Padres unleash the beast with star-studded lineup
PEORIA, Ariz. — To be completely clear: Yes, it was only a Spring Training recreation. No, the Padres’ come-from-behind, 11-6 victory on Saturday afternoon doesn’t rely for something within the standings.
But if there was a extra exhilarating Cactus League recreation in franchise historical past, it is arduous to recollect it.
For the primary time all spring, supervisor Bob Melvin had a full array of offensive weapons at his disposal. He opted to deploy them, too, sending out a completely loaded lineup in opposition to the Brewers.
If what ensued was an indication of issues to return, it’s time to place the remainder of the Majors on discover. The Padres imagine they’ve constructed among the best offenses in baseball. The early returns point out that they’re in all probability proper.
In that 11-run outburst, Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth and Luis Campusano all went deep. A abruptly red-hot Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits. The Padres fell behind, 5-0, within the second inning. By the time a number of of their regulars departed after the fifth, they already held a lead, scoring seven fast runs with a barrage of extra-base hits.
“We definitely have the length of the lineup one through nine to be able to do some damage,” Machado mentioned. “No lead is too much.”
Sound recommendation for opposing groups this yr.
“We’re going to put pressure on pitchers regardless, even when you’re making some outs,” Melvin mentioned. “Some of our guys are going to be aggressive at the plate. Some of them can make you work. … Once we got a little momentum, swinging the bats, it was good to see.”
Prior to the sport, Melvin acknowledged that he’d spent his offseason scribbling out totally different lineup potentialities. He opted for this beginning 9 on Saturday:
No, that will not be the Opening Day lineup. Tatis nonetheless has 20 video games to serve on his PED suspension earlier than he is eligible to return.
No, it is also not the workforce’s most well-liked lineup, with Austin Nola set to function the beginning catcher and Campusano his backup.
But it’s — with out query — among the many finest collections of 9 hitters the Padres have ever been in a position to placed on a baseball discipline.
“One through nine,” Machado mentioned. “I think we all just pass the baton. If they don’t give us something to hit or they don’t give us something good, pass it on to the next guy. The next guy could do that damage behind us. That’s the beauty of this lineup. One through nine could do really good damage. We could also get on base, as well.”
Machado, Soto and Cruz have been taking part in their first recreation with the Padres since their disappointing early exit on the World Baseball Classic with Team Dominican Republic. Bogaerts (Netherlands) and Kim (Korea) rejoined the workforce earlier this week.
That group spent a short while collectively early in camp. But they hadn’t but performed with Tatis, who was eased alongside slowly, coming off surgical procedures to his left shoulder and wrist.
As such, Saturday supplied the primary glimpse of the whole thing of what the Padres have constructed offensively. It positive seems formidable.
“There’s not a ton of breaks,” Melvin mentioned. “Especially in that first five or six, you’re just going to have to pitch to guys, regardless. Pick your poison.”
Since then, they’ve added Bogaerts. They’ll welcome Tatis again into the fold on April 20. They’ll get a complete season of Soto. Plus, they’ve added an array of very helpful depth items, like Cruz, Matt Carpenter and David Dahl.
“We like the depth of it,” Melvin mentioned. “We’ve got guys that can hit for power, got guys that can walk, get on base, make pitchers work. There are a lot of different things we can do offensively — it’s not just slug and hit homers.”
All that’s left for Melvin to do is line up these hitters in some order. Soto appears sure for the No. 2 spot with Machado 3. Tatis and Bogaerts will be flipped within the Nos. 1 and 4 spots. Cronenworth, Melvin mentioned, slots properly at 5, appropriately spaced out from Soto, a fellow lefty.
But Melvin additionally acknowledged this actuality:
“Can you really go too wrong with all this?” he mentioned. “I mean, maybe you try to space the lefties out a little bit, so you don’t get a left-handed reliever in the same spot all the time. Other than that, it’s not much of a problem, really.”
Indeed, the Padres have a lineup that’s the envy of baseball. On a sunny March afternoon in Peoria, they confirmed why.
