Shohei Who? Padres Break Out the Big Sticks vs. Angels
While the mainstream sports media was obsessing over Shohei Ohtani’s dribbling single up the middle, the Padres bullied Angels’ pitching on their way to their first Cactus League win by the score of 10-4.
The Padres jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the 2nd inning when Hunter Renfroe hit the batter’s eye with a two-run homer which was quickly followed by a Christian Villanueva laser home run. The Padres weren’t done yet as A.J. Ellis scored on a Carlos Asuaje sacrifice fly.
The score would remain thus until the 5th, when the Angels rallied to tie it thanks to some suspect pitching and defense.
The Padres quickly answered again when Villanueva drove in Fernando Tatis Jr. to re-take the lead.
Then the floodgates opened. Franchy Cordero lined a shot off of the centerfield wall in the bottom of the sixth that rolled all the way to right center, giving him plenty of time to round the bases easily for an inside-the-park home run. It didn’t stop there. Two batters later, the big outfielder, Franmil Reyes, also went yard, pushing the lead to 7-4 Padres.
The rout was on in the bottom of the seventh inning when Dusty Coleman launched a home run to right, which also scored Shane Peterson, extending the lead to 9-4. Luis Torrens then tripled and Austin Allen put the finishing touches on the blowout win with an RBI single.
Home Run Hunter is back at it! 2-run shot in the 2nd inning. #PadresST
FSGO: https://t.co/Vc8p2pClG7 pic.twitter.com/s9jppW0ZUk
— FOX Sports San Diego (@FOXSportsSD) February 26, 2018
The Friars finished with 14 hits, eight of them extra-base hits. Other notable moments were an opposite-field double for prized infield prospect Luis Urias, and A.J. Ellis enjoying a good day, with a double along with that walk that led to a run.
For the most part, pitching was solid as well. Jordan Lyles got the start and went two scoreless innings. Miguel Diaz later held the lead with two strikeouts in one inning of work. Adam Cimber closed the door for the Padres with a scoreless top of the 9th.
Lava moves slowly. #HotTalentLava is fast! ??#PadresST pic.twitter.com/RItCWz64L4
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 26, 2018
Although we shouldn’t put much stock in wins and losses in spring training, this one felt good. The Padres scored in four different innings, three of them yielded multiple runs. They got the ball rolling against the Angels starter, Tyler Skaggs, who is a five-year veteran and a mainstay in their big league rotation.
The Padres look to build on this momentum against the Mariners in Peoria on Tuesday at 12:10pm with Clayton Richard making his 2018 spring debut.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
