Despite getting out to an early lead in the first inning, the San Diego Padres couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole that starter Griffin Canning put them in. Canning was tagged for seven runs on six hits and five walks, greatly struggling to command his pitches.
The offense managed to put up three runs (which might have been enough under typical circumstances), but the Friars dropped the series opener. They’ll have to battle back in Game 2 against the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon.
Taking the mound
Trey Gibson (BAL) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
The rookie Gibson has only started three games this year for the O’s, authoring a 4.24 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in that time. That’s mostly due to his most recent start where Gibson surrendered three runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners.
Prior to that, he had looked solid. Gibson gave up five runs across 12 1/3 innings. The right-hander has struggled to command his pitches, walking eight batters through four games. San Diego will need to have discipline at the plate in order to get runners aboard.
Vásquez has struggled lately after his otherworldly start to the season. He’s been saddled with a 4.29 ERA across his last seven starts, and the righty surrendered 10 runs in his last 14 2/3 innings.
That said, the stuff that made him so electric in the first two months of the year is still there. Vásquez’s biggest problem has been missing bats. He’s not generating whiffs at the same level he was before. If he can start to rediscover that against the Orioles, it will help San Diego immensely.
Batter up!
Despite only scratching three runs across, the lineup hit surprisingly well — they just left too many runners on the bases. Manny Machado had two doubles. Gavin Sheets went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Xander Bogaerts went 1-for-3 with a walk in his return from the paternity list. But the club went a lousy 4-for-14 with RISP, failing to capitalize in big moments.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, RF
- Samad Taylor, LF
- Ty France, 1B
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Freddy Fermin, C
Since Gibson is a rookie, none of the Padres have faced him. The lineup will have to figure the righty out fast if they want to force the rubber match against Baltimore on Sunday.
Relief corps
Thankfully, in spite of his lousy outing, Canning was at least able to get through five innings of work. That meant that only Wandy Peralta and David Morgan would be used to cover the final three innings of the game. They each pitched well, giving up one hit each and no runs.
That leaves the beleaguered bullpen fresh for this afternoon’s game. Manager Craig Stammen will have plenty of arms to turn to. Jason Adam, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez will all be readily available to come into the game once Vásquez exits.
