Padres News: Padres Take Three Out of Four From the Defending Champions
It really is a great time to be a San Diego Padres fan as the team as just taken three out of four games from the defending champion San Francisco Giants. After dropping the first game, the Padres went on to dominate the Giants in the series.
It was truly an impressive performance from the Padres squad. For the defending champs to come to town and win a tough 12 inning game on Thursday could have been crippling. Instead the Padres took offense to the loss and came back with a vengeance.
I was lucky enough to get fantastic tickets for Saturday’s dismantling of all everything Madison Bumgarner. I was sitting in a section infested with Giants fans, and it was a pleasant night to say the least. The Giants ace was consistently bad and the defending champs could not recover. James Shields shut them down and did exactly what the Padres needed. He continually pounded the strike zone and if not for a fluke home run by Joaquin Arias he would have been perfect.
The fight and spirit that this years Padre team has shown is a far cry from seasons past. When you come to Petco Park to watch a game, you expect the Padres to win, not hope they win. The players too, expect to win and all these expectations translate into a positive attitude in the East Village. Being at Petco Park this weekend was special. The team fed off the energy from the crowd and it reminded me of when the Padres fans would get Qualcom stadium absolutely shaking! Teams can feast off that type of energy.
A crowd of 168,171 fans saw the 4-game series with the Giants. That is a new Petco Park record and the first of many records to be broken this summer in Downtown San Diego. Matt Kemp had a nice series going 6 for 17 (.353) with two doubles and a triple. He has yet to hit his first Padres home run, but has been productive in many other ways. Kemp has flashed an above average arm and has also shown plus range in the outfield. Padres fans are starting to fall in love.
Justin Upton meanwhile has quietly hit in every game as a Padre. A modest little seven game hitting streak. The protection he provides Kemp in the lineup is without price. The third outfielder Wil Myers has also been productive this far, providing a huge hit on Friday to lift the Padres to their first win in the series. Myers long drive to right field nearly went out, but provided the Padres the one run needed to gain a game in the standings.
Up next the Padres welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks into town for a three game series. Monday’s night game will be Andrew Cashner‘s second start of the year. He hopes to avenge his first start in which Adrian Gonzalez stole the show. This will be your last chance to see the Padres before they leave on a seven game road trip to Colorado and Chicago. Come out to the game and root for your Padres as they are playing a special kind of baseball.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.