3 Things: Padres lose a heartbreaker to the Diamondbacks
The San Diego Padres will start the season 0-1 after giving up a walk-off HR to a rookie in a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Hi there. Let’s recap last night’s game. I know that doesn’t sound fun, but it’s probably worth doing anyway.
Shoutout to Seth Beer
Here’s a fun stat:
Last night was not Seth Beer’s major-league debut, but it was his 6th game ever. His 4 ABs brought his MLB total to 13. In short, it wasn’t far from his MLB debut.
As a place that likes to celebrate talented young players finding success, I will say here that I feel good for him. Bat flip needs some work, though.
Good news/Bad news
The good news is that, for 8 innings, the San Diego Padres looked like the team we were hoping they would look like.
Yu Darvish threw 6 hitless innings and looked like the guy from early last season, before the injuries started piling up. And he did it without his personal catcher, Victor Caratini.
Also, the lineup wasn’t terrible. They worked 7 walks and scored 2 runs (both by Ha-Seong Kim). Adding the DH back to the NL, it was easy to see that the most effective way to score runs is to get guys in the bottom of the lineup on base for when the top of the order comes up, and the Padres did it twice in one game.
Finally, and here’s where I’ll mesh good and bad news, we found the Padres’ Achilles’ heel. It’s the bullpen, specifically the closer role. Every team has one but it always hurts when that weakness ends up costing you a game. The good news is that A.J. Preller solved the closer position for the Padres already, he just did it yesterday morning and the Taylor Rodgers wasn’t ready to pitch several hours later.
Poor Robert Suarez
It’s not his fault. He probably shouldn’t have been in that situation. But, last night Robert Suarez made his MLB debut by coming into a 2-0 game to get a save. On Opening Day. On the road. It’s about the most difficult situation a relief pitcher could ask for, and Suarez failed the test miserably.
He was throwing 100mph, but he couldn’t locate the fastball. 11 of his 15 pitches were balls, and it really felt like he was trying to throw strikes. That’s how you waltz into what looks like an easy save opportunity and turn it into a loss.
This definitely felt like the type of moment that could derail a career. It was heartbreaking to see (or listen to, in my case) and I hope he can put it behind him. More importantly, I am looking forward to seeing him get some less stressful opportunities.