Brewer’s Banter: Padres News & Notes From the Week
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Colin Rea Unable to Collect Elusive No-Hitter
On Thursday night against the New York Mets, Padres right hander Colin Rea almost did the unthinkable. In the 48 years of their existence, the San Diego Padres have never thrown a no-hitter as a team. There have been plenty of close calls, but the franchise has never been able to finish it off. Rea ended up pitching through six and two-thirds innings with no hits allowed before Yoenis Cespedes hit a single to right field, ending the Padres chances for the first no-hitter in franchise history. Despite the disappointment that comes with another near miss at a no-hitter, Rea was extremely impressive, throwing eight plus innings and giving up only one earned run in total. With the injuries in the rotation, the Padres need Rea to step up going forward. So far, so good.
Last night, @colinrea29 shined, but Green says “he’s nowhere near a finished product”: https://t.co/8QGaWBtsDA pic.twitter.com/Z09hVswbyV
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 6, 2016
Robbie Erlin Lost to Tommy John Surgery
The Padres strong pitching this week has been slightly overshadowed with news of Robbie Erlin’s elbow injury and impending Tommy John surgery. After filling in effectively in the absence of Tyson Ross, Erlin felt some elbow discomfort last week. Following an MRI, it was revealed that Erlin had UCL damage and would be in need of the surgery. Although it is hard to see any positives in this sort of injury, Cesar Vargas has filled in admirably in Erlin’s absence. Over his first few starts, Vargas has been very effective and has shown his ability to contribute to a big league rotation. At the end of the day the Padres will have less depth than before, but they will still get through in the absence of Erlin.
Padres Hanging Around in National League West
Despite all the struggles on the field, and the pessimism among Padres fans, the Padres have actually hung around in the National League West, currently sitting only two and a half games behind the Giants and Rockies, who are tied atop the division. The Padres offense has struggled much of the season, but the pitching staff and bullpen have both picked up the slack over the course of the last week to put the Padres in position to win ball games. After taking two of three from both Los Angeles and Colorado, the Padres also won the first two games of the current series against the Mets in close, low scoring games. The pitching has been strong, and has allowed the team to maintain pace in the NL West.
Injured Padres Nearing Returns
More so than any other storyline, the Padres injury issues have gained the most attention at this point in the season. With notable injuries such as Tyson Ross, Cory Spangenberg, Yangervis Solarte, Alexi Amarista, Robbie Erlin, among a few others, the Padres have had pretty poor luck on the injury front to this point in the season. However, three of those players should be nearing their returns over the next week or so. All three of Solarte, Spangenberg, and Amarista are on the mend, with all three expected back in the next few weeks. All three have lower body injuries so they may not be rushed back, but it’s not too much of a stretch to say all three should be back in the next two weeks. The Padres struggling offense will certainly benefit from having all those players back.
Matt Kemp and Wil Myers Impressing
Although the Padres offense has had it’s share of struggles so far this season, both Wil Myers and Matt Kemp have been pretty significant bright spots. Myers is showing he is finally fully healthy, and more importantly, is hitting like the player everyone expected him to be when he was first drafted by the Kansas City Royals. As for Matt Kemp, he has gotten off to a hot start this season, impressing both at the plate and in the field, believe it or not. Both players have led the charge on offense for the Padres, and both should be integral pieces going forward as well.
That’s So Padres Moment of the Week
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.