 6-4 on Sunday, thus improving their record to 4-3 after a borderline disastrous start. I commented how, with this year's roster, it felt like an impact moment could take place on any given at-bat, whereas before I was just watching the clock.

The reporter's response? "I was watching the calendar."

And yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

San Diego's 4-3 record through week No. 1 pales in comparison to the teaser it just aired. Any indication that these were the Padres of old disappeared like a Wil Nieves shot to left field.

There is life to this team. There is resolve with this club. If fans are checking the calendar these days, it's because they're counting down to the next time they can sit in the stands.

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"The energy the fans have shown here early is awesome," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It's tangible. You can feel it."

Of course, when the Padres played their home opener on Thursday, you could feel that energy losing oxygen with each passing inning. This supposed All-Star lineup failed to produce a run in a 12-inning loss to San Francisco, and were in the midst of a 22-inning scoring drought late Friday night.

Based on all the offseason upgrades, this was the equivalent to spending three months with a personal trainer and gaining 10 pounds of fat. But then it happened — Wil Myers hit an RBI double in the eighth inning, San Diego hung on to win 1-0, and the club has done nothing but electrify Petco since.

Saturday, the Pads bounced Giants ace and World Series hero Madison Bumgarner after three innings. They went on to win 10-2 while tallying 20 hits. Sunday, they watched Nieves hit a grand slam, Will Venable rip a solo homer, and Craig Kimbrel close out the ninth 1-2-3.

And while there are an array of adjectives that could aptly describe the ambiance, the most salient one was, well, fun.

It's one thing that the four games against the Giants lured 168,171 fans through the Petco Park gates, a stadium record for a series. But what truly stood out was how may of those fans were rooting for the Padres.

It used to be that, if the Giants were in town, a blind man couldn't tell whether a play went San Diego's way or not. But over the past four days, home-field advantage has been a very real thing.

How long this will last is obviously contingent on the Padres racking up W's, but while the sample size is small, signs point to that trend continuing.

Through one week, we have seen ace James Shields live up to expectations, yielding just three runs in 13 innings while fanning 15. We have seen the Padres rank in the top four in the National League in runs scored and ERA, a balance that was once inconceivable.

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We have seen offensive production from Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Derek Norris, not to mention an offensive uptick from players such as Yonder Alonso and Yangervis Solarte, who may very well be benefitting from protection in the lineup.

But more than anything, there's a feeling that this team can bulldoze its way to victories instead of just hoping to hang on to them.

After Sunday's win, Norris noted how fans respond to production, and that he and his teammates have no plans of slowing down.

Funny. For the first time in years, fans aren't expecting them to.

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Starters have come together With an ERA of 2.65 through seven games this staff has two vocal leaders By John Maffei4:51 P.M.APRIL 12, 2015

They've come from Toronto, Kansas City, Arizona, Oakland, Chicago and Cuba.

But they have come together in San Diego to form the Padres starting pitching staff, a group that early-on is proving to be among the best in the game.

Through the season's first seven games, James Shields, Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Morrow and Odrisamer Despaigne (who came in for Kennedy when he tweaked a hamstring) have posted a 2.65 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 44 innings.

"The energy on this staff is really good," said Morrow, who threw seven shutout innings in his first start against the Giants on Friday and will start Wednesday against Arizona.

"We pick each other up. In the dugout there is a mind-set that we're all in this together. And we'll do anything we can to help the other guys.

"It hasn't been that way on every staff I've been on (having pitched for Seattle and Toronto).

"We have guys like Shields and Cashner who are high-energy, really fired up, very vocal.

"Then you have guys like myself and Tyson who are pretty quiet.

"The mix is great, though, because we feed off the vocal guys."

Padres manager Bud Black said there is a healthy competition among the starters.

"They all want to keep up," Black said. "The motivation is there to not be the guy who lets others down.

"They pull hard for each other."

The thinking is that the Padres, despite Kennedy's "hiccup" of a hamstring pull, might have five starters who each make 30 starts and can pitch 200 or more innings this season.

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"We went two years in Kansas City in '84 and '85 and didn't miss a start," Black said of a rotation that include himself, Charlie Leibrandt, Danny Jackson, Bret Saberhangen and Mark Gubicza. "So it can be done."

The '85 Royals finished 91-71 and went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

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Mr. Versatile

Yangervis Solarte didn't lose the third base job to Will Middlebrooks as much as Solarte claimed the role as the Padres' No. 1 utility man.

So far this season, Solarte has started at first and second. He's also capable of playing both positions on the left side of the infield as well as the corner outfield spots.

"Because of his versatility, we're going to lean on him a lot," Black said of the switch-hitter. "He proved offensively last year that he belongs in the big leagues."

Solarte came to the Padres from the New York Yankees in July last season in exchange for Chase Headley. Solarte was batting .254 with the Yankees and hit .267 for the Padres.

"He had a great start with the Yankees, stumbled a bit, then picked it up with us," Black said. "He's going to get plenty of chances with us."

Solarte started at first base Saturday and was at second base Sunday.

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Picking up the pace

Major League Baseball officials are serious about speeding up the game.

Speed-up rules are in place and Black said several Padres hitters have gotten warnings about slow play.

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"In the long term, over years, this will be fine," Black said. "They're really enforcing this in the minor leagues, so in time players will be used to a quicker pace. But today's 750 major leaguers are not."

Black said the thing that has been consistent is a 2-minute, 25-second rule between innings.

"When they come out of that commercial break, the pitcher is ready at 2:26," Black said.

Asked if he's OK with all the changes, Black said "I'm old school. I hate compromise. But this is aimed at the 18-21 generation."

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Ect.

Justin Upton has hit safely in all seven games this season and nine in a row, including the final two games of the 2014 season. ... Matt Kemp had a single and triple, his fourth multi-hit game of the season. ... Will Venable's seventh-inning solo homer was the 40th of his career at Petco Park and his 10th career against the Giants. ... Left-hander Chris Rearick made his major-league debut in the seventh inning Sunday, coming out of the Padres bullpen to strike out the left-hand hitting Brandon Belt. ... Sunday's attendance of 40,184 pushed the four-game total with the Giants to 168,171, the largest number for a four-game series in Petco Park history. The record was 164,395 for a July series with the Diamondbacks in 2005. The Padres' all-time record for a four-game series is 197,225 in September of 1996 against the Dodgers.

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Minors: Hunter Renfroe hits first homer Recapping Sunday's Padres minor league games By Jeff Sanders8 A.M.APRIL 13, 2015

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (2-2)

• Chihuahuas 7, Tacoma 6: C Austin Hedges (.333) drove in three runs on two hits and CF Abraham Almonte (.438) reached base four times, including three walks. RHP Kevin Quackenbush saved his first game with a strikeout in the ninth inning after RHP James Needy allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (1-3)

• Springfield 4, Missions 2: RF Hunter Renfroe (.125) hit his first homer of the season and SS Trea Turner (.071) collected his first hit, an RBI double. On the mound RHP Casey Kelly (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in an inning of work after RHP Elliot Morris turned in six shutout innings.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (3-1)

• Storm 6, Modesto 4: LF Nick Schulz (.500) went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs, while SS Jose Rondon (.400) singled twice and scored a pair of runs. RHP Rafael De Paula (1-0) struck out five and allowed two runs on six hits and a walk in five innings.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (0-1)

• Lansing 4, TinCaps 3: LF Nick Torres, 2B Josh VanMeter and 3B Duanel Jones each had two hits in the TinCaps’ season-opener. CF Michael Gettys singled and stole a bag, while RHP Dinelson Lamet allowed two runs on no hits and two walks while striking out three in two innings.

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Friar talk: The Padres' productive bench Nieves, Venable both powere up in first starts of the season By Jeff Sanders6 A.M.APRIL 13, 2015

On the seventh day of the season, Padres manager Bud Black gave his final two bench players their first start of the season. The timing was impeccable.

Wil Nieves’ got the Padres started on a 6-4 victory over the Giants with a fourth-inning grand slam, a momentum-changing blast that Will Venable followed in the seventh with a solo shot to right for his first homer of the season and his 40th at Petco Park. Venable didn’t hit his first homer until Game 39 in 2014.

Of course, the Padres so-called bench players have been rather reliable to start this season.

Counting Nieves’ and Venable’s contributions on Sunday, their non-regulars are hitting .283 (13-for-46) with seven RBIs through the first week of the season, which was a success across the board, writes U-T San Diego’s Matt Calkins.

“We’ve said all along, and every manager will tell you, every general manager will tell you, it takes all 25 guys throughout the course of a season,” Black said after Nieves provided the first runs of the game in his first action of the season. “That was a good one for us.”

NOTABLE

• Although victorious, RHP Tyson Ross snapped a string of eight straight starts at Petco Park in which he allowed two or fewer runs. Only Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez (20) and Padres RHP Andrew Cashner (18) have longer home streaks intact.

• OF Justin Upton has hit in each of the Padres’ first seven games, giving him a 16-game hitting streak dating back to last season.

• OF Matt Kemp’s four multi-hit games is tied for the most in the majors.

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HE SAID IT

“Actually figured that when I came in we’d be up at least five or six runs. It was pretty amazing. My heart was going 100 mph.”

– LHP Chris Rearick on making his major league debut in the seventh inning Sunday after Buster Posey’s homer off Dale Thayer cut the Padres’ lead to 5-4. Rearick struck out the left-handed-hittingBrandon Belt to preserve the lead.

AROUND THE WATER COOLER

• Big Game James? Maybe. James Shields had a lead when he left his start against Clayton Kershaw and he beat Madison Bumgarner straight up Saturday. So far, so good on the investment in a pitcher expected to elevate the Padres to new heights in 2015.

• The award for the top reliever in the National League each year is named for Trevor Hoffman, who is glad to have the 2014 recipient – Craig Kimbrel – in San Diego.

• While “Gum-gate” was no laughing matter to Derek Norris, the Padres’ catcher is known for a dry sense of humor. When he’s off the field, at least.

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Padres hold off Giants after Nieves' slam By Chris Haft and Tim Powers / MLB.com | April 12, 2015

SAN DIEGO -- Wil Nieves lined a fourth-inning grand slam off Giants right-hander Jake Peavy and the Padres held on Sunday for a 6-4 victory, San Diego's third in its four-game series against the reigning World Series champions.

Peavy made his first Petco Park appearance since the Padres traded him to the White Sox at the 2009 Trade Deadline. He finished the fourth inning and left the game after Nieves' homer erased San Francisco's 2-0 lead. "I thought he was pretty sharp," Giants catcher Buster Posey said of Peavy. "He looked probably as crisp as I've seen him the last three or four times I caught him. He really didn't make too many mistakes."

Referring to the 1-1 pitch that Nieves crushed, Posey added, "Unfortunately, there was the one that came back and stayed over the middle and he made us pay for it." Padres starter Tyson Ross, who has won his last three decisions against the Giants, surrendered three runs and five hits in six innings.

"It was a good team win," Ross said. "It's a grind and I didn't have my best stuff today, but I'm going to give it everything I've got. The guys picked me up today." Will Venable hit a seventh-inning homer for the Padres, offsetting Posey's homer in San Francisco's half of the inning.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Memorable reunion: Nieves and Peavy have some history, as the two were batterymates for

the Padres in Nieves' Major League debut in 2002. The 37-year-old Nieves got the better of the

reunion by hitting his first career grand slam.

Missed opportunities: The Giants left five runners in scoring position, twice squandering

chances with a runner on third base and one out. In the seventh inning, Nori Aoki was doubled

off first base on Joe Panik's popup immediately before Posey homered.

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Amarista pads the lead: After San Francisco pulled within a run on Gregor Blanco's RBI triple

in the sixth, Alexi Amarista answered with one of his own in the bottom of the frame, sending a

ball down the line in left field that kicked past Aoki and scored Justin Upton for a 5-3

advantage.

Dealing with forced hand: Because Casey McGehee was unavailable for the Giants due to the cortisone shot he received for his bruised left leg, manager Bruce Bochy had to let reliever Yusmeiro Petit bat in the sixth inning with Blanco on third base and two out. Petit struck out. QUOTABLE "There were a lot of fist pumps, a lot of smiles. Guys jumped. That was good stuff. The grand slam is a special play in our game. You don't see it every day." -- Padres manager Bud Black on Nieves' grand slam WHAT'S NEXT Giants: Bochy hopes the hoisting of the 2014 World Series banner preceding Monday's 1:35 p.m. PT start vs. the Rockies will remind his players that they remain capable of dynamic, winning efforts. Somebody needs to make sure to get that message to Chris Heston, the first rookie to start a Giants home opener since Alan Fowlkes in 1982. Padres: San Diego opens a three-game set at 7:10 p.m. on Monday against another National League West opponent, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Andrew Cashner will look to improve upon his last outing in which he served up three home runs to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and took the loss after allowing six runs.

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Ross finds way to win without best command Padres starter walks four, throws wild pitch but beats Giants

By Tim Powers / Special to MLB.com | April 12, 2015

SAN DIEGO -- While the results look solid from Padres pitcher Tyson Ross's second start of the season -- three runs allowed over six innings, eight strikeouts and a victory -- it was the fashion in which Ross earned the win that most impressed manager Bud Black and Ross himself. Ross battled some four-pitch walks and even had a wild pitch and passed ball get past catcher Wil Nieves, but despite the lack of accuracy, he was able to keep the score close enough for the offense to lift the team to a 6-4 win over the Giants in Sunday's series finale.

"It was a good team win," Ross said. "It's a grind and I didn't have my best stuff today, but I'm going to give it everything I've got. The guys picked me up today."

Black pointed to Ross's ability to compete despite not having his best stuff and ultimately turning in a quality start as the takeaway from Ross's outing.

"Tyson was just a little bit out of whack from at-bat to at-bat," Black said. "But he got his punchouts and got some big outs."

Black said he and pitching coach Darren Balsley both observed Ross struggling to some extent but keeping himself and the team in the game, and Black believes Ross will benefit from having that experience to build upon.

"He was not as rhythmatic as we will see when he's on." Black said. "It's a great confidence builder for him."

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Nieves slams ex-batterymate in homecoming start Catcher homers off Peavy nearly 13 years after first game with San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- Wil Nieves had to wait a long time between making starts for the Padres -- more than 12 years -- but the veteran catcher made his reunion with the team especially memorable. Nieves got the call to make his first start at catcher for San Diego since September 2002 and hit a grand slam to help power the Padres to a 6-4 win over the Giants in Sunday's series finale. Coincidentally, the home run, Nieves' first career grand slam, came against the pitcher for whom he caught in his Major League debut on July 21, 2002: former Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, who made the start for the Giants.

"I was excited," Nieves said. "I know my No. 1 job when I'm catching is to call a good game, and anything I can do with the bat is a plus. Peavy made a mistake and I put a good swing on it, and thankfully it went out of the ballpark." Manager Bud Black said Nieves showed well in Spring Training after the leading candidate for the backup catcher role, Tim Federowicz, suffered a knee injury.

"For Wil, he's been at this a long time," Black said. "He's going to be fine. We saw him catch very well in Spring Training."

Black also said Nieves' blast brought the dugout to life when the 37-year-old veteran catcher returned from rounding the bases.

"There were a lot of fist pumps, a lot of smiles," Black said. "Guys jumped. That was good stuff. The grand slam is a special play in our game. You don't see it every day."

Nieves made quite a few stops along the way back to San Diego, having played parts of 11 seasons with the New York Yankees, Washington, Milwaukee, Colorado, Arizona and most recently Philadelphia. Despite the time elapsed between stints with the Padres, Nieves feels a sense of comfort in San Diego.

"The good thing is that I feel comfortable here," Nieves said. "A lot of the same guys are here, the training staff, the coaches. It makes me feel like I never left."

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Black put Nieves in the lineup Sunday to give starter Derek Norris a break after catching six consecutive games and said he appreciates giving his bench players opportunities to play in addition to resting some of his regulars.

"It's great for Wil," Black said. "As a veteran player, he's good on the team. He's doing his work every day. It's good to see contributions from the bench -- guys who were making their first starts of the year."

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Cashner, De La Rosa look to contain offenses By Tim Powers / Special to MLB.com | 4/12/2015 6:27 PM ET

The Padres and D-backs open a three-game series Monday at Petco Park. Andrew Cashner (0-1) will take the hill for the Padres and oppose Rubby De La Rosa (1-0), as both pitchers get their second turn in the rotation this season.

Both starters gave up six runs apiece in their first outings, with Cashner taking the loss against the Dodgers while De La Rosa benefitted from two home runs by his teammates to win his debut with the D-backs.

Cashner surrendered three home runs to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in his previous start and faces another slugger at first base for the D-backs in Paul Goldschmidt.

Things to know about this game

• Cashner did not defeat the D-Backs last season in three starts against the National League West opponent. He allowed six runs over 18 innings while facing the D-backs twice at Petco Park.

• De La Rosa has made one career start against the Padres, as a member of the Dodgers, tossing six shutout innings, but he did not factor in the decision.

• The D-backs bested the Padres in the head-to-head season series in 2014, winning 12 of 19 games between the two teams.

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Nieves' grand slam off Peavy helps Padres to 6-4 victory BERNIE WILSON

FOX SPORTS SAN DIEGO

APR 12, 2015 8:18p ET

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Backup catcher Wil Nieves hit his first career grand slam, a drive off former San Diego star Jake Peavy, and the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 Sunday to take three of four against the defending World Series champions. It was the first career slam and just the 10th homer overall for the 37-year-old Nieves,who was a 47th-round draft pick of the Padres in 1995. He signed as a minor league free agent in January and won the backup job after Tim Federowicz, obtained from the Dodgers in the Matt Kemp deal, was sidelined following knee surgery. Making his first start of the season, Nieves homered to left on a 1-1 pitch with two outs in the fourth. Peavy (0-1), whose first start of the season was delayed because of a back injury, loaded the bases on a single by Kemp, a walk to Justin Upton and a one-out single by Will Middlebrooks. Peavy, the unanimous 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner while with the Padres, allowed four runs and four hits in four innings, struck out five and walked three. San Diego's Tyson Ross (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, struck out eight and walked four. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his second save in as many chances. The Giants had given Peavy a 2-0 lead on Matt Duffy's RBI single in the second and Brandon Belt's RBI hit in the third. Belt had missed four games with a strained right groin. Gregor Blanco's RBI triple down the right-field line in the sixth pulled the Giants to 4-3 before Alexi Amarista's RBI triple into the left-field corner in the bottom of the inning gave the Padres a two-run lead. Buster Posey homered off Dale Thayer with two outs in the seventh, his second, to pull the Giants to 5-4. TRAINERS ROOM Giants: 3B Casey McGehee said an MRI showed he has a bone bruise in his left knee. He had a cortisone shot and is expected to be out a few days. "All things considered I feel real

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fortunate. It's as good of news as I could hope for," McGehee said. He said he suffered the injury Monday against Arizona and aggravated it during an at-bat in the first inning Saturday. UP NEXT Giants: RHP Chris Heston (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will become the second rookie in San Francisco history to start a home opener when he faces Colorado on Monday. The Rockies counter with Eddie Butler (0-0, 3.18) Padres: Andrew Cashner (0-1, 9.00) is scheduled to start Monday night when the Padres open a three-game series against Arizona, which counters with Rubby De La Rosa (1-0, 10.13).

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Padres Slam Giants, Win Series Nieves grand slam sparks Padres victory By Derek Togerson In 2002, Wil Nieves made his MLB debut with the Padres. He was behind the plate for another rookie, a pitcher named Jake Peavy. Nieves got his first big league hit on that Sunday afternoon in July. After that season Nieves left San Diego and played for six other big league teams, returning to the Padres for the 2015 season to be the backup for Derek Norris. In his first game back in a Padres uniform, another Sunday afternoon (although this time in April), Jake Peavy was on the mound again (although this time in a San Francisco Giants uniform). If you’re a fan of symmetry, you’re going to love this. Nieves hit his first career grand slam off Peavy to lead the Padres to a 6-4 win over the Giants. The big blast came in the 4th inning of a game the Giants were leading 2-nothing, and it was set up in a bit of a convoluted manner. Matt Kemp singled, Justin Upton walked, Yonder Alonso flew out, Will Middlebrooks hit a bloop single to center, and Alexi Amarista struck out. All that brought up Nieves, who hammered a 1-1 pitch in to the left field seats just in front of the Western Metal Supply building. It was the 10th home run of Nieves’ career, and it came in his 1153rd at-bat. After that, the Giants and Padres traded runs. San Francisco got one in the top of the 6th inning on a Gregor Blanco RBI triple … San Diego answered with a an Alexi Amarista RBI triple in the bottom half. The Giants scored on a Buster Posey solo homer in the top of the 7th. The Padres responded with a Will Venable solo shot in the bottom half. It helped give Padres starter Tyson Ross his first win of the season. Ross did not have his best stuff but worked around it, throwing 6.0 innings, allowing three runs and striking out eight. There was a nice moment in the top of the 7th inning. Left-handed pitcher Chris Rearick made his MLB debut and got Giants first baseman Brandon Belt to strike out swinging. Rearick then got to sit down and watch a pair of veterans go to work. Joaquin Benoit threw a perfect 8th inning and Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless 9th inning to get his second save of the season. The win gives the Padres a 3-1 series win over the Giants and at 4-3, puts them over .500 for the first time this season. Their home stand continues on Monday when the Diamondbacks come in for a 3-game set.

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Diamondbacks-Padres Preview 15 hours agoAP - Sports

Andrew Cashner ended up a handful of innings short of qualifying for the best home ERA in baseball a season ago.

He'll make his first 2015 home start for theSan Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Cashner went 4-3 with a 1.43 ERA in 11 home starts in 2014, falling 5 2-3 innings shy of qualifying to better Miami'sHenderson Alvarez (1.60) and Los Angeles'Clayton Kershaw (1.70). San Diego won eight of those home starts even though Cashner received 20 runs of support.

The right-hander could find Petco Park comforting after an uneven debut against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He gave up six runs in five innings of a 7-4 defeat, yielding all three homers by Adrian Gonzalez.

"I've got to be better than that and mix in more some off-speed stuff, especially when I'm not locating my fastball," Cashner said.

He could be in for more trouble against another feared slugger in Paul Goldschmidt, who is 4 for 9 with one home run off him. Cashner went 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against Arizona last year, contests in which San Diego (4-3) gave him one total run of support.

Derek Norris figures to be back as his batterymate after 37-year-old Wil Nieves gave Norris a rest in Sunday's 6-4 win over San Francisco, hitting his first career grand slam. Norris went 8 for 25 in starting the first six games.

Will Venable also homered as the Padres went deep for the first time at home, taking the final three games of a four-game set.

Matt Kemp went 6 for 9 in the final two contests while fellow newcomer Justin Upton has recorded at least a hit in every game, going 8 for 26.

Venable is among four Padres hitters who have faced scheduled Arizona starter Rubby De La Rosa, going 0 for 2 with a walk. Wil Myers is 3 for 4 with two doubles in the matchup.

De La Rosa gave up six runs over 5 1-3 innings of Tuesday's 7-6 victory over the Giants in his Diamondbacks debut. The right-hander's lone start against the Padres came July 9, 2011, when he pitched six innings of one-hit ball as a Dodgers rookie in Los Angeles' 1-0 win.

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Arizona (3-3) starts a seven-game trip after splitting six at home. The Diamondbacks failed to sweep a three-game set with the Dodgers, losing 7-4 on Sunday after a four-run ninth-inning rally wasn't enough.

''The guys battled, it was good; that's the attitude we have,'' manager Chip Hale said. ''It doesn't matter what the score is or the situation we are going to battle to the end, 27 outs, offensively or defensively.''

Goldschmidt was 0 for 4 on Sunday after going 4 for 8 with two homers and six RBIs in the first two games of the series. A.J. Pollock went 5 for 12 with four RBIs over the weekend.

Arizona was 12-7 against San Diego in 2014.