Padres Power Past Bumgarner To Break Streak, Can Take Series Tonight: Pads vs. Giants 7/16
By Friar Wire
By Bob Scanlan
Ding Dong the witch is dead!!! It took three and a half months and 10 tries but the Padres finally defeated the Giants 4–1 in last night’s series opener. Adam Rosales and Wil Myers both took Madison Bumgarner deep, while Matt Kemp and Yangervis Solarte, who made a great catch falling into some nachos on a foul ball, also added RBIs to give Andrew Cashner all the runs he would need to record the win with his 6 innings of solid 1-run work.
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After losing the first three series between these two teams in painful sweep fashion, the Padres have broken the chains and now have a chance to now return the favor if they can pull off another win over the Gigantes tonight. It will certainly make things easier if…
- Perdomo keeps popping that power sinker — Luis Perdomo has been one of the brightest
- lights for the Padres this season. He’s gone from a Rule V hanger-on, to a regular in the rotation that has given 5 innings of work or more in his last six outings while allowing 3 ERs or less in five of those efforts. One of the turning points for him recently has been the aggressiveness he has gone after batters with his 2-seam fastball. Earlier in the year he was using it in conjunction with his 4-seam heater, but usually at a lower 91–92 velocity. Lately he’s been throwing it consistently 94–95 with late, power sinking action down in the zone without nibbling. All of a sudden he’s finding himself ahead in the count more often, getting more early contact on the ground, and getting more breathing room on his off speed which is complimented by the hard arm side action of that sinker. Does this mean he can survive with that pitch alone? Of course not, but it gives him a go-to pitch he can count on to throw in the zone with confidence and not get hurt, which buys him more time to further refine his secondary offerings.
- Samardzija’s sinker stays squirrelly — When Jeff Samadzija’s sinker is working he can be
- tough, but when it’s not he gets pounded. The Padres have seen both versions this season, scoring 5 runs against him in their first match up, but then getting shut down the next two times they faced him. Going into the All-Star break he had been mostly struggling in his last 7 trips to the hill posting a 6.53 ERA while allowing 9 long balls. He threw better in his first game back after the break lasting 6 2/3 against Arizona, but he struggled and escaped early trouble, so the problems are still lurking. When that sinking fastball is not sinking there is a tendency for pitchers to try to force it to move which messes up the release point and causes hittable mistakes in the zone. The best approach against him no matter how good or bad he’s been going is to be extra aware early in the game not to chase anything in the lower part of the strike zone as it usually leads to an easy ground out and encourages him to stay down there. Force him early to prove that he can pitch down there consistently without leaving something on the plate. If he shows that he can stay at the knees and get the calls then you have to adjust, otherwise give him time to elevate and then pounce when that cookie out over the dish arrives.
- The lefties can lead the way — Samardzija’s pitching splits lean heavily towards the left handers doing
- the damage against him. With a batting average 50 points higher, an OBP 60 points higher, and a 185 point difference in the OPS, there’s no question left-handed batters see his offerings better. That should be an open invitation to Travis Jankowski, Solarte, Alex Dikerson, and Ryan Schimpf, the lefties in Andy Green’s lineup today, to lead the hit parade and give Perdomo a little bit of a cushion to work with.
