1

Padres Press Clips Thursday, May 25, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Padres rally to beat Mets UT San Diego Lin 2

Dinelson Lamet, once an unheralded prospect, arrives on UT San Diego Lin 5

major league stage

Fernando Tatis Jr. already a man among boys at Fort UT San Diego Sanders 7

Wayne

Luis Urias, Franmil Reyes lead Missions to win UT San Diego Sanders 10

Prospect Lamet set for MLB debut vs. Mets MLB.com Bumbaca 12

Renfroe's 440-ft HR caps Padres' comeback MLB.com DiComo/Cassavell 13

Sleight of Hand: Lefty pulls Houdini escape act MLB.com Cassavell 16

Margot exits with tightness in right calf MLB.com Cassavell 18

Hedges' superb D goes beyond diving catch MLB.com Cassavell 19

Solarte in No. 2 slot makes a lot of sense Padres.com Center 21

Padres rally late, hold off Mets in 9th for 6-5 win Associated Press AP 23

Padres On Deck: Tatis Jr., Villanueva Honored by Leagues Friar Wire Center 26

This Day in Padres History, 5/24 Friar Wire Center 28

Renfroe Hits Towering Home Run to Seal Victory NBC 7 Acosta 29

2

Padres rally to beat Mets

Dennis Lin

The Padres dealt with a pair of injuries up the middle of the field Wednesday at Citi Field. They doled out some damage of their own. Finally, they avoided what would have been a painful loss.

In a 6-5 victory over the New York Mets, Yangervis Solarte, Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe delivered critical blows, fueling the Padres’ rally from a 5-1 deficit. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Brad Hand extricated himself from a bases-loaded, no-out jam to retire three consecutive batters.

The Houdini act ensured that a collection of key hits did not go to waste.

Solarte, who singled to drive in the game’s first run, lined a two-run double to center in the fifth, slicing the deficit to two.

Myers just missed a home run in the seventh, settling for a single off the top of the fence in right-center. Two runs scored, tying the game.

In the eighth, Renfroe left no doubt with a 440-foot, tie-breaking homer to the second deck in left. The Padres’ Nos. 2, 3 and 5 hitters had driven in all of their runs.

The earlier portions of the game had not gone so well.

Right-hander Jarred Cosart’s fifth pitch of the night collided with Michael Conforto’s bat. A comebacker pegged Cosart in the right foot. He immediately doubled over in clear discomfort.

In the middle of the third inning, Matt Szczur, not Manuel Margot, jogged out of the visiting dugout. Margot, the Padres’ starting center fielder, had left the game because of a sore lower calf.

“As hard as he’s pushed this year, as soon as he said that, we weren’t going to push him at all,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “He’s been out there grinding every single day.”

Cosart, meanwhile, had remained in the game, but his stay did not last long. Shortly after Margot’s departure, he was lifted after his 38th pitch in the bottom of the third. The Mets had taken a 4-1 lead after a three-run double and an RBI single.

X-rays on Cosart’s foot were negative. He is day-to-day.

“It wasn’t too bad the first inning,” Cosart said. “When I got back out for the second inning, it was tighter. It got progressively tighter. I just lost all push off my backside, and everything started to sail on me, and I’m sure my velocity started to drop a little bit. I tried. I just didn’t really have much and just didn’t locate many pitches.”

3

Cosart, who has battled injuries throughout his career, including earlier this season, said he will try to avoid the disabled list “at all costs.

“I’m hoping to get back out there as soon as possible,” he said. “Another DL trip would make me very upset.”

After Cosart’s exit, the Padres were picked up by their offense. Solarte logged his second consecutive multi-hit game, after not recording one since April 29. Myers also finished with two hits, ending a five-game drought. Renfroe’s homer was his ninth this season, continuing a recent string of quality at-bats.

“I’ve told him on multiple occasions he’s got more power than me,” said Myers, who has 11 home runs on the season. “It’s hard to admit that, but he’s got some crazy power, man.”

In the bottom of the eighth, Renfroe committed a potentially costly fielding error, allowing Juan Lagares to reach second with no outs. Brandon Maurer, who had opened the season as the Padres’ closer, retired the next three batters to preserve the lead.

“It’s just been a situation recently here where we’re trying to get his feet back under him,” Green said of Maurer, whose ERA had risen sharply over the last two weeks. “He’s had a rough stretch. … He was outstanding today.”

Hand, who has emerged as a coveted trade piece, got the ball in the bottom of the ninth. The Mets came up with a soft single, a walk and a seeing-eye single. The bases were full.

Hand struck out the next two batters and got another to fly out, sealing his third career save.

“He’s always been a ‘low heart rate guy,’ not nervous, not anxious,” Green said. “To get out of that situation, there’s only a few relievers in the game who work out of that situation, and Brad Hand is one of them.”

“It doesn’t really matter what my role is,” Hand said. “Whenever my name is called in the bullpen, that is when I’m going to pitch. That’s the way I look at it. Whatever you can do to help the team win the ballgame, it doesn’t really matter what inning you pitched in.”

Green stopped short of declaring Hand his official closer.

“I think we’ll just bounce guys around and utilize them in the best way possible going forward right now,” the manager said. “Wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Brandon Maurer in that situation in the ninth. Wouldn’t be shocked to see Brad Hand back in that situation.”

Orioles claim Sardinas Former Padres infielder Luis Sardinas was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Sardinas was designated for assignment by San Diego on Sunday.

Sardinas, 24, showed some promise after being acquired from Seattle last summer, but he returned to being a light-hitting utility player this season. In 53 plate appearances with the Padres, he batted .163 with a .226 on-base percentage.

4

Chase d’Arnaud, whom the Padres claimed off waivers on Sunday, will fill the utility role vacated by Sardinas.

5

Dinelson Lamet, once an unheralded prospect, arrives on major league stage Dennis Lin

Each July, a new international signing period opens and major league clubs, in search of home-run acquisitions, spend vast sums on Latin American talent. Players who already are 16, or will be by Sept. 1, are eligible to sign. The corresponding attrition rate is astronomical.

Rare, especially in a baseball-crazed country like the Dominican Republic, is a prospect inked in his early 20s.

Yet, on Thursday, just such a prospect will make his big-league debut at Citi Field. While most international signees never sniff the majors, less than three years have elapsed since Dinelson Lamet officially joined the Padres organization.

The right-hander endured a lengthy delay before his introduction to professional baseball. In 2012, a documentation issue prevented him from signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lamet returned to the Dominican, where he was forced to play the waiting game. The Padres took advantage.

“Our guys on the ground in the D.R. did a great job staying on him,” said former longtime Padres executive Randy Smith, who at the time was overseeing the organization’s international efforts. “We had him in our complex numerous times to evaluate him. Then we had him in the complex for a month straight to really get a chance to know the kid as a person, see his talent and keep him somewhat away from other people because we thought he was a unique and special talent.

“We built a rapport and relationship with him. … He wanted to be a Padre, and we worked hard to make it happen.”

Several more months came and went before Lamet’s paperwork was finally approved. In June of 2014, he signed for $100,000. The fact that he was a few weeks shy of his 22nd birthday had not discouraged either the player or the team.

“I never lowered my head, never thought I wasn’t going to be able to play,” Lamet, speaking through an interpreter, said Wednesday. “I knew I wanted to be a baseball player and continued to work hard knowing that one day an opportunity was going to present itself.”

6

“In dealing with young Latin players, the system’s always been up for debate,” said Smith, now a senior advisor and major league scouting director for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. “But (in general,) we pay more money for 15- and 16-year-old kids than 19- and 20-year-old kids. … I’ve never shied away from an older kid in Latin America. Because if you’re talented, you’re talented. For older players, you know a little bit more about the makeup and the stuff.”

In Lamet’s case, the Padres were attracted by a 6-foot-4 frame and a number of intriguing attributes.

“He had a good body with strength, a loose arm,” Smith recalled. “The velocity was there. He had a breaking ball already. Some feel for a change-up. Obviously, he had a ways to go. But to me, the size and arm strength, the way he did it, the competitiveness stood out.”

Lamet’s age, Smith said, proved an asset. Since his signing, the 24-year-old has made a steady ascent. Despite a mass influx of talent, Baseball America rated him the Padres’ ninth-best prospect prior to this season.

After a pair of appearances in the Dominican Summer League, Lamet debuted stateside in 2015 and posted a 2.99 ERA with low Single-A Fort Wayne. In 2016, he spent time at three levels, finishing at Triple-A El Paso.

This season, Lamet dominated in multiple games with that affiliate. In one, he fanned 13 batters over 5 1/3 innings. His next start, he threw seven scoreless innings, striking out nine.

“He’s one of my favorite guys to play behind,” said infielder Carlos Asuaje, who also was promoted from El Paso this week. “It’s a good slider, and it’s a hard fastball with sink. It’s not a straight four-seam, so it’s a sinker, upper 90s. It’s pretty tough for anybody to barrel that up.”

Working in the strike zone consistently and facing left-handed hitters will present immediate challenges, but Lamet’s stuff, Padres manager Andy Green said, already is “big-league” caliber.

“You put in a lot of work to get to this point,” Lamet said. “To know that I was coming up was really great. I was happy for myself and happy for my family, who supported me the whole way. So I’m reaching one of my dreams.

“Now that I’m here, I just want to prove that I can be a piece of the team and be a key part going forward.”

7

Fernando Tatis Jr. already a man among boys at Fort Wayne Jeff Sanders

The son of a minor league player, Fernando Tatis smashed a total of 113 homers in 11 years with five big league teams, including 34 in one breakthrough season as a raw 24-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. Two of those blasts – grand slams – famously exited Dodger Stadium in the same inning in April 1999, long before Tatis refined the approach that would one day prop up the start of his own son’s professional career.

“In those times,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said by phone from Fort Wayne, Ind., “he was basically going off his talent and not knowing much about baseball. He was only learning about hitting – not too big, not too small.

“Just quick and short to center field.”

That blueprint is serving the younger Tatis well in his first full year of pro ball.

The 18-year-old shortstop was hit by a pitch Wednesday morning, extending his on-base streak at the Padres’ low Single-A affiliate to 20 games. That stretch – which included a 15-game hitting streak – has lifted his average from .213 to .278 and included a power burst that saw the lanky, 6-foot-3 Tatis blast three homers in a five-day span as the Midwest League’s player of the week.

That Tatis Jr.’s exploits is coming as the circuit’s fifth-youngest player only adds to the intrigue of a player who opened the season ranked No. 47 in ESPN’s top-100 minor league prospects.

The Fernando Tatis Jr. file

The White Sox signed Fernando Tatis Jr. for $825,000 as one of their jewels of the 2015 international free agent class. He was considered the prize in the James Shields trade the following June and is ranked No. 47 among ESPN scouting guru Keith Law’s top-100 prospects: “There’s risk, given his age, but we might look back on this deal in a few years and call it the Fernando Tatis trade.”

Age: 18 Level: Low Single-A Fort Wayne 2017 Stats: .278 avg., .363 OBP, .462 SLG, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs, 9 steals, 24 runs, 55

strikeouts, 44 games

8

“For me, he’s an All-Star,” said Skip Schumaker, an assistant in Padres player development and a veteran of 11 major league seasons. “It’s up to him how good he wants to be. The sky is the limit for this kid. He’s got the size and the aptitude, and the knowledge of the game for 18 years old is so impressive.”

Credit for that head start, Tatis Jr., said is certainly owed to his father, his son’s budding career back in the Dominican Republic becoming a focus as the sun began to set on his major league career.

Time alongside the likes of Jose Reyes in the Mets clubhouse as a 10-year-old cultivated a desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. Hours on fields and in cages – structured around classes in a jam-packed home school schedule aimed at an early graduation – positioned the youngest Tatis for a $825,000 signing bonus more than three decades after his father signed with the Rangers for $8,000.

In fact, it was his baseball education, Tatis Jr. said, that was the impetus for his father’s retirement.

“That meant a lot to me,” Tatis Jr. said. “He was letting it go to pay attention to my career. That made it a challenge for me. I had to keep it going.”

The White Sox were among those who guessed he would, the tall, lanky right-handed hitter emerging as one of their top finds from the 2015 international class. Less than a year later, the Padres “were buying the prospect,” one team official said, when they sent a reported $27-$31 million along with James Shields to Chicago to land Tatis Jr.

Pitcher Erik Johnson also arrived in the deal, which could have included less cash, another high-ranking official told the Union-Tribune last summer, had the Padres not insisted on receiving a blue-chip prospect that had yet to even play in the White Sox system.

The early dividends have been especially promising for an organization searching for a long-term answer at shortstop since Khalil Greene’s career fizzled.

Four inches taller than his dad with an arm plenty strong for the middle of the infield, Tatis was 17 when four homers in his first 43 games in the Arizona Rookie League pushed him to the short-season Northwest League last summer. The following spring, he was among five players 18 or younger – Eguy Rosario (17), Reinaldo Ilarraza (18), Hudson Potts (18) and Jack Suwinski (18) – whom the Padres deemed strong enough mentally to handle a sink or swim assignment in Fort Wayne.

Against a steady diet of breaking pitches – more than anyone else, TinCaps manager Anthony Contreras said – Tatis Jr. sank, too, to start the year.

That he’s more than treading water now is a testament to both his genes and the foundation established by his big league dad, one he talks shop with nearly every day via phone from the Dominican.

“In the beginning of the year,” Contreras said, “it was like ‘I know I’ve got power and I want to show what I can do, hit the ball out of the ballpark type thing in BP.’ Now he’s in the cage and you see him going up the middle, you see him going the other way, knowing that the way these

9

guys are pitching him, that’s the type of thing he can take into the game to allow himself to be successful.

“It’s a tribute to his maturity. For an 18-year-old, it’s exciting to see him make those types of adjustments.”

Still in the low minors, there’s more adjustments to come, to be sure.

Not least of all is the big league pedigree that precedes any matchup.

Game on.

“I have a name,” Tatis Jr. said. “Everybody kind of knows me already so they challenge me.

“I just try to do the best I can.”

10

Luis Urias, Franmil Reyes lead Missions to win Jeff Sanders

Teenager Luis Urias collected two more hits, Franmil Reyes hit his fourth homer and Double-A San Antonio maintained a one-game lead in its division in the Texas League with a 4-3 win over visiting Tulsa on Wednesday night.

Urias, 19, also walked and scored a run and is hitting .347, third in the league.

The blast from Reyes (.270) drove in two runs and first baseman Ty France (.442) doubled in another run.

Right-hander Adrian De Horta (1-0, 2.25) struck out six in his Texas League debut and allowed a run on two hits and two walks in four innings out of the bullpen.

Right-hander T.J. Weir (3.07) allowed two runs in three innings in the start.

Right-hander Eric Yardley (2.28) saved his third game with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.

The Missions (26-20) lead Midland (25-21) by a game in the Texas League’s South Division.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (22-25)

Chihuahuas 5, Salt Lake 4 (10): C Rocky Gale (.264) doubled in the go-ahead run after RHP Phil Maton (1-1, 3.79) struck out two over two scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season. RHP Bryan Rodriguez (5.04) started the game with five strikeouts and two runs allowed on 10 hits and no walks in 5 2/3 innings. 1B Nick Buss (.389) went 2-for-4 with his fourth homer and CF Franchy Cordero (.282) doubled in a pair of runs.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (22-25)

Inland 4, Storm 2: SS Javier Guerra (.205) went 3-for-4 with a double, two triples and an RBI, while C Austin Allen (.271) knocked in the Storm’s other run with a single in four at-bats. LHP Eric Lauer (1-3, 1.97) struck out five and allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (17-29)

West Michigan 5, TinCaps 0: RHP Mason Thompson (0-1, 6.75) debuted with five runs – three earned – allowed on six hits and two walk sin four innings before RHP Jim McDade (0.00) threw four shutout innings in relief in his debut. SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.278) was

11

hit by a pitch in the ninth inning to extend his on-base streak to 20 games, while LF Tyler Selesky (.100) doubled in four at-bats.

Transaction

Rodriguez started for El Paso after he was promoted from San Antonio, where he was 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in two starts (11 1/3 IP).

De Horta was transferred from extended spring training to San Antonio.

12

Prospect Lamet set for MLB debut vs. Mets By Chris Bumbaca / MLB.com | 18 minutes ago

Dinelson Lamet will toe the rubber of a Major League mound for the first time Thursday against the Mets

as the latest arrival in a wave of prospects to buoy the struggling Padres.

Opposite Lamet will be Jacob deGrom, who will try to win his second consecutive start.

Lamet enters the scene as San Diego's 10th-ranked prospect who rose quickly through the team's farm

system last season. He struggled mightily during his two Spring Training appearances with the big league

club but said he used the shortcomings to put himself in a position to succeed in the present.

"I feel really grateful for that opportunity, because that's what it was -- it opened up an opportunity for

me," Lamet said. "I looked at things I needed to work on. They pointed out things I needed to focus on. At

the same time, I learned how to handle myself both on the field and off the field in a big league setting."

deGrom will attempt to replicate his previous outing, in which he tossed seven scoreless innings against

the Angels on Friday. It marked the first time he had completed seven innings since April 28. Mets

starters have struggled pitching deep into ballgames, and deGrom's last performance was a step in the

right direction for him in that regard.

In three career starts against the Padres, deGrom is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing four runs over 20

innings with 19 strikeouts and two walks.

Things to know about this game

• deGrom has caused opponents to swing and miss on 32 percent of his pitches in the upper two-thirds of

the strike zone, leading all pitchers who have faced at least 100 swings in that area. More than 80 percent

of those whiffs have come via his four-seam fastball.

• San Diego reliever Brad Hand came into Wednesday night's matchup with batters missing his slider at a

26.4 percent clip. Last season, Hand led the Majors in appearances (82), while the Mets' Jerry Blevins

leads all of baseball in that category (26) this season.

• Ryan Schimpf has 22 hits this season, half of which are home runs.

13

Renfroe's 440-ft HR caps Padres' comeback

By Anthony DiComo and AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | 12:30 AM ET

NEW YORK -- Given new life Wednesday, the Padres wasted little time turning what would have been

their seventh loss in eight games into a much-needed win.

An inning after the Padres completed a comeback from down four runs, Hunter Renfroesmashed a go-

ahead homer into the second deck at Citi Field in the eighth that had a projected distance of 440 feet,

according to Statcast™. That vaulted the Padres to a 6-5 win over a Mets club that, for most of the

evening, seemed to have victory firmly in its grasp.

"Those are some of the more gratifying wins you can have, during the season, coming from behind like

that," said Padres first baseman Wil Myers. "It was a good team win all around. Bullpen was great,

defense was great, we had timely hitting -- that's how you come back on a team."

Starting pitcher Robert Gsellman gave the Mets six innings of three-run ball, his first quality start since

April 19 -- a stretch that included a 10-day demotion to the bullpen. But despite Gsellman's strong outing,

and the lead that Wilmer Flores' three-run double gave the Mets, manager Terry Collins removed his

starter for a pinch-hitter after only 84 pitches.

That opened the door for San Diego to tie things off relievers Fernando Salas and Neil Ramirez in the

seventh, when Myers hit a two-run single off the right-center-field fence.

"We got to the seventh inning and said, 'Hey, Fernando's the guy to bring in right now to get us to the

eighth,'" Collins said. "Two outs and nobody on, and all of a sudden, he lost command and then he got

fatigued -- velocity went down, dropped quite a bit, so thought we'd move to a fresh arm. Just didn't get it

done."

Ryan Buchter earned the win in relief of Padres starter Jarred Cosart, who gave up four runs -- three of

them on Flores' double -- in 2 2/3 innings. The final inning belonged to left-hander Brad Hand, who

worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam to record his third career save and first of the season.

"You've got to bear down, try to keep that run from scoring from third," Hand said. "I was trying to get

two strikeouts right there. It just worked out."

14

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Curious decision: Rather than stick with Gsellman in the seventh, Collins turned to Salas, a reliever that

he recently admitted to overworking the first month of the season. Entering the outing with an 8.31 ERA

since April 15, Salas loaded the bases on a two-out single and two walks. Collins next turned to Ramirez,

who served up Myers' game-tying single. The ball traveled a projected 385 feet, per Statcast™, landing

inches shy of a go-ahead grand slam.

"This kid has really been struggling," Collins said of Gsellman. "At times you want him to leave with a

good feeling. He gave us six good innings." More >

Ninth-inning madness: The Padres' experiment with Hand in the ninth inning nearly went awry, when

the first three Mets to bat against him loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. But Hand struck

out Curtis Granderson and Rene Rivera in succession, then induced a game-ending flyout from Juan

Lagares. The Padres see him as a closer candidate going forward.

"No drama at all, just a really easy save for a guy getting his first save of the year," Padres manager Andy

Green quipped. "Really simple -- no, he's always been a low-heart-rate guy. [He's] not nervous, not

anxious."

QUOTABLE

"I'm not going to lie. I've told him on multiple occasions he's got more power than me. It's hard to admit

that, but he's got some crazy power, man." -- Myers, on Renfroe

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

At 385 feet, Myers' game-tying single was the second-longest single by a Padres hitter in the Statcast™

era. Thinking he had gotten enough of the pitch, he trotted home to first in 6.1 seconds. To his credit,

Myers, who broke out of an 0-for-16 slump with his 2-for-5 night, acknowledged his mistake after the

game.

"I did not get out of the box very well," Myers said. "I've got to do a better job. I've got to be on second

base after that. I hit the ball really well and thought it was going to go."

Both the Mets' Travis d'Arnaud and the Padres' Chase d'Arnaud made pinch-hit appearances in the

game. It was the first time two brothers pinch-hit in the same game since Melvin Upton Jr. and Justin

Upton for the Padres on June 11, 2015. The last time a pair of brothers pinch-hit for opposing teams was

15

on July 20, 2013, when Scott Hairston and Jerry Hairston Jr. did so for the Nationals and Dodgers,

respectively.

COSART OK AFTER LINER

In his brief Padres tenure, every time Cosart has seemed to find a groove, he's stumbled upon an injury.

On Wednesday, Michael Conforto hit a liner directly off the top of Cosart's left foot in the first inning,

resulting in an infield single. Cosart had X-rays after the game, which came back negative.

"It wasn't too bad the first inning," Cosart said. "When I got back out the second inning, it was tighter. It

got progressively tighter. I just lost all push off my backside, and everything started to sail on me and I'm

sure my velocity started to drop a little bit."

WHAT'S NEXT

Padres: Dinelson Lamet, the club's No. 10 prospect, makes his much-anticipated MLB debut Thursday,

when the Padres and Mets wrap up their three-game set at 4:10 p.m. PT. The 24-year-old right-hander

features an impressive fastball-slider mix but has sometimes struggled with control.

Mets: Jacob deGrom will look to give the Mets at least another seven strong innings when he starts the

team's 7:10 p.m. ET series finale at Citi Field. Last time out, deGrom matched his season high with seven

innings, giving the bullpen a much-needed rest.

16

Sleight of Hand: Lefty pulls Houdini escape

act

Padres lefty works out of bases-loaded, no-out jam; Green

won't name him closer

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 1:16 AM ET

NEW YORK -- Brad Hand didn't know he'd be closing Wednesday night until the bullpen phone rang in

the top of the ninth inning.

The Padres left-hander certainly didn't take the easy route, loading the bases in the bottom of the frame

before he recorded an out. But Hand struck out two Mets before getting Juan Lagares to fly out to right

field, sealing a thrilling 6-5 victory at Citi Field.

"No drama at all," Padres manager Andy Green joked afterward. "Just a really easy save for a guy getting

his first save of the year."

Hand found himself in that position after he flipped roles with Brandon Maurer, who had served as the

Padres' closer up until Wednesday night. Maurer has struggled lately, while Hand has been one of

baseball's best setup men since the Padres claimed him off waivers from Miami last April.

Green wouldn't commit to naming Hand as his closer going forward, saying he'd prefer to look at things

situationally. But he hinted that Hand could very well find himself in that spot again.

Hard to argue with that logic, after Hand's escape act on Wednesday.

"It doesn't really matter what my role is," Hand said. "Whenever my name is called in the bullpen, that is

when I'm going to pitch. That's the way I look at it. Whatever you can do to help the team win the

ballgame, it doesn't really matter what inning you pitched in."

In 26 frames this season, Hand has posted a 1.73 ERA, while striking out 35 hitters. He's become

especially adept at using punchouts to work out of trouble, and Green has called Hand "a low-heart-rate

guy" on multiple occasions. He did so again Wednesday night, and that moniker never seemed more

fitting.

17

Neil Walker opened the ninth with a single to left, and Lucas Duda followed with a walk. Wilmer

Flores then bounced a broken-bat chopper through the left side, but the Mets opted to hold Walker at

third base with no one out, setting the stage for Hand's heroics.

"You've got to bear down, try to keep that run from scoring from third," Hand said. "I was trying to get

two strikeouts right there. It just worked out."

Come non-waiver Trade Deadline time, the Padres will likely receive significant interest in Hand,

especially after last October's bullpen revolution. The comparisons to Andrew Miller seem especially

apt, considering Hand's ability to pitch multiple innings. He's also been dominant against hitters from both

sides of the plate, and he has a penchant for swings and misses. Among relief pitchers, only Miller

and Dellin Betances have more K's than Hand's 146 since the start of last year.

For now, Hand is the Padres' closer. Unless, of course, he isn't. Green wasn't about to label him as such

Wednesday night.

"[I'm] not probably getting into those descriptions at this point in time," Green said. "It's going to be

looking at the game and seeing what's best for the group of guys we have at that point in time. I think

we'll just bounce guys around and utilize them in the best way possible going forward right now.

"Wouldn't be shocked at all to see Brandon Maurer in that situation in the ninth. Wouldn't be shocked to

see Brad Hand back in that situation."

18

Margot exits with tightness in right calf

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 12:08 AM ET

NEW YORK -- Padres center fielder Manuel Margot exited Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Mets in the

bottom of the third inning with tightness in his right calf.

The Padres don't believe it's serious, but Margot will be held out of the lineup on Thursday, mostly as a

precaution. Manager Andy Green said Margot likely would've been given the day off anyway.

"Little soreness in his calf today," Green said. "As hard as he's pushed this year, as soon as he said that,

we weren't going to push him at all. He's been out there grinding every single day."

It's unclear how Margot sustained the injury, but he informed Green after he grounded out to short in the

top half of the frame.

Margot was replaced in center field by Matt Szczur on Wednesday night, and Szczur is slated to get the

start there on Thursday as well. In Margot's absence, Szczur singled, walked twice and scored twice, as

the Padres rallied from a four-run deficit.

Margot, who has developed into one of the Padres' most exciting players, is hitting .259/.305/.389 this

season, while playing an elite center field. Before he graduated from MLBPipeline.com's top prospects

list earlier this month, he was ranked as the Padres' best youngster.

Margot, who came to San Diego from Boston in the Craig Kimbrel trade, also missed time during Spring

Training with knee soreness, but that was his left knee.

19

Hedges' superb D goes beyond diving catch

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | May 24th, 2017

NEW YORK -- Austin Hedges' brilliant diving catch Tuesday night might go down as the best defensive

play made by a catcher this year. It's not often that a backstop, in full gear, engages in a face-first all-out

dive. And that's not to mention the ground Hedges covered to reach the warning track in the first place.

The play will run on Padres highlight reels long after the 2017 season is over. But it's probably not fair to

define Hedges' defensive prowess with a catch as aesthetically pleasing as that one. After all, the bulk of

the impact Hedges makes behind the plate isn't quite so obvious.

"Catcher popups are at the bottom of the totem pole in what's important," Hedges said Wednesday

afternoon. "Obviously, it's cool to be able to get to those balls. But that play's not going to win us the

ballgame. Receiving and blocking and throwing and calling a good game -- that is going to win us a

ballgame."

Hedges has done all of those things well this season. He ranked third in the Majors with 4.6 framing runs

saved, according to Baseball Prospectus, entering Wednesday. He's thrown out eight would-be

basestealers. And his pitchers have universally raved about his ability to block pitches in the dirt.

Since he was drafted in 2011, Hedges has been considered one of the game's top young defensive

catchers. He's backing up that label at the Major League level in his first season as a starter.

"The consistency of framing pitches, presenting balls as strikes, keeping balls in front of him when a

pitcher buries stuff -- that's what's going to separate him defensively from other catchers," said Padres

manager Andy Green. "He's done a very nice job of that this year."

In franchise history, Benito Santiago is the only catcher to earn a Gold Glove Award. He did so three

times from 1988-90.

It might seem a bit premature to get into Gold Glove talk with Hedges. But he's been good enough to

warrant it. One of his teammates forecasted "multiple" Gold Glove Awards down the road.

"He's great back there," said first baseman Wil Myers. "He's one of the best defensive catchers in the

game -- in all aspects. He's a lot of fun to watch. Me and him stay on the same page, especially when

20

runners are on first base with pickoffs. He's a lot of fun to play behind. He does a good job calling games,

puts in the preparation for it. He's a great catcher."

Given the intricacies of the position, catcher might be the toughest place on the field to quantify

defensively. Framing, throwing and game-planning are generally as dependent on the pitcher as the guy

behind the plate.

In that sense, accolades are often doled out on reputation, and with Yadier Molina, Buster

Posey and Yasmani Grandal in the same league, it's an uphill climb for Hedges. But at 24, he still has

plenty of time to build that rep.

"Absolutely, I want to win a Gold Glove one day," Hedges said. "That's the ultimate defensively. But I

just want to be the best I can be to help us win ballgames behind the plate. It's arguably the most

important position on the field behind pitcher. If we're winning, that can go hand in hand with what I'm

doing behind the plate."

O's claim Sardinas

Former Padres shortstop Luis Sardinas was claimed off waivers by Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon.

Sardinas was hitting .163 in 29 games this season with San Diego.

The Padres designated Sardinas for assignment on Monday, after claiming Chase d'Arnaud from the Red

Sox. d'Arnaud, who debuted with the Padres on Tuesday, figures to fill largely the same role as Sardinas -

- backing up at short, while playing an assortment of other spots across the diamond.

21

Solarte in No. 2 slot makes a lot of sense

Statistically, it's where the switch-hitter has had most

success

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres | May 24th, 2017

Yangervis Solarte was in a prolonged slump Tuesday when manager Andy Green moved him from the

cleanup spot to the second spot in the Padres' batting order.

The switch-hitter responded by going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Until Tuesday, Solarte had gone 6-for-49 (.122) since May 5 with a .189 on-base percentage -- a drought

that had plunged his batting average from a respectable .282 to .226.

Coincidence?

Probably.

But over the course of his Major League career, Solarte has hit better in the No. 2 slot than any other

position in the batting order. He has a career .320 batting average (89-for-278) in 70 games in the No. 2

position with 14 homers, three triples, nine homers, 39 RBIs and 38 runs scored.

His other numbers are also strong in the second slot -- a .380 on-base percentage with a .489 slugging

percentage for a .869 OPS.

Solarte's career average in the No. 4 spot is .272. He is a .226 hitter when batting third in the order.

Tuesday marked the first time this season that Solarte hit in the No. 2 slot. Last season, he hit in the

second slot twice and went 3-for-9 with a homer.

The problem with hitting Solarte in the second slot is that the Padres really don't have a viable alternative

for the cleanup slot until left fielder Alex Dickerson is ready to return -- hopefully, by the middle of next

month.

NOTE WORTHY

22

• Miguel Diaz has worked 7 1/3 innings over four appearances since May 9 and has allowed one run on

five hits and five walks with five strikeouts. That's quite a step forward for the Rule 5 Draft pick, who had

been scored on in nine of his 10 previous outings (17 runs total in 11 innings) before the Padres slowed

his work pace to work on his delivery and approach. Over his last four appearances, Diaz's ERA has

dropped from 10.67 to 7.48.

• Craig Stammen has pitched 3 1/3 innings twice in the last four games after Jered Weaver and Jhoulys

Chacin couldn't get out of the first. He has allowed three runs on six hits, including three homers, and no

walks in the 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He has thrown a total of 107 pitches in the two outings.

• Hunter Renfroe is 5-for-8 with three doubles, a RBI and two runs scored in his last two games.

• Ryan Schimpf has homered in back-to-back games and is 4-for-11 with two homers, three RBIs and

three runs scored with four walks in a four-game hitting streak. Schimpf was in the cleanup slot Tuesday

when Solarte was second in the order. Schimpf's homers in the last two games were his first since May 8.

Four of his 11 homers this season have come against left-handed pitchers.

23

Padres rally late, hold off Mets in 9th for 6-

5 win Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Hunter Renfroe put the Padres ahead, then Brad Hand held on at the end. And when it was finally over, San Diego had one of its most exhilarating wins during a difficult season. Renfroe snapped an eighth-inning tie with a titanic home run , Hand pitched out of a huge jam in the ninth and the young Padres took advantage of a floundering New York Mets bullpen in rallying for a 6-5 victory Wednesday night.

"I think it's an awesome team win, obviously," Renfroe said. "A good turning point."

New York loaded the bases with nobody out against Hand on two singles and a walk. But the left-hander struck out Curtis Granderson and Rene Rivera on breaking balls before Juan

Lagares flied out to end it.

An excited Hand pounded his glove after securing his third major league save and first this season.

"Just had to really bear down," he said. "I'm pretty even-keeled out there, so I don't really get nervous or anything. Just focused on what I had to do."

After trailing by four, the Padres pulled even when slumping Wil Myers rocketed a two-run single off the top of the right-center fence in the seventh. His drive came on the second and final pitch from reliever Neil Ramirez, who entered after Fernando Salas loaded the bases on a single and two walks -- all with two outs. "You've got to make decisions with what you have," Mets manager Terry Collins said . "You take the best you've got at those times."

Yangervis Solarte had an RBI single and a two-run double for the Padres (17-31), who won for the second time in eight games. Ryan Buchter (3-2) worked a hitless inning for the win. "It's necessary to come fight back sometimes," manager Andy Green said . "Our guys fight. They do. They're relentless." Mets rookie Robert Gsellman tossed six solid innings in his return to the rotation. He was pulled for a pinch hitter with a 5-3 lead after throwing 84 pitches.

24

The scuffling right-hander had his turn skipped last weekend and had come out of the bullpen in his past two appearances.

"This kid has really been struggling. At times, you want him to leave with a good feeling," Collins said. "We just said, `Hey look, he did exactly what we were hoping he'd do."

Leading off the eighth, Renfroe sent a soaring drive deep into the second deck in left field for his ninth home run. He connected on a 3-1 fastball from Josh Smoker (0-2), who was recalled from the minors Tuesday. Wilmer Flores hit a three-run double in the third for the Mets, and Granderson followed with an RBI single. Michael Conforto added an RBI single in the fourth to make it 5-1. "It was a fun win," Renfroe said. "Very exciting. Actually got the blood pumping a little bit."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Rookie CF Manuel Margot exited in the third with tightness in his lower right leg. He was replaced by Matt Szczur, who reached base three times and scored two runs. ... C Austin

Hedges was rested in favor of backup Luis Torrens, who doubled, singled and scored twice from the No. 8 spot in the lineup. Hedges fouled out as a pinch hitter to end the eighth and remained in the game behind the plate. Mets: SS Asdrubal Cabrera (sprained left thumb) began his rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton and finished 2 for 5 while playing a total of 10 innings in a doubleheader at Richmond. ... RF Jay Bruce sat out after leaving Tuesday's game with tightness in his back. Bruce said he fully expects to play Thursday night. ... New York reinstated catcher Travis d'Arnaud from the disabled list and placed LHP Tommy Milone on the 10-day DL with a sprained left knee.

OH, BROTHER

Both d'Arnaud brothers got a chance to pinch hit. Travis d'Arnaud flied out in the sixth, but Chase d'Arnaud sparked San Diego's seventh-inning rally with a two-out single and a stolen base. It was his first hit for the Padres after they claimed him off waivers Sunday from Boston.

SIGH OF RELIEF

After hitting his go-ahead homer, Renfroe gave the Mets a great chance to come back when he dropped Lagares' leadoff line drive in the bottom of the eighth for a two-base error. Struggling reliever Brandon Maurer, who leads the team with five saves but has blown two of his last three opportunities, retired the next three batters to keep Lagares from advancing. "The ball obviously got in the lights a little bit on me," Renfroe said. "I was just glad it hit my glove, honestly."

STILL SEARCHING

San Diego starter Jarred Cosart allowed four runs, four hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings. He has gone 20 appearances since his last major league win, for Miami in September 2015.

25

UP NEXT

The rebuilding Padres plan to call up RHP Dinelson Lamet to start the series finale Thursday in place of injured Jered Weaver. It will mark the major league debut for Lamet, who is 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A El Paso. Jacob deGrom (3-1, 3.56) pitches for the Mets. He threw seven innings last Friday in a 3-0 win over the Angels and has a 1.97 ERA in 42 career starts at Citi Field.

26

Padres On Deck: Tatis Jr.,

Villanueva Honored by Leagues

By Bill Center

Two Padres minor leaguers were named Players of the Week by their respective leagues Monday.

Eighteen-year-old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., was named the Single-A Midwest League Player of the Week. Infielder Christian Villanueva was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Player of the Week.

Tatis and Villanueva are joined by left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer and Ty France as the Padres Prospects of the Week.

A look at the four Players of the Week:

Triple-A El Paso — Infielder Christian Villanueva:

Signed as a minor league free agent last winter, the 25-year-old native of Guadalajara, Mexico, hit .500 (12-for-24) last week with three homers, seven RBIs and eight runs scored to earn the PCL honor. Villanueva’s week included the sixth, five-hit game in Chihuahuas’ history on May 19 (5-for-5 with a double, a homer, three RBIs and five runs scored). In 16 games with El Paso, Villanueva is hitting .340 (18-for-53) with two doubles, four homers, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Villanueva has a .379 on-base percentage for the season with a .604 slugging percentage for a .983 OPS.

Double-A San Antonio — First-Third Baseman Ty France

The 22-year-old product of San Diego State — and the Padres’ 34th-round pick in 2015 — was 12-for-26 (.462) last week for the Missions with four doubles, a homer, three RBIs and four runs scored. France had the week’s highest batting average in the Texas League. In 10 games since being promoted from Lake Elsinore to San Antonio, France has hit .474 (18-for-38) with four doubles, a home run four RBIs and five runs scored for a .512 on-base percentage, a .658 slugging percentage and a 1.170 OPS. France also pitched two scoreless innings for San Antonio.

Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore — Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Eric Lauer:

27

In his one start last week, Lauer, the Padres’ eighth-ranked prospect, allowed one unearned run on four hits and no walks with nine strikeouts to get credit for the win for Lake Elsinore. Lauer, 21, leads the California League with a 1.56 earned run average, ranks third with a 1.07 WHIP (31 hits and 12 walks allowed in 40 1/3 innings) and is tied for fourth with 50 strikeouts. Lauer was the Padres’ third, first-round pick (25th overall) in last June’s draft. He was named the National College Pitcher of the Year last year after posting a 0.69 ERA for Kent State.

Single-A Fort Wayne — Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.:

Tatis, 18, the Padres’ №6 prospect, is the first player to make this list twice. He earned the Midwest League weekly honor for going 12-for-26 (.462) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and six RBIs. He had a .533 on-base percentage for the week with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a 1.533 OPS. Tatis finished the week on a 17-game on-base streak during which he has hit .373 (25-for-67) with five doubles, two triples, four homers and 12 RBIs. During the streak Tatis has a .455 on-base percentage and a .687 slugging percentage for a 1.142 OPS.

28

This Day in Padres History, 5/24

Sipin sets Padres oldest unbroken record; Padres

rout Bob Gibson

By Bill Center

May 24, 1969 — Second baseman Johnny Sipin sets a Padres record when he hits two triples in the 44th game in franchise history. The record has been tied 14 times since, but never broken and remains the oldest record in the Padres record book.

May 24, 1971 — In a 12–3 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Padres rout future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, scoring seven runs on nine hits in three innings. Dave Campbell and Cito Gaston each have four RBIs.

May 24, 2003 — Right-hander Brian Lawrence allows one run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts in a complete game as the Padres defeat the Diamondbacks 5–1 in Phoenix.

May 24, 2015 — Left fielder Justin Upton is 2-for-4 with a homer and six RBIs as the Padres defeat the Dodgers 11–3 in Los Angeles.

29

Renfroe Hits Towering Home Run to Seal

Victory Padres Rally to beat Mets 6-5

By MJ Acosta

A late game rally gave the Padres their first win of the series against the Mets 6-5. This was a

much needed victory for the Friars but it was a hard fought game.

Padres starting pitcher Jarred Cosart made it to the 2nd inning. That has not been the case in

three of the last four games for San Diego. But in the third inning Cosart found himself in a

bases loaded jam with two outs. Third baseman Wilmer Flores hit a bases-clearing double and

gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. For the fourth time in five games, Friars manager Andy Green

pulled his starter earlier then he hoped.

In the fifth inning, down by two runs, the Padres initiated their rally. Yangervis Solarte

doubled to deep right center field and scored Luis Torrens and Matt Szczur. Solarte finished

the night with three RBI.

Wil Myers did his part in the seventh inning when the Padres All-Star singled to deep right

center field. His RBI double brought in Chase d’Arnaud and Szczur and tied things up 5-5.

Here’s a name you’ve heard in nearly every Padres highlight: Hunter Renfroe. The Friars

outfielder sent his ninth home run of the season to left field and gave San Diego the 6-5 lead.

Brad Hand came in as the reliever in the ninth inning and got himself in a bases loaded jam.

The lefty struck out the next two batters and managed to get the save for the Padres.

The series finale is Thursday May 25 at 4:10 p.m. PST at Citi Field.