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Padres Press Clips Thursday, April 6, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Trevor Cahill solid in debut, but Padres fall to Dodgers UT San Diego Lin 2

Padres' Christian Friedrich has tender elbow UT San Diego Lin 4

Nevin attacks third phase of career UT San Diego Acee 6

Javier Guerra more than ready for new start with Storm UT San Diego Sanders 9

Padres can't get bats going vs. Dodgers MLB.com Cassavell/Gurnick13

Sky is the limit if Renfroe stays patient MLB.com Cassavell 15

Speed at the top makes Padres dangerous MLB.com Cassavell 17

Weaver's Padres debut comes vs. familiar foe MLB.com Cassavell 19

Hill starts strong, Puig homers and Dodgers beat Padres 3-1 Associated Press AP 20

Weaver to make Padres debut against Dodgers STATS STATS 22

Dodgers Spoil Cahill’s Debut With Padres NBC 7 Rosehart 24

Top Padres prospect may join Chihuahuas this year El Paso Times Conniff 26

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Trevor Cahill solid in debut, but Padres fall to Dodgers Dennis Lin

Like teammate Clayton Richard had in a shutdown effort Tuesday, Trevor Cahill threw 99 pitches Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

There was one problem. The Padres were not particularly efficient.

They lost, 3-1, failing to back a respectable debut by Cahill.

In his Padres introduction, the right-hander kept his offense within striking distance, allowing three runs, two earned, over 5 2/3 innings.

“All in all, I thought he was pretty doggone good today,” manager Andy Green said. “His curveball was as good as I’ve seen. He had command of it pretty much anytime he needed to.”

Two miscues by the Padres’ best player cost them a couple runs.

In the bottom of the first, after Adrian Gonzalez opened the scoring with an RBI double, Logan Forsythe hit into what looked to be an inning-ending groundout. Padres first baseman Wil Myers, however, whiffed on a throw from third baseman Ryan Schimpf. Gonzalez scored from second on the error.

“I just missed the ball,” the typically sure-handed Myers said. “He didn’t throw one that ran. He didn’t throw one that sank. I just missed the ball. I don’t know. Pretty embarrassing.”

In the top of the fourth, Dodgers starter Rich Hill hung a curveball to Hunter Renfroe. The Padres outfield prospect responded with a solo shot to left-center, his first home run of the season.

“I thought I had a really good at-bat the first half-inning,” said Renfroe, who struck out looking on a full-count pitch that appeared to be outside the zone. “I thought it was a ball, called a strike, oh well. Moved on, and he left one I could hit, and I got good barrel to it.”

Through 14 big-league starts, Renfroe has hit five home runs. Meantime, he has yet to draw an unintentional walk, though he may have been shortchanged Wednesday.

“The willingness to take walks usually leads to more home runs,” Green said. “It’s a challenge, though. You look through his minor league pedigree — it’s been a challenge for him to take the walk. But it’s ridiculous power when he hits the baseball. We still want him aggressive, so he’s walking that fine line, he’s learning that right now.”

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Renfroe’s swat could have tied the score. Just prior to Hill’s ill-fated pitch, Myers had been picked off first and caught stealing.

Cahill was not blameless. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, he elevated a 1-2 change-up. Yasiel Puig hammered a drive into the left-field seats, increasing the lead to two.

As Puig rounded the bases, Cahill put his hands on his knees, digesting the gravity of his mistake.

“I just maybe got complacent thinking it was going to go exactly where I wanted it to,” Cahill said. “I left it up, and right when it left my hand, I knew it was not going to be good.”

The Oceanside native finished with five hits and three walks allowed. He struck out seven. For someone who had spent the past two seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen, it counted as a solid entrance with a new team.

“Tough lineup, going against a guy like Rich Hill, you know you have to keep them off the board,” Cahill said. “The one (pitch) to Puig is the one that will haunt me the most. The other ones are first-pitch, trying to get ahead. Sometimes you can live with that. But to Puig, ahead in the count, that one hurts.”

The Padres’ bats failed to generate much support. A few hard line drives were snared by Dodgers gloves. Aside from Renfroe’s clout, the only two hits belonged to Myers.

“(Hill) gave us a lot of opportunities to draw walks,” Green said. “We got outside of the zone a few times on him. Getting outside the zone on him lets him kind of feed off of that, took away some of our opportunities to put more pressure on him.”

Still, the score remained close. Green used the setting to test a pair of young relievers.

Left-hander Jose Torres rose to the challenge, recording three strikeouts over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Rule 5 righty Miguel Diaz, who had impressed in his major league debut Monday, entered in the eighth and struck out Forsythe, the only batter he faced.

“Both of them are really good,” Myers said of Torres and Diaz. “I saw that pitch that Diaz threw Joc (Pederson) on opening day, and it was disgusting. Both of them got electric stuff.”

At the plate, the Padres remained stuck on three hits. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen fired a perfect ninth, sending the Padres to 1-2 on the young season.

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Padres' Christian Friedrich has tender elbow Dennis Lin

The pitcher who led the Padres in starts last year is behind to start 2017.

Left-hander Christian Friedrich, who opened the season on the disabled list because of a lat strain, has a tender elbow and will be examined by doctors in Peoria, Ariz., manager Andy Green said Wednesday.

In 2016, Friedrich went from signing a minor league deal to starting 23 games, the most for a rotation that experienced wholesale turnover.

This season, any blow to the Padres’ starting-pitching depth will be magnified. The current rotation consists of three veterans on one-year contracts, 23-year-old Luis Perdomo and Trevor Cahill, who started Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium after pitching in relief the last two years.

Friedrich struggled throughout the spring. He was slowed by what was believed to be general arm soreness. Over three brief Cactus League appearances, he allowed eight earned runs.

Late last month, he was diagnosed with what the Padres called a mild lat strain. The club intended to shut him down for up to two weeks, depending on how he recovered.

When the Padres broke camp, Friedrich stayed behind at their spring training site. The 29-year-old will rejoin the team after it returns to San Diego on Friday, but only as a spectator.

“He’s had slow going,” Green said. “He’s felt some tenderness in the elbow. … His shoulder, where he had the initial lat strain, feels good. He’s had some issue regarding the elbow.

“When he got shut down with the lat, the elbow wasn’t really an issue. Then, the day after that, he started to feel it a little bit. It just hasn’t gone away like he expected it to. He doesn’t remember doing anything specific.”

Green added that team doctors do not believe the tenderness is close to Friedrich’s ulnar collateral ligament, “but he still doesn’t feel quite right. … Any time it bothers somebody when they’re not throwing it consistently, there’s reason to get it checked out.”

Hand it to him

Left-hander Brad Hand made his season debut Tuesday, throwing a perfect inning to secure a 4-0 shutout of the Dodgers.

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It figures to be the first of many appearances. Last year, Hand was the Padres’ most valuable reliever, posting a 2.92 ERA while leading the majors with 82 games pitched.

“My arm felt real good all last year,” Hand said recently. “I’m never going to shy away from the ball.”

Hand’s emergence prompted some speculation that the Padres could deploy him in a role similar to the one occupied by Cleveland relief ace Andrew Miller. The Indians have defied bullpen norms by pitching Miller in high-leverage situations ranging from the sixth inning to the ninth.

“I don’t think we’re trying to make Brad Hand the next Andrew Miller,” Green said. “The Brad Hand we had last year was pretty doggone effective.

“I love what he did last year. If he repeats that, it’s outstanding. If it morphs into a larger role or a different role, we’ll let the season play out and make those determinations.”

Early this season, Green has avoided committing to specific late-game designations. He has allowed that Brandon Maurer will receive most save opportunities, at least to start.

“I’d say he’s probably at the top of the list for that to happen,” Green said. “But there’s certain teams, there’s certain times when the lefties (Hand and Ryan Buchter) play really well against the opposition.”

Hessler, Vargas outrighted

The Padres outrighted left-hander Keith Hessler and right-hander Cesar Vargas to the minors Wednesday. Both players had cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

Hessler was assigned to Triple-A El Paso. The reliever posted a 3.38 ERA in 18 2/3 innings with the Padres last season.

Vargas will join Double-A San Antonio. He made seven starts for San Diego in 2016, going 0-3 with a 5.07 ERA. After sustaining a strained flexor tendon last May, he is still attempting to regain his former velocity.

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Nevin attacks third phase of career Kevin Acee

Phil Nevin still walks like he wants to get somewhere quickly, to a good time or to a fight.

And walking was all he was doing for a time this spring, like so many things, instinct bedeviled by age.

At 46, Nevin is maybe a little thicker in some parts, certainly grayer. Honestly, though, who knew a scowl and a smirk (along with getting back in the weight room and eating better) were the secrets to maintaining a youthful appearance?

He’s the same as he ever was, but different.

And that’s what makes the new third base coach for the San Francisco Giants ready for his new challenge and whatever comes afterward.

“The good ones have to have certain, you know, skin,” Nevin said after pausing to find the right word to substitute for the anatomical part he feel requisite to coach third. “To me, it’s fun. I relish that part. I want that on me rather than someone else. As I’m sitting here on a major-league coaching staff, I want that important part on me, that pressure on me.”

There are things that don’t change, thankfully.

Because while the Nevin who returns to Petco Park on Friday looks a lot like the mercurial home run hitter you remember, and while he still runs hotter than the average man, he’s a wiser, mellower, more thoughtful, slower incarnation of what San Diego once knew.

“I pulled a calf muscle running out to third base, for crying out loud,” Nevin said two weeks ago, punctuating the admission with a little boy’s giggle that has always been surprising coming from a guy who played every one of his 1,200 major-league games with a chip on his shoulder he wanted to hurt someone with. “… I had to walk on and off (the field), which was killing me. It looks bad. But I want to make sure I’m ready for the season. That’s pretty bad for a coach, right?”

Nevin will be back on the field during a game at Petco for the first time since 2005 when his new team visits for his old team’s home opener. As manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club in Reno from 2014 to ’16, he has been to Petco the past few Septembers as a part of the Diamondbacks staff. But this, he noted, will be his “first time on the field in a competitive nature.”

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That nature still burns as fiery as it did when he was hitting 156 home runs for the Padres, third-most in franchise history, from 1999 to when he was traded in mid-2005. The heat just simmers on a different plane.

“He’s definitely mellowed out,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who managed Nevin with the Padres and hired him this offseason. “You know how volatile he was. He had an edge to him. We laugh about it now. He’s much more even keel. But he still has that edge. He wants to win. Players are already following him here. He lets them know how he wants things.”

Said Nevin: “My competiveness hasn’t changed. I channel things differently. I still have my moments I’ll try to stay off SportsCenter. That’s Boch’s job.”

It seemed Nevin was going to finally have the big job in Arizona this past offseason before general manager Dave Stewart was fired and Tony Larussa’s role in baseball operations was diminished. The Diamondbacks still interviewed Nevin but hired Torey Lovullo as their manager in November.

Bochy and Nevin make their offseason homes near each other in Poway and had talked about the possibility of Nevin joining the Giants major-league staff. Bochy, in fact, was so set on hiring his former player he was willing to wait to see if Nevin got the Arizona gig.

“I wanted to bring somebody from the outside,” Bochy said. “I normally don’t, because I know about our guys, how hard they work. Sometimes, though, you want to get some different thoughts and ideas. That’s helpful. And Phil was on my radar.

“He’s going to manage in the major leagues. He’s got a great feel for the game. He pays attention to detail. He’s always asking questions.”

Picking Bochy’s brain is something Nevin started to do toward the end of his time in San Diego when he would sit on the bench and ask the manager what he was thinking in various situations.

It has been well-chronicled that after retiring at the end of a 12-year career, Nevin was ready to embrace a steady diet of nothing. He played golf, dabbled in broadcasting and got bored.

He began managing an independent team, was hired by the Detroit Tigers, one of the seven teams he played for, to manage their Double-A and then Triple-A team before moving on to the Diamondbacks system.

Over the past three years, he has interviewed for managerial vacancies in Arizona (twice), Miami, San Diego, Seattle and Washington.

It is suggested to him that being a major-league coach, especially in a winning organization under a revered manager, seems like a natural stepping stone that could lead to where he wants to be.

“That’s not why I’m here,” he said. “To be honest, once those things passed this winter, I have a job to do. It would be unfair to Boch and the players here to think anything of it. My job here is to be the best third base coach I can. When seasons end, there are certain parts of the year when those things happen. Now is not the time. I say that in all honesty. It’s not a cliché answer.”

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Nevin has never been cliché. That’s why the answer was surprising – and also why it sounded so genuine.

“I don’t want to sound cliché and not talk about it,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that’s not something I want to do someday. Now is just not the time. It’s not fair to those guys.”

Those guys are players like Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence, each with multiple World Series rings.

“You know what is most exciting about it?” he said. “These are championship players. I handle the base running. I was probably the guy who said, ‘Geez, we’ve got to do base running today.’ And here I am a stranger walking in to Buster Posey and Crawford and Pence and those guys and saying, ‘We’ve got to go work on something.’ They’ve been unbelievable, buying into the things I think are important.”

Then came the giggle again – his other one, which is sort of an incredulous scoff.

He paused.

It was as if a thought occurred to him, or maybe he knew it all along and just decided it was OK to share. Nevin is so bluntly himself, which for what he is doing and what he wants to do is as important as any baseball knowledge he possesses.

“I say it’s not fair to talk about the future,” he said. “But you think about the way your life pattern goes, and if someday down the road it happened, as much as I felt like this winter I was ready to do that, being here with these people, I will be even more ready.”

The education and evolution of Phil Nevin, ladies and gentlemen. That is the guy who will be on the grass by Petco Park’s third base this weekend.

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Javier Guerra more than ready for new start with Storm Jeff Sanders

Edwin Rodriguez has managed big leaguers in the majors and in the World Baseball Classic. He’s managed them before they became big leaguers, too, so the Lake Elsinore Storm’s 56-year-old skipper’s assessment carries weight when he says Franicsco Lindor – a pupil of Rodriguez’s in the minors before he developed into the Indians’ All-Star shortstop – didn’t have the swing in Double-A that Javier Guerra has today.

“It’s a very fluid, effortless swing,” Rodriguez said. “Very efficient, very little movement.

At the scene of the harshest lessons of a young pro career, Guerra cracks a smile as the praise is relayed to him on the concourse of The Diamond ahead of Thursday’s season-opener.

“He told me that, too,” Guerra said. “I couldn’t believe that. It’s hard to believe, but I’m so happy to be where I’m at.”

Where Guerra is at is back in Lake Elsinore for a second run at the California League after a whirlwind season left the 21-year-old shortstop cutting the 2016 campaign short last August with his batting average hovering dangerously close to the Mendoza line. He’s also on the Padres’ 40-man roster and still firmly on the front office’s radar, the smoothness of his swing and athleticism in the field – in their eyes – still very much overshadowing a dismal introduction to the organization.

“Oh, they are very high on him,” Rodriguez said before Wednesday’s workout at The Diamond. “He could be their shortstop of the future.”

Indeed, that was the talk of the town when the Padres acquired Guerra alongside three other prospects from the Red Sox for Craig Kimbrel. Although Manuel Margot was the headliner in that November 2015 trade, there were some in the organization who considered Guerra the real prize.

His 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame was wiry strong. His arm strength and range were already big-league caliber. A smooth, left-handed swing had just smashed 15 homers in 116 games at low Single-A Greenville.

The assignment to Lake Elsinore, naturally, was supposed to be a quick stop on a fast track to the majors.

Only things didn’t quite work out that way.

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Guerra struck out 28 times in his first 21 games. He hit .131 in May. A year that started with pre-spring mini-camp and a stint representing Panama in World Baseball Classic qualifiers stretched longer and longer as the failures piled up last summer.

He flashed some power with nine homers, but had paired 141 strikeouts in 105 games with a .202/.264/.325 (AVG/OBP/SLG) batting line when the Padres shut down Guerra early last August.

Officially, it was a non-baseball-related ailment that sent Guerra to the disabled list. On Wednesday, he also spoke of a back issue and a need to take a step back from a trying year that snowballed on him.

“For me, it wasn’t great,” Guerra said. “Baseball is baseball. The thing was I had to learn how to handle the bad things in baseball. That was a big opportunity for me to learn. If I can do that, I’ll have the confidence to do what I need to do in the right moment.”

The organization’s confidence helps, too.

The Padres added him to the 40-man roster over the winter, invited him to big league camp and gave him a chunk of playing time in front of Andy Green. Guerra didn’t record a hit in any of his 11 at-bats, but the Padres’ second-year skipper was singing his praises again last week after Guerra made a couple of dazzling plays as the opposing shortstop in last week’s exhibition at The Diamond.

“He looked outstanding in the field,” Green said. “I’ve seen that before.”

Then again, the dazzling plays aren’t the issue with Guerra, who committed an organization-worst 30 errors as the 2016 season spiraled on him.

“He needs to learn to concentrate and understand that a big league shortstop learns to handle the routine plays,” Rodriguez said. “He gets careless on the routine plays. Then again, every young player has that tendency.”

That’s where Rodriguez steps in.

He rose to the majors, albeit briefly, as an infielder. He managed in the majors and the minors and most recently guided the Lindor and Carlos Correa-led Puerto Ricans to a second-place finish in the World Baseball Classic.

It is that know-how that the Padres are banking on in sending him eight of their top-30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com, to open the season. What he passes on to Guerra, in particular, should hit home as he looks to regroup from a forgettable 2016 campaign.

“These young players, they have to realize this is a process,” Rodriguez said. “As soon as they realize this is a process, that they are going to have good days and bad days, they are going to be fine. Most of these young players think that if they have a bad game, they are not prospects or big leaguers, but they have to learn this is a process for everyone.”

For Guerra, that means stepping into the box with a plan for every at-bat. It means improving his pitch recognition. It means hunting high fastballs and laying off breaking pitches.

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Most importantly, it means moving on when one at-bat, one game or one week don’t go his way.

And Guerra is more than ready to move on.

“I’m so happy because this year I feel different,” Guerra said. “I’m comfortable. I’m so excited to be back here and to start playing again.”

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The Padres’ four full-season affiliates begin play Thursday night. Here’s a look at where MLB.com’s top-30 Padres prospects are starting the 2017 season:

San Diego Padres

OF Manuel Margot (1) OF Hunter Renfroe (3) LHP Jose Torres (23) SS Allen Cordoba (27)

Triple-A El Paso

2B Carlos Asuaje (11) RHP Dinelson Lamet (12) RHP Phil Maton (18) OF Franchy Cordero (25)

Double-A San Antonio

INF Luis Urias (7) RHP Enyel De Los Santos (17) SS Jose Rondon (24)

High Single-A Lake Elsinore

RHP Anderson Espinoza (2) RHP Cal Quantrill (4) LHP Eric Lauer (10) OF Michael Gettys (13) 1B Josh Naylor (15) SS Javier Guerra (26) SS Ruddy Giron (28) C Austin Allen (29)

Low Single-A Fort Wayne

SS Fernando Tatis (8) OF Jorge Ona (9) LHP Logan Allen (19)

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INF Hudson Potts (14) OF Buddy Reed (30

Extended spring raining

LHP Adrian Morejon (5) RHP Jacob Nix (6) RHP Chris Paddack (16) SS Luis Almanzar (20) OF Jeisson Rosario (21) RHP Mason Thompson (22)

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Padres can't get bats going vs. Dodgers By AJ Cassavell and Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 2:58 AM ET

LOS ANGELES -- Yasiel Puig slugged his first home run of the year and three relievers

followed starter Rich Hill with four scoreless innings as the Dodgers beat the Padres

Wednesday night, 3-1, at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers scored two runs (one earned) in the first inning off Trevor Cahill on opposite-field

doubles by Corey Seager and Adrian Gonzalez before normally sure-handed first

baseman Wil Myers missed third baseman Ryan Schimpf's routine throw for an error.

"I just missed the ball," said Myers, who didn't commit an error until Aug. 7 last year. "He didn't

throw one that ran. He didn't throw one that sinked. I just missed the ball. Pretty embarrassing."

Hill allowed one run on two hits for the win, with Sergio Romo pitching one scoreless inning in

his Dodgers debut, Alex Wood throwing two innings and $80 million closer Kenley Jansen with

his first save of the season. Cahill struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings in his first start for the

Padres.

"The bullpen was great, those guys came in and attacked the zone and Sergio, Woody and

Kenley were seamless, and it was great to see and a lot of fun to watch," said Hill. "Everybody

knows our bullpen is one of the best in baseball."

San Diego cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth on a Hunter Renfroe home run, a towering shot

tracked by Statcast™ at a 35-degree launch angle with a 106 mph exit velocity. It was

Renfroe's fourth homer in six career games against the Dodgers. But Puig got that run back in

the bottom of the inning by barreling a 1-2 changeup just inside the left-field foul pole, walking

the first six steps toward first while watching it stay fair.

"I just maybe got complacent, thinking it was going to go exactly where I wanted it to," said

Cahill, whose changeup was sharp otherwise. "I left it up, and right when it left my hand, I knew

it was not going to be good."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Timely pick: It took five attempted throws to first base, but Hill finally picked off Myers in the

fourth inning, and the timing couldn't have been better. One pitch after Myers was tagged out

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trying for second, Renfroe blasted a towering home run to left-center that cut the lead to 2-1

instead of tying the game.

"That was big," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "At that point with Myers on base, gets

behind the hitter 3-1, a called pickoff, that was a huge out."

To the track: Romo made his Dodgers debut in the top of the sixth, and Myers greeted him with a one-out double -- tracked by Statcast™ at 112 mph off the bat. The next batter, Yangervis Solarte, nearly tied the game with a 390-foot fly ball, but Solarte went to the deepest part of the park, where center fielder Joc Pederson was waiting at the warning track. Romo then got Renfroe on a groundout to third to end the inning.

QUOTABLE

"I've always thought Torres was really good. I thought he looked like David Price the way he

throws. He's going to be really good." -- Myers, on lefty reliever Jose Torres, who pitched 1 1/3

scoreless frames

"The first thing he said when we got out there was his on-base was a thousand." -- Roberts, who

checked on Hill when he was hit by a pitch

WHAT'S NEXT

Padres: Jered Weaver makes his Padres debut Thursday, with first pitch slated for 12:10 p.m.

PT. The veteran right-hander inked a one-year deal with San Diego in February after 11

seasons with the Angels.

Dodgers: Brandon McCarthy is healthy after two years of injuries, and he won back his spot in

the rotation, so he starts Thursday's series finale at Dodger Stadium. McCarthy is 7-1 in his

career against San Diego.

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Sky is the limit if Renfroe stays patient By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 2:40 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Even for Rich Hill -- the owner of one of baseball's best curveballs -- it's probably not a

good idea to fall behind in the count and leave one over the plate against Hunter Renfroe.

In the fourth inning of the Padres' 3-1 defeat at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, Renfroe

demolished Hill's hook 398 feet into the left-field seats. It marked his first homer of the season -- and his

fourth in six games against the Dodgers.

No one has ever doubted Renfroe's power. It's patience that too often eluded the rookie slugger during his

four years in the Minors.

Wednesday's blast served as a perfect example of what Renfroe is capable of when he works himself into

favorable counts.

"Hunter, if he's staying in the strike zone, is going to be as deadly of a hitter as there is in the big leagues,"

said Padres manager Andy Green. "That's a big challenge for him, but he's showing some really good

signs."

After the game, Renfroe pointed to his first at-bat before even mentioning the homer. He worked himself

into a full count before watching a 3-2 hook. The pitch looked to be two inches off the outside corner, but

home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild called it strike three.

"I thought I had a really good at-bat the first half-inning," Renfroe said. "I thought it was a ball, called a

strike, oh well, moved on. [In the fourth], he left one I could hit, and I got good barrel to it, hit it out of the

ballpark."

In fourteen Major League games, Renfroe now has five homers, but he has yet to draw an unintentional

walk. At Triple-A El Paso last season, he homered 30 times, compared with just 22 walks in 563 plate

appearances.

Those numbers prompt a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg question. Will Renfroe's prodigious power ultimately

force teams to pitch around him, leading to better on-base numbers? Or will Renfroe need to draw walks

to ultimately force opposing pitchers into the strike zone?

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"Patience leads to more power," Green answered quickly. "The more he stays within his strengths and

stays within the strike zone, he's going to hit more and more home runs. ... It's a challenge, though. You

look through his minor league pedigree, it's been a challenge for him to take the walk. But it's ridiculous

power when he hits the baseball. We still want him aggressive, so he's walking that fine line. He's learning

that right now."

He's learning. But fellow slugger Wil Myers doesn't want Renfroe changing his approach.

"I hope he doesn't try to walk this year," Myers said. "I hope he goes up there ready to hit and the walks

come. You don't walk by going up there trying to take a walk. You go walk by being aggressive in your

zone, and then you spit on pitches.

"He'll get there. He's a great hitter. He's going to be a great player in this league."

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Speed at the top makes Padres dangerous By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | April 5th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- The Padres have strung Travis Jankowski, Manuel Margot and Wil

Myers together in their batting order every day this season. Whether it's 9-1-2 or 1-2-3, expect

that trend to continue.

Myers firmly believes there's no three-man stretch in baseball that causes more havoc on the

bases. And they've backed that notion this week in Los Angeles.

"When you have speed, it dictates the situation," said Margot. "And it dictates the pressure that's

on."

It's an unofficial number, but during the first two games of the season, Margot, Jankowski and

Myers combined to take seven extra bases (counting steals and advancement on hits, errors

and balls in the dirt).

"It's an exciting brand of baseball," said Padres manager Andy Green. "... [They] hit the ball

around the yard, they can bunt, they can steal, Wil can drive it out of the ballpark. It's a fun top

three of the order. The on-base element is going to be huge."

Counting Margot's 30 steals with Triple-A El Paso, the trio combined for 90 stolen bases last

year.

"Those guys are very dynamic on the bases, but I tell them all the time I'm faster than them,"

Myers quipped. "I've got slow guys in front of me."

Myers has been clamoring for a race. He's not going to get one.

Green theorized Jankowski and Margot would be neck-and-neck, with Myers finishing third.

Margot deferred to Jankowski, noting, "When I watch him, I think, 'This guy can fly.'"

Jankowski's a safe pick. He reached first base in 3.6 seconds after his bunt Monday

against Clayton Kershaw. Only Raul Mondesi of the Royals has gotten down the line faster

this season.

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In any case, none of the three will make things easy on opposing defenses.

"We're going to be running a lot," Jankowski said. "It's going to cause a lot of havoc."

Friedrich's recovery slowed

Christian Friedrich was placed on the disabled list with a strained left lat muscle last week, and

he has not yet resumed throwing. Friedrich -- who remains at the team's Spring Training

complex in Peoria, Ariz. -- felt "tenderness" in his pitching elbow, according to Green. He will be

evaluated by team doctors later this week before joining the club in San Diego this weekend.

"His shoulder, where he had the initial lat strain, feels good," Green said. "He's had some issue

regarding the elbow. They don't think it's anywhere near the ligament, but he still doesn't feel

quite right, and he's going to get checked out here in the next couple days."

Padres keep Hessler, Vargas

Righty starter Cesar Vargas and lefty reliever Keith Hessler cleared waivers on Wednesday

and were outrighted to the Minor Leagues. Vargas will join Double-A San Antonio, while Hessler

heads to Triple-A El Paso.

The duo was designated for assignment last week, when the Padres shuffled their roster ahead

of Opening Day.

Vargas has struggled to regain his velocity since he sustained an elbow injury last May. If he

can find his form from early last season -- in which he posted a 3.34 ERA over his first six starts

-- the Padres view him as a longterm option in the rotation.

19

Weaver's Padres debut comes vs. familiar

foe By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | 1:06 AM ET

The Padres' Jered Weaver and the Dodgers' Brandon McCarthy could use fresh starts.

The veteran right-handers will get exactly that on Thursday afternoon when they square off in the finale

of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

For the first time on a Major League mound, Weaver won't be wearing red. After 11 seasons with the

Angels, Weaver inked a one-year deal with the Padres in February. He's looking to bounce back from

consecutive down seasons during which he's seen a significant dip in his fastball velocity.

For McCarthy, meanwhile, it's been a struggle just to get on the mound over the past two years. Since he

signed a four-year contract with the Dodgers in 2014, McCarthy has pitched just 63 innings while battling

elbow and hip injuries.

Things to know about this game

• Weaver made 11 Freeway Series starts against the Dodgers during his tenure in Anaheim. He posted a

2.66 ERA and helped propel the Angels to victories seven times. McCarthy has had similar success

against the Padres. He's 7-1 in his career against San Diego, with a 3.88 ERA and 45 strikeouts compared

to just eight walks.

• Against McCarthy, Padres second baseman Yangervis Solarte is 4-for-8 with three extra-base hits.

• Weaver's challenge these days is surviving with lower velocity than just about any other big league

pitcher. Last season, according to Statcast, Weaver's fastest pitch (four-seam fastball) averaged 84.3 mph,

and his entire arsenal averaged 77.5 mph. Only knuckleballers Steven Wright and R.A. Dickey had a

lower average velocity for all their pitches.

20

Hill starts strong, Puig homers and Dodgers

beat Padres 3-1 Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Rich Hill endured a rocky spring, struggling with command and not exactly sailing smoothly into the first season of a $48 million, three-year contract. He said he wasn't worried. Seems he was right.

Hill pitched five innings of two-hit ball, Yasiel Puig hit his first home run of the season and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday night. Hill (1-0) struck out five, walked three and allowed Hunter Renfroe's homer in his first start since returning to the Dodgers on a free agent deal. Hill said throughout the spring that despite his struggles, he was confident he'd be on track by the start of the season. "I only threw 75 pitches and I made one mistake on the home run, but it's early, and I felt good tonight," Hill said. "I made some mechanical adjustments, and I feel good about it."

Relievers Sergio Romo, Alex Wood and Kenley Jansen shut the Padres down the rest of the way, and Jansen pitched the ninth inning for his first save of the season.

The left-handed Hill was hit by a pitch in his right hand while batting in the second inning. After a short delay, he remained in the game.

"He said he's fine, but we're going to take a few pictures to make sure," Dodgers manager Dave

Roberts said. "When we got out to check on him, the first thing he said was that his on-base percentage was 1.000." Trevor Cahill (0-1) allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings in his first start with San Diego. Cahill was a reliever last season with the world champion Chicago Cubs but signed a one-year deal this winter to start for the Padres. He allowed five hits and three walks and struck out seven. "I gave up two runs in the first, but after that I settled in and felt good, but unfortunately things didn't go exactly as I wanted them to," Cahill said. "They have a tough lineup and Rich Hill doesn't let you put many up on the board."

Puig drilled a two-out, 1-2 pitch deep over the left field wall to put Los Angeles ahead 3-1 in the fourth inning. Puig, batting eighth after struggling in 2016, and Justin Turner each had two hits for the Dodgers.

"I'm trying to make better swings," Puig said through an interpreter. "I'm not used to batting that low in the order, but it keeps me in the lineup so I have to do my job."

21

In the first inning, Adrian Gonzalez's ground-rule double to left scored Corey Seager. One batter later, Gonzalez scored when first baseman Wil Myers misplayed a throw from third baseman Ryan Schimpf. Myers had two of the Padres' three hits in the game.

Los Angeles improved to 39-20 against the Padres at Dodger Stadium since the beginning of 2011.

TATIANA-MANIA

Dodgers broadcaster and former pitcher Fernando Valenzuela caught the ceremonial first pitch from his granddaughter, Tatiana.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: RHP Cater Capps, who missed last season following Tommy John surgery, is expected to throw a bullpen session Thursday and a simulated game Saturday at Petco Park before the Giants-Padres game.

Dodgers: Dave Roberts said that outfielder Andre Ethier (on DL with a slight disc herniation in lower back) "felt normal soreness after running yesterday while continuing his rehab. He's aggressively trying to rehab, but he's still a ways from returning."

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP and ex-Angel Jered Weaver makes his Padres debut in Thursday's series finale. Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy goes for LA, completing the four-game homestand.

22

Weaver to make Padres debut against Dodgers STATSApr 6, 2017 at 11:31a ET

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will put a bow on the season-opening series on Thursday with a matinee affair. They will do so with the Padres presenting a pitcher whose name has graced the Southern California marquee before: Jered Weaver.

The 34-year-old right-hander, who spent 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, will make his Padres debut in familiar territory.

Weaver’s diminishing velocity is well-documented, but he made it to the post 31 times last year, pitching to a 12-12 record with a 5.06 ERA.

The Padres are hoping Weaver can add stability to a staff that is considered the team’s weak link.

Manager Andy Green said all signs point to Weaver doing just that.

“He’s gone through what he would consider to be his typical spring progression,” Green said. “A few outings back, he ran into a dead arm, and he runs into it every spring training; he has been around the block a few times.

“But his (velocity) was up, more than any time in spring training in his last session, and he said his arm felt good. He should be incredibly fresh and good to go.”

Weaver, who is 6-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 11 career starts against the Dodgers, will face Brandon McCarthy, another veteran right-hander trying to extend his career.

McCarthy, a 12-year pro, appeared in just 10 games last year, all but one of them in a starting role. He began the year on the disabled list after Tommy John surgery. Then a bum hip cost him the last month of the season.

He has done well against the Padres over the years, recording his most wins (seven) against any team. McCarthy owns a 7-1 record and a 3.88 ERA in nine starts vs. San Diego.

“I think we’re excited about it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of McCarthy’s return.

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With McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu getting back in the rotation, the Dodgers possess starting depth others can only dream of.

“To have the luxury of putting Alex Wood in the ‘pen because Hyun-Jin and Brandon are ready, that is a good thing for us,” Roberts said. “It proves we have a lot of depth whenever those guys take the mound.”

The Dodgers took it to the Padres in winning two of the season’s first three games.

“We’re going to be a resilient ballclub,” Green said. “I think these guys by nature want to go out and prove people wrong. I think everyone across baseball doesn’t think we are going to be very good this season. And they want to prove them wrong.

“Regardless of what happens from one day to the next day, we are going to show up with the expectation that we are going to win that ballgame.”

On Thursday they will turn to Weaver to do just that.

“We all know what he is going to do,” Green said. “He is going to mix his pitches, not be afraid of anybody, and he is going to go out there to compete to win.”

He will do so with the guile a savvy right-hander brings, one who is looking to lengthen his pro days in Southern California.

“It hasn’t been about (velocity) or him blowing people away,” Green said. “But I think he is back to where his body feels like it should be. We know the man doesn’t lack for confidence.”

24

Dodgers Spoil Cahill’s Debut With Padres Renfroe Homers in 3-1 Loss

By Ben Rosehart

Vista high school alum Trevor Cahill made his Padres debut Wednesday against the Dodgers

but he did not get enough offensive support to earn a victory.

Cahill struck out seven batters over 5.2 innings of work and was charged with three runs (two

earned).

Meanwhile, the Padres mustered only three total hits against the Dodgers pitching staff and

Los Angeles took the third game of the series, 3-1.

San Diego rookie rightfielder Hunter Renfroe crushed his first home run of the season in the

4th inning when he lifted a 3-1 offering from lefty Rich Hill over the wall.

That trimmed the Dodgers lead to just 2-1, but the game should have been tied.

Wil Myers led off the inning with a single but was picked off trying to steal second base.

It was a costly mistake because on the very next pitch, Renfroe went yard.

Yasiel Puig gave Los Angeles a boost with two hits including a mammoth solo shot in the

bottom of the 4th inning.

His response to Renfroe’s blast gave the Dodgers some breathing room and San Diego could

never get a sustained rally going the whole night.

Dodgers relievers Sergio Romo, Alex Wood, and Kenley Janssen combined for four scoreless

innings of work and only allowed two baserunners.

Myers smacked a ground-rule double in the sixth but wound up stranded at third base.

In his first start with his hometown franchise, Cahill fell behind in the first inning when the

Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

Former Padres All-Star Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground rule double in his first plate appearance

to knock in Corey Seager.

The Dodgers then doubled their lead when Logan Forsythe reached base safely on an error by

Myers and Gonzalez hurried home.

Hill was sharp and struck out five Friars over the course of five innings.

25

Jered Weaver makes his Padres debut Thursday in the final game of the four-game set. The

Dodgers counter with Brandon McCarthy.

First pitch is slated for 12:10 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

26

Top Padres prospect may join Chihuahuas this

year

John Conniff, Madfriars.com

PEORIA, Arizona — At 15 years old, most people are attempting to navigate their sophomore year of

high school while counting the days until they get their driver’s license.

But when he was 15, Luis Urias - one of the Padres’ top prospects and a likely Chihuahua later this year -

was about to embark upon his professional career.

“I signed with the [Mexico City] Diablos when I was 15, so I had to leave my home and go to an

Academy in Oaxaca and then to Monterrey,” said Urias, during a break in Spring Training. “Most of the

players were much older than me, so it was good.”

From there, the native of Sonora played with the Diablos de Hermosillo in la Liga Norte - the minor-

league affiliate of the Mexico City Red Devils - before his contract was sold to the Padres.

And this was all before he turned 16.

Last year, Urias was the Most Valuable Player of the High-A California League, despite not turning 19

until June. He won the batting title and posted a slash line of .330/.398/.440. He impressed Padres staff

enough that he got a three-game cameo in El Paso when Chihuahua players were at the Futures Game. He

had four hits, including a home run, and five walks in 14 plate appearances.

“He can put the barrel on the ball when it is in the strike zone and he lays off pitches that aren’t in the

zone,” said Lance Burkhart, his manager with the Lake Elsinore Storm and this season’s hitting coach

with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. “If you can do that, you are going to hit.”

“He has that ability to not only recognize what pitches are in the zone, but to hit them as well. It’s not a

skill that is taught. It’s God-given.”

But another statistic stood out to Urias.

“I had more walks than strikeouts, which I was very proud of. I want to do more damage this year and

added a little leg kick for more power. I still want to walk more than I strikeout, but also I want more

doubles this season too.”

“As for putting the bat on the ball, I think that is just a blessing, I have always been able to do that.”

At only five-foot-nine and a sturdier 170 lbs. than years past, Urias is one of the best pure hitters in the

minors, and the Padres have had no hesitation challenging him as one of the youngest players in each

league.

“He just does so many things well I had zero hesitation at putting him at any level,” said Padres’ Director

of Player Development Sam Geaney at the start of last year on his assignment to Lake Elsinore. “In spring

27

training we put him in a big league game at shortstop and he was in all the right places every time. We

are just really high on what he could do this year.”

Topping off the year, he made the Mexican National team for the World Baseball Classic.

“It was probably the biggest honor of my life”, said a smiling Urias. “I had a lot of fun and it was a

privilege to play in front of my people and with so many players that I have so much respect for.”

The Padres have a very glaring organizational opening at shortstop and plan to give the young second

baseman some time at the position, which he also played briefly for the Storm last season.

“That is something that we are going to continue to challenge him to do,” said Geaney. “He’s a good

athlete and with his intelligence – and the shifting that they do today – he could play either second or

shortstop at the big league level.”

“But to get there, he knows that there is more work to be done. We have been very impressed with the

strides that he has made defensively as well as at the plate.”

The Padres are expected to start Urias at Double-A San Antonio, where he should amass a few hundred

at-bats before he turns 20 in June. If he gets off to a hot start, it’s not inconceivable that San Diego could

continue to push him and have him in El Paso by the second half of the year.

As with most minor leaguers, Urias always believes he’s ready for the next level, but he had one other

question about San Diego’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

“I wanted to know about the Mexican food in both cities,” laughed Urias. “That was one of my first

questions and I’ve heard it’s good. “It will be fun to show to my teammates about our culture and food.”