Padres Press Clips
Saturday, June 18, 2016
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No June swoon: Norris heating up for Padres
MLB.com
Collazo
2
Padres' rally falls short against Nats
MLB.com
Cassavell/Collier 4
Myers named All-Star Week ambassador
MLB.com
Trezza
6
Tyson and Joe Ross' mom has an easy solution for
Nats-Padres games: A split jersey
MLB.com
Cassavell
8
Jones rooting for Rodney to break record
MLB.com
Cassavell
9
Rea hopes to turn things around vs. Nats
MLB.com
Collazo
11
Ross inching closer to throwing a bullpen
MLB.com
Cassavell
12
Zimmerman, Murphy homer to back Ross in Nationals' 7-5 win Associated Press
AP
14
Draftees flock to Tri-City Dust Devils
UT San Diego
Sanders
16
Minors: Hunter Renfroe hits 15th homer
UT San Diego
Sanders
18
Padres' 2016 attendance hits a million, but way down overall
UT San Diego
Kenney
20
Again, Joe Ross beats big brother's Padres
UT San Diego
Sanders
22
Minors: Austin Hedges hits third homer
UT San Diego
Sanders
25
Padres respond to complaint about Filipino Heritage Night UT San Diego
Sanders
27
Myers an ambassador for All-Star Week
UT San Diego
Sanders
29
Nationals-Padres preview
STATS, LLC
STATS, LLC
31
Joe Ross Beats Padres In Return To San Diego
NBCSanDiego.com Rosehart
33
1
No June swoon: Norris heating up for
Padres
By Carlos Collazo / MLB.com | 3:25 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Padres catcher Derek Norris continued his torrid June in Friday night's 7-5 loss to the
Nationals, hitting his eighth home run of the season off Joe Ross to keep San Diego within striking
distance.
While the Padres didn't manage to come back against Washington, Norris' hitting so far during June
represents a significant resurgence from his slow start to the year.
"He's hitting the ball hard, very consistently," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He's been good. Joe
Ross was tough in the sense that he had that expand slider, out of the zone. We were chasing it."
Norris, though, said he was fortunate to see another slider -- a pitch he had just missed several times
during the game -- with a 2-2 count during the sixth inning.
"I had been chasing his fastball up all day," Norris said, "and he just laid [the slider] in there good enough
to where I could just sneak it over the fence."
He did just sneak it over the fence, too, as the estimated 344-foot shot was the shortest homer hit by a San
Diego batter all season.
But you can't shortchange what Norris has been able to do this month. His three home runs are the thirdmost from a catcher -- behind Wilson Ramos and Evan Gattis -- through June, and his slugging
percentage is good for third among catchers as well -- behind Ramos andChris Iannetta.
While Norris' home run Friday night clearly shows that he is capable of damaging breaking balls, the 27year-old catcher's average exit velocity on fastballs is up five miles per hour from May to June -- going
from 88.19 last month to 93.32 during 13 games this month. For context, Yoenis Cespedes has averaged
a 93.5-mph exit velocity this season.
"The first half of the year, if you look at where his contact was, where he hit fastballs, it was almost all of
them the other way," Green said. "Now he's starting to get the head out more consistently.
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"If you get the [bat] head out, you're going to hit the ball hard a little bit more often."
Norris acknowledged that he's more of a pull-side power hitter, but also said he wasn't going up to the
plate explicitly trying to jerk balls down the third base line.
"Obviously I'm not a freak of nature, I can't leave the ballpark at any dimension of the field," he said. "But
when it comes to home runs, pretty much all but like one or two are pull side.
"So it's not something I try and go up there and yank it, just let the natural mechanics of my swing take
care of that."
3
Padres' rally falls short against Nats
By AJ Cassavell and Jamal Collier / MLB.com | 4:33 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Daniel Murphy's big night helped make Joe Ross a winner facing his former
organization at Petco Park, as the Nationals beat the Padres, 7-5, on Friday night.
Murphy gave Washington an early lead with a two-run third-inning double, and he would later
add his 12th homer of the season. Ryan Zimmerman also homered, and Bryce Harper had a
pair of hits to back Ross -- who was making his second start against the Padres since being
dealt to the Nationals in 2014. Ross whiffed six over six innings, while allowing three runs to
give the Nationals their 14th win in their last 18 games.
"Offensively we're grinding them out, bullpen has been doing a great job and pitchers are
throwing up zeroes for us," Murphy said. "That's a good formula for winning."
Derek Norris took Ross deep in the sixth -- a laser down the left-field line that barely cleared the
short fence in front of the Western Metal building. But Padres left-hander Christian
Friedrich struggled, giving up six earned runs over six innings -- more than he had allowed in
his previous four starts combined.
"My offspeed stuff [I] definitely didn't execute," Friedrich said. "[I] left it up in the zone. I'd say
that's the difference between last outing and this outing. I felt like I was getting the ball in the
zone with the heater quite a bit, and just didn't execute with the breaking balls and offspeed
[pitches]."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Ross returns: The Nationals acquired Ross from the Padres in December of 2014 in a threeteam trade with the Rays. He made his first start against the organization that drafted him in the
city he still calls home Friday night, and turned in a quality start to help guide the Nats to victory.
He's 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts against the team that drafted him.
"It just made it a little extra special I guess more than any start," Ross said. "Having my parents
here, having my brother in the opposing dugout, but other than that it was just another game."
4
Double the fun: It didn't take long for Jon Jay to take over the National League doubles lead
Friday. He laced Ross' first pitch off the center-field wall, giving him 23 on the season, and he'd
make it 24 with a seventh-inning liner down the left-field line. Jay is now batting .368 with eight
doubles this month.
"His favorite hitter growing up was Tony Gwynn," said Padres skipper Andy Green of Jay's
ability to hit to all fields. "He gets something the other way, he's not afraid to slap it through the
5-6 hole or down the line. If someone comes in on him, he'll turn on it."
Backed by the offense: Despite some early season struggles to start the year from numerous
spots in their lineup, the Nationals insisted that their offense was capable of regularly putting up
numbers like Friday night. They scored seven runs, punctuated by home runs from Zimmerman
and Murphy alongside a pair of hits from Harper. Since the start of June, Washington ranks first
in the National League in slugging percentage, OPS, on-base percentage and runs scored.
"It's deep and nobody's giving away at-bats right now," Murphy said. "Just up and down the
lineup the at-bats are quality. We're continuing to put traffic on the basepaths and put pressure
on the pitcher."
Don't test Melvin: At the plate, Ross chipped in with a single of his own, and for a second it
appeared as though he'd add an RBI, too. But Padres left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. came up
firing, and he nailed Anthony Rendon with a one-hop strike to the plate. It was Upton's seventh
outfield assist this season, putting him within one of the Major League lead.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Ryan Buchter's fastball continues to be his primary weapon -- and a dominant one at that.
Buchter faced three Nationals hitters in the top of the ninth inning Friday, and struck out the side
on 15 pitches, all fastballs. This season, 82.9 percent of Buchter's pitches have been four-seam
fastballs. Among pitchers with at least 10 innings, only Jim Henderson of the Mets (83 percent)
has thrown the pitch more frequently.
WHAT'S NEXT
Nationals: Max Scherzer will look to continue his strong month of June when he faces takes the
mound at Petco Park on Saturday. In three starts this month, he is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 28
strikeouts with three walks.
Padres: Coming off his shortest start with the Padres, Colin Rea gets the ball against the
Nationals for Game 3 of a four-game set with first-pitch time set for 7:10 p.m. PT. Rea, who has
never faced Washington, allowed eight Marlins runs on Monday -- but got no help from his
defense.
5
Myers named All-Star Week
ambassador
First baseman eager to represent Padres, MLB during
festivities in San Diego
By Joe Trezza / MLB.com | June 17th, 2016
Continuing an annual tradition spearheaded by some of the game's biggest stars, Wil Myerswill serve as
the ambassador for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Week events, scheduled for July 8-12 in San
Diego, MLB announced Friday.
Myers will help generate awareness for events during All-Star Week, including the 87th MLB All-Star
Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the TMobile Home Run Derby (July 11), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, AllStar Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10) and MLB All-Star FanFest at the San Diego
Convention Center (July 8-12). Myers joins San Diego Padres legends Trevor Hoffman and Dave
Winfield, who were named official spokespeople of the All-Star Week events in April.
"It's exciting," Myers said Friday. "It's an honor to be chosen for that. I'll be at a lot of the events and get
to interact with the fans and be at the fan fest thing. So I'm excited about that. It's a cool opportunity for
me and I'm very honored to be chosen for that."
Previously MLB stars that have served in this role on behalf of the host city include Todd Frazier, Torii
Hunter, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer and Justin Upton.
"I first experienced MLB All-Star Week as a Futures player in 2011 and 2012, and I'm ready for more,"
said Myers. "I'm looking forward to representing the Padres and Major League Baseball during an actionpacked week of All-Star festivities here in San Diego."
Myers has built a strong All-Star candidacy in his second season in San Diego, though he's not currently
one of the top five leading vote-getters at his position. The 25-year-old is hitting .286/.330/.521 during his
first season at first base, pacing the Padres with 43 runs and placing second on the team in hits (74) and
RBIs (40). Myers is tied for the Padres' lead in home runs (15) with Matt Kemp.
6
The 2013 American League Rookie of the Year with the Tampa Bay Rays, Myers was acquired by the
Padres in a three-team trade that sent Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays andJoe Ross and Trea Turner to the
Nationals in December 2014. Myers has expressed interest in participating in the T-Mobile Home Run
Derby, slated for July 11.
The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet
and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes
will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius
XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star
Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
7
Tyson and Joe Ross' mom has an easy
solution for Nats-Padres games: A split
jersey
By AJ Cassavell/MLB.com
Being the mother of one Major Leaguer is easy enough. It's crystal clear which team to root for.
But things aren't always so simple for Jean Ross, mother of Tyson and Joe. You see, Tyson,
who is currently recovering from a shoulder injury, pitches for the Padres. And Joe, who faced
the Padres Friday night, pitches for the Nationals.
That means, for two series every year, Jean Ross' allegiances are divided. So what exactly is
she supposed to wear to Petco Park when the Nationals and Padres square off?
Well, her sister figured that out for her, with one of the cooler Christmas presents you'll ever see:
a combo Tyson Ross /Joe Ross jersey:
With Joe on the hill Friday night (and Tyson on the DL), Jean Ross wasn't forced to choose
between her sons. She could simply cheer for Joe from the stands.
Tyson, however, said he wouldn't be doing anything of the sort.
"I'm happy for my brother on the other side, but that doesn't make a difference," Tyson said
before the game. "Obviously it's cool to see him out there, he's doing great. But we're here
every day to try and win ballgames. I'm rooting for us tonight. I'm sure he's going to do well, as
long as he ends up with an L at the end of the night."
In the end, Joe had the last laugh, going six quality innings in a7-5 Nationals victory.
8
Jones rooting for Rodney to break
record
By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | June 17th, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- In April of 1975, Randy Jones opened the season by pitching 26 consecutive innings
before he allowed his first earned run, setting a Padres record.
Forty-one years later, Jones had forgotten about that mark entirely -- that is, until Fernando
Rodney arrived in San Diego and started piling up scoreless innings of his own.
With Rodney's ERA still at 0.00 after 23 1/3 frames entering Friday's game against the Nationals, Jones
says he's OK with his record being broken. In fact, he's actively rooting for it to fall.
"I think it's great," Jones said of Rodney's run. "That's what records are meant for. I have no problem with
it. He's had a good start to the season. I knew I had a really good start to that [1975] season, but I didn't
know it was a record until this year."
Cla Meredith owns the Padres record for consecutive scoreless innings (33 2/3 innings in 2006), but in
terms of starting a season, Jones holds the club mark, and Rodney is second.
In his most recent outing, Rodney survived his closest shave yet.
The Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki lined a two-out double into the right-field corner, and Giancarlo
Stanton appeared poised to score from first. But with the Mariners trailing by three, the risk wasn't worth
the reward, and Stanton held at third, before Rodney ended the threat one batter later by inducing a popup.
In the past, Rodney had been known for working his way in and out of trouble -- like his appearance
Wednesday. But he hasn't experienced much of that this season. Rodney has allowed only 10 hits this
year, and Ichiro's double is the only one to have gone for extra bases.
"We didn't know what we were going to get," Jones said "But he's come out, and he throws strikes, been
very, very consistent.
9
"The way he changes speeds is what I really enjoy. You go back to the old Trevor Hoffman idea that less
is better -- of course I've always been a believer in that. I just enjoy watching him dissect guys."
In the eyes of Padres manager Andy Green, Rodney can't possibly have done more to warrant a spot in the
All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which will take place in his hometown ballpark next month.
"He's done everything as well as possible," Green said. "He's also been an unbelievable team leader and a
great person and influence on [rookie right-hander] Luis Perdomo, too. There's stuff that doesn't even go
in the box score that's been impactful for this organization, not for this year but for the years to come. So I
think he clearly deserves to be an All-Star. Hopefully everybody else sees it that way too."
Jones certainly does. And even if Rodney does surpass Jones' record, he still holds one that won't likely be
touched for a long time -- if ever. In 1976, Jones won 16 games before the All-Star break, a feat which
hasn't been duplicated since.
"I've got that record," Jones said. "And there's no way anyone's breaking it."
10
Rea hopes to turn things around vs.
Nats
By Carlos Collazo / MLB.com | 4:27 AM ET
Max Scherzer and Colin Rea match up on Saturday as Padres face the Nationals at Petco Park, with the
former looking to continue his June dominance and the latter attempting to rebound from his shortest start
of the season.
Scherzer has posted a 1.23 ERA in three starts so far in June, holding opponents to a .156/.188/.273 triple
slash, while striking out 28 batters and walking just three. In addition, the matchup seems to be a good
one for him, as the Padres entered play Friday with a .228 team batting average against right-handed
pitchers -- the worst mark in the National League.
Prior to Friday's games, right-handed pitchers had recorded 450 strikeouts against the Padres -- the fourthmost in baseball -- while Scherzer's 11.14 K/9 is the fourth-best mark in the league.
Rea's last outing saw him last just 2 2/3 innings against the Marlins, where he allowed eight runs (six
earned) on nine hits. To be fair to Rea, he should have had an inning ending double play that would have
gotten him out of the third inning, but he has also given up 14 earned runs in 15 innings this month.
Things to know about this game
• Melvin Upton Jr. has been given a lot of leeway on the bases this season, and he has taken advantage of
it. Prior to Friday's games, Upton Jr. was tied for fifth in baseball with 15 stolen bases. He has been
caught just four times -- good for a 79 percent success rate.
• Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos's .340/.390/.574 triple slash entering play Friday is the best in each
category from a catcher this season with at least 100 plate appearances.
• Alexei Ramirez has by far the most experience facing Scherzer of any San Diego hitter, given their
history in the American League Central. But that doesn't seem to have aided the 34-year-old shortstop in
any quantifiable way. Ramirez has hit just .138 (8-for-58) against Scherzer with eight strikeouts and five
walks.
11
Ross inching closer to throwing a
bullpen
By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | June 17th, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- A pitcher named Ross was on the hill at Petco Park Friday night -- but not the guy the
Padres had hoped to see.
Opening Day starter Tyson Ross is still on the mend from the right-shoulder inflammation that set him
back in April. He could throw his first bullpen session as soon as Sunday. But on Friday, he could only
watch as his younger brother, Joe Ross, started against the Padres for the Nationals.
"Obviously I'd love to be out there competing, being in games right now," Ross said. "But thus far I've
been doing great, feeling good, getting stronger."
Neither Ross nor the Padres are ready to divulge the exact date of his first bullpen session -- which is the
next step in his recovery. Currently, Ross is long-tossing from about 150 feet and hasn't felt any ill effects
of the injury.
The Padres have a specific day in mind, but Ross says he's keeping blinders on.
"It's just as the progression unfolds itself," Ross said. "I don't have any timelines, anything like that. It's
just one step at a time. Today's an off-day, go again tomorrow."
On multiple occasions, the Padres have said they're planning to take it slow with Ross' pending Minor
League rehab stint. Essentially, that rules him out until after the All-Star break.
"Tyson is moving along well," said Padres skipper Andy Green. "And we're optimistic next couple of
days he's going to be throwing [a bullpen]."
Ross started for the Padres on Opening Day and allowed seven earned runs over 5 1/3 innings against the
Dodgers. He was placed on the DL later that week.
As for Friday's game, Tyson Ross has no split allegiances.
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"I'm happy for my brother on the other side, but that doesn't make a difference," Ross said. "Obviously it's
cool to see him out there, he's doing great. But we're here every day to try and win ballgames."
13
Zimmerman, Murphy homer to back Ross
in Nationals' 7-5 win
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- Joe Ross' first start at Petco Park was with the Washington Nationals, not the San
Diego Padres, the team that picked him 25th overall in the June 2011 draft.
And it wasn't simply any night on the mound.
"It just made it a little extra special, I guess, more than any start, just to have my parents here
and have my brother in the opposing dugout," Ross said after helping the Nationals beat the
Padres 7-5 Friday night.
"Other than that, just another game. A few familiar faces on the other side."
Ross (6-4) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two. His
older brother, Tyson, was San Diego's opening day starter but hasn't pitched since due to right
shoulder inflammation.
"I'll probably get to see him and mess around maybe tomorrow," Joe Ross said.
There wasn't any trash talk Friday night, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer and Daniel
Murphy homered and drove in three runs for the Nationals.
"I'm sure Tyson will get on me for some of those at-bats tomorrow," Joe said.
The Padres shipped Ross and shortstop Trea Turner to the Nationals in an 11-player, three-team
trade in December 2014 that netted them Wil Myers from Tampa Bay.
Ross made his big league debut on June 6, 2015. He beat the Padres 4-2 on Aug. 27 in
Washington.
Manager Dusty Baker said Ross has struggled the third time through the order and against lefthanders.
"We hoped he'd get us through the seventh but he had a high pitch count number (95)," Baker
said.
"What's next, 105? We didn't want to wait until he got into trouble. We have to really watch Joe
because he has the least amount of innings of our starters and we want to take him all the way
through September and hopefully into October.
"He was good. He was very good. He just made a couple of mistakes. But those guys can hit."
14
Zimmerman's homer to left capped a four-run third and gave the Nationals a 5-1 lead
against Christian Friedrich (3-2). It was the fourth straight hit with two outs. Jayson
Werth and Bryce Harper singled before Murphy hit a two-run double, followed by Zimmerman's
10th homer.
The Nationals added on with Murphy's homer to left-center leading off the sixth, his 12th, and
Harper's RBI single in the seventh that made it 7-3.
The Padres closed to 7-5 with two runs off the Nationals bullpen in the seventh.
San Diego's Derek Norris hit a line-shot homer to left with two outs in the sixth, his eighth. Matt
Kemp and Jon Jay hit RBI singles for the Padres.
Yusmeiro Petit pitched the ninth for his first save in as many chances, allowing a leadoff single to
Myers before retiring the next three batters.
Friedrich allowed six runs and nine hits in six innings, struck out three and walked two.
"He gave us six pretty good innings," manager Andy Green said. "The line doesn't show that. I
think there's like a couple crucial mistakes, almost all of them with two outs.
"I never felt like he was out of control of the game," Green said. "It just felt like a couple times,
like that four-run inning, it just happened quick."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: Tyson Ross is expected to throw a bullpen any day. He's not expected to return until after
the All-Star break.
UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (8-4, 3.40) is scheduled to make his first start since taking a
perfect game into the sixth inning of a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs in which he struck out 11 in
seven innings.
Padres: RHP Colin Rea (3-3, 5.37) will be looking for his first victory in more than a month. He's
0-2 in six starts since beating the New York Mets 3-1 on May 5.
15
Draftees flock to Tri-City Dust
Devils
Others to start careers June 20 in Arizona
Rookie League
By Jeff Sanders | 11:30 a.m. June 18, 2016
The draft is in the rearview mirror, short-season Tri-City’s season is underway and the newest
crop of signees are trickling into the Padres’ affiliates. A good portion of that group will start their
careers in the Arizona Rookie League – which starts its season Monday – while some have
already impacted the Dust Devils in their season-opening win Friday night.
Second baseman Nate Easley (23rd round) – the son of long-time major leaguer Damion Easley
– collected two hits, scored a run and swiped a base in a 5-4 win over Everett and shortstop
Chris Baker (17th round) – an All-Pac 12 selection out of Washington – singled, walked and
scored a run in four at-bats.
As a fourth-round selection, left-hander Joey Lucchesi owns the highest profile of the bunch, the
first Ohio Valley Conference hurler to win back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors after going
17-7 with a 2.62 ERA and 242 strikeouts the last two seasons (199 IP) at Southeast Missouri
State.
Meantime, Baker led Washington in home runs (seven) and RBIs (34), while right-hander Lake
Bachar (5th round) was a two-sport start kicked for UW-Whitewater’s back-to-back NCAA
Division III national champs in 2013 and 2014. He was 8-6 with a 2.53 ERA over 92 2/3 innings
on the mound this season.
Other 2016 draftees on the Dust Devils’ roster include outfielder Taylor Kohlway (21st) and
right-handers Will Stillman (6th), Jesse Scholtens (9th), Evan Miller, Chasen Ford (27th), Dalton
Erb (31st), Mark Zimmerman (33rd) and David Bednar (35th round).
Midway derby field
The field for Monday’s Midway Classic home run derby on the deck of the USS Midway is all but
set.
Indians prospect Bobby Bradley leads the Carolina League with 15 homers and will headline
their entrants. Nationals prospect Drew Ward (11 homers) and Indians prospect Yu-Cheng
Chang (7 homers) will also participate. A fourth slugger from the Carolina League has yet to be
announced.
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The Rangers’ Travis Demeritte (18), the Giants’ Chris Shaw (13), the Mariners’ Kyle Petty (10)
and the Diamondbacks’ Dawel Lugo (9) will represent the California League.
The home run derby starts 5 p.m. Monday. On Tuesday, the focus shifts to The Diamond at
Lake Elsinore for the California/Carolina League All-Star Game, where Padres prospects Luis
Urias, Josh VanMeter, Colby Blueberg and Brad Wieck will represent the Storm.
Tickets are available for both at stormbaseball.com.
AROUND THE FARM
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Triple-A El Paso: RHP Fabio Castillo, 27, was released Friday night. A minor league signee
this offseason, the 27-year-old Castillo was 0-3 with a 4.66 ERA, 26 strikeouts and a 1.63 WHIP
in 38 2/3 innings in the Pacific Coast League.
Double-A San Antonio: OF Nick Torres, SS Jose Rondon and RHPs Adam Cimber and Jason
Jester have been selected to the Texas League All-Star Game, which will be played June 28 at
Hammonds Field in Springfield, Mo.
High Single-A Lake Elsinore: LHP Brad Wieck is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a
1.22 WHIP in 34 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He is being eyed for a move to the rotation,
possibly at short-season Tri-City after this week’s all-star game.
Low Single-A Fort Wayne: Only two of the seven runs that RHP Jean Cosme allowed in a
season-low 1 1/3 innings on Friday were earned. He is 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a
1.15 WHIP in 59 1/3 innings.
DSL Padres: SS Eguy Rosario leads the team with seven RBIs in 11 games. He is hitting
.366/.426/.488 with five walks and six strikeouts.
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Minors: Hunter Renfroe hits
15th homer
Recapping the previous day of action for the
Padres' minor league affiliates
By Jeff Sanders | 9:06 a.m. June 18, 2016
At Triple-A El Paso, Hunter Renfroe won’t have Ryan Schimpf to push him in the Pacific Coast
League home run race.
That didn’t slow him Friday night.
Renfroe hit his 15th homer and drove in three runs in a 5-4 loss to Sacramento on Friday night
in 11 innings. The homer pushed Renfroe into the team lead and just two behind league leader
Peter O’Brien.
Both Schimpf and O’Brien have been recently promoted to the majors.
Carlos Asuaje (.336) went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored and Renfroe (.321) and Casey
McElroy (.318) each had two hits.
Right-hander Daniel McCutchen (5.08) allowed three runs in seven innings in the start.
Left-hander Buddy Baumann (1.13) escaped a scoreless eighth despite walking two and righthander Jose Dominguez (3-2, 2.97) allowed a run in the 11th to take the loss.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (21-46)
Missions 3, Midland 2 (8): RHP Kyle Lloyd (4.89) allowed two runs in five innings, RHP Rafael
De Paula (2-1, 2.89) struck out two over two perfect innings and RHP Jason Jester (1.96)
earned his ninth save with a shutout eighth. LF Nick Torres (.314) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and
a walk.
Midland 1, Missions 0: RHP Seth Simmons (0-1, 2.70) allowed an unearned run on two hits and
a walk in four innings before LHP Jose Torres (1.59) turned in two scoreless innings. DH Nick
Schulz (.27) and 1B Taylor Lindsey (.212) had the Missions’ lone hits, a pair of singles.
HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (31-37)
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Storm 4, Visalia 3: 3B Josh VanMeter (.280) hit his seventh homer and drove in two runs. RHP
Walker Lockett (3.20) struck out nine and allowed three runs in seven innings and RHP Phil
Maton (1-0, 1.42) turned in two scoreless innings.
LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (36-32)
Bowling Green 13, TinCaps 5: RHP Jean Cosme (7-3, 2.88) allowed seven runs in 1 1/3
innings. 3B Carlos Belen (.193) an RF Jhonatan Pena (.224) each drove in two runs.
SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (1-0)
Dust Devils 5, Everett 4: RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (0.00) struck out four and allowed two
unearned runs and RHP Aaron Cressley (0.00) saved his first game with 2 1/3 scoreless
innings. 2B Nate Easley (.400) went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a steal and C Kyle Overstreet
(.400) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
DSL PADRES (5-7)
White Sox 5, Padres 3: RHP Henry Henry (3.00) struck out four and allowed a run in three
innings. RF Edward Burgos (.471) went 2-for-2 with two walks.
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Padres' 2016 attendance hits
a million, but way down
overall
Average crowd per game is down nearly
5,000 compared to this point last season
By Kirk Kenney | 8:14 a.m. June 18, 2016
The 31,137 fans who showed up at Petco Park for Friday night's game against the Washington
Nationals pushed Padres attendance past the one million mark.
Overall attendance is down substantially compared to last season, however. Crowds are down
nearly 5,000 per game from this point of the 2015 season.
The Padres' attendance of 1,023,023 over 38 home games equates to 26,922 per game. After
38 home games last season, the Padres had drawn 1,198,553 fans for an average of 31,541
per game. That's a difference of 4,619 a game.
The 2015 season was greeted with a buzz of excitement after a flurry of offseason trades
remade the starting lineup and added depth to the pitching staff. Hopes faded by midseason,
though, and the 2015 Padres finished with a 74-88 record, three fewer wins than the 2014 club.
Still, attendance surged by more than a quarter million (2,459,742 in 2015 vs. 2,195,373 in 2014
for a gain of 264,369) last season compared to the year before. At the present pace, all those
gains will be lost. And, in fact, attendance would be below the 2014 total by about 15,000.
Offseason moves were limited as the 2016 season approached. Hosting the 2016 All-Star
Game has generated excitement for local baseball fans, but that hasn't translated at the
turnstiles on game days for a team whose 27-42 record is worse than every team in the National
League but the Atlanta Braves.
Barring a surge in wins, it will be difficult to maintain fan interest as the season progresses.
Starting pitcher James Shields was traded to the Chicago White Sox two weeks ago, a move
viewed by many as the beginning off an expected selloff to trim payroll and gather prospects for
the future.
Attendance dropped by more than 2,000 a game the second half of last season when the
Padres' hopes for success disappeared.
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If attendance slips similarly the second half of this season, the Padres will end up with their
second-lowest season attendance total since moving to Petco Park in 2004. Only the 2009
season — when attendance totaled 1,922,603 — would be less.
The Padres currently ranked 17th in the majors in attendance. The Dodgers (44,885), Cardinals
(43,392) and Giants (41,523) lead the majors in attendance average. The A's (17,815), Rays
(16,037) and Indians (15,450) trail all others in attendance average.
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Again, Joe Ross beats big
brother's Padres
Former Padres first-rounder turns in quality
start, while DL'd big brother inches toward
first bullpen
By Jeff Sanders | 10:55 p.m. June 17, 2016 | Updated, 11:43 p.m.
Near desperate for a young power hitter to stick in the middle of the lineup for the foreseeable
future, the Padres packaged two of their top prospects together when they pried Wil Myers from
the Rays in a three-team deal two Decembers ago.
Joe Ross shouldn’t have taken it personally.
Really.
“I know in his case he has absolutely nothing to prove,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “We
knew he was a very good baseball player when we traded him. I wasn’t here, but that’s what
everybody told me – he and Trea Turner were good ballplayers. To get a guy you believe is
going to be a future All-Star in Wil Myers, you have to give something up and Wil is playing up to
that right now.
“I think it’s one of those trades where you look at it from both sides and say, ‘You know what,
they’ve got a good player over there pitching for them and we got a really good first baseman
playing for us, anchoring our offense.’”
The Nationals certainly have no complaints.
For Steven Souza and an A-ball pitcher, they received their shortstop of the not-too-distant
future – Turner is hitting .293 at Triple-A Syracuse – and the 23-year-old Ross, a former Padres’
first-rounder who pitched the Nationals to a 7-5 win over the Padres on Friday night with his
family in the stands and big brother Tyson Ross in the opposing dugout.
Backed by Ryan Zimmerman’s two-run blast off left-hander Christian Friedrich in a four-run third
and Daniel Murphy’s solo shot in the sixth, the second-year right-hander struck out six, retired
eight in a row at one point and managed his eighth quality start of the season in his first start at
Petco Park.
“We won, so it was a good one,” Joe Ross said. “It wasn't a great start, in my mind. But we
won.”
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He added: “It just made it a little extra special, I guess, more than any start, just to have my
parents here and have my brother in the opposing dugout.
“Other than that, just another game.”
The only runs charged to Ross (6-4) crossed the plate on run-scoring singles in the first (Matt
Kemp) and fifth (Jon Jay) and Derek Norris’ solo homer in the sixth as he scattered six hits and
two walks to win his career-best sixth game. He picked up his biggest outs in the fifth when
Myers flew out to right and Kemp struck out to end a first-and-second threat with the tying run at
the plate.
The 25-year-old Myers was hitless in his first three at-bats against Joe Ross, a name he’ll be
tied to the rest of his career. He missed last year’s meeting while contending with wrist injuries
for a second straight year, but drove in his NL-leading 19th run this month on an RBI groundout
in a two-run seventh and singled to lead off the ninth in continuing his push for next month’s AllStar Game.
The comeback stalled there.
With the tying run on first base, right-hander Yusmeiro Petit fetched a warning-track fly to left
from Kemp, a pop-up from Yangervis Solarte and groundout from Melvin Upton Jr. to send the
Padres (27-42) a season-high 15 games below .500.
Friedrich (3-2) allowed a season-high six earned runs on nine hits and two walks in six innings,
with four of those runs scoring in the third inning after the 28-year-old left-hander retired the first
two hitters.
“You definitely like to put up a zero after the guys put up a run in the first inning,” Friedrich said.
“In the third inning especially, you’re trying to find a way to get that third out. I had two outs and
four runs came across. There’s got to be a way to stop the damage there and keep the crooked
numbers off the board.”
The younger Ross brother entered Friday’s game with a 5-4 record, a 3.01 ERA, 59 strikeouts
and a 1.16 WHIP in 71 1/3 innings, a promising follow-up to a rookie campaign (5-5, 3.64) that
included six scoreless innings to beat the Padres last August in Washington, D.C.
Again, with big brother sitting in the opposing dugout.
Weeks earlier that season, Tyson Ross excused himself between starts to see Joe Ross’ big
league debut.
This time around, the matchup with Joe Ross came as Tyson Ross inched closer to a mound for
the first time since shoulder inflammation cropped up after his opening day assignment here.
"Obviously, I'd love to be out there competing, being in games right now," said Tyson Ross, who
could throw his first bullpen as soon as this weekend. "But thus far I've been doing great, feeling
good, getting stronger."
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The same might be said for Ross’ little brother.
He’d already matched last year’s win total before he stepped on the mound Friday and was
coming off the first walk-less game of his career on Sunday.
It’s nice to see, Tyson Ross admitted.
Just not at the expense of the Padres.
"I’m happy for my brother on the other side, but that doesn't make a difference," Tyson Ross
said before Friday’s game. "Obviously, it's cool to see him out there. He's doing great.
“But we're here every day to try and win ballgames."
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Minors: Austin Hedges hits
third homer
Recapping the previous day of action for the
Padres' minor league affiliates
By Jeff Sanders | 6 a.m. June 18, 2016
Austin Hedges hit his third homer of the season – and his first since breaking a bone in his hand
in April – and Alex Dickerson drove in three runs on two hits in Triple-A El Paso’s 6-5 loss to
Albuquerque on Thursday in the Pacific Coast League.
Dickerson’s three-hit day pushed his average to .407. Hedges is hitting .283.
Right-hander Bryan Rodriguez (2-1, 3.31) allowed his first runs in the Pacific Coast League,
giving up six on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (20-45)
Missions 4, Midland 2: 3B River Stevens (.298) drove in two runs on his first homer, LF Nick
Torres (.311) went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI and SS Jose Rondon (.281) went 1-for-2
with an RBI and a walk. RHP Aaron Northcraft (1-0, 2.31) allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and
RHP Jason Jester (2.05) saved his eighth game with two strikeouts, a walk and a hit allowed in
the ninth.
HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (30-37)
Storm 4, Visalia 1: CF Franchy Cordero (.286) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a walk and RF
Franmil Reyes (.242) doubled in two runs. RHP Enyel De Los Santos (1-1, 6.30) struck out
seven and allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings and RHP Colby Blueberg (0.93) saved his 10th game
with a strikeout and a hit allowed in a scoreless ninth.
LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (36-31)
Bowling Green 14, TinCaps 7: LHP Thomas Dorminy (0-1, 3.78) allowed seven runs – four
earned – in five innings. DH Brad Zunica (.253) drove in two runs on his sixth homer and 3B Ty
France (.246) drove in two runs on three hits and pitched a scoreless inning in mop-up duty.
DSL PADRES (5-6)
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Padres 7, White Sox 6: LHP Omar Fernandez (0.00) struck out three over five scoreless innings
in the start. 1B Elvis Sabala (.281) went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and a run scored.
26
Padres respond to complaint
about Filipino Heritage Night
Organizer accuses team of "devaluing” the
event
By Jeff Sanders | 3:59 p.m. June 17, 2016 | Updated, 6:33 p.m.
The Padres on Friday responded to a claim that they showed a “lack of care and respect”
toward the Filipino community when Filipino Heritage Night was held on June 4 instead of in
conjunction with Philippine Independence Day on June 12 – when the team was in Denver.
Other oversights and/or complaints included performances that were cut short, requiring
volunteers to purchase tickets to attend Filipino Heritage Night and a shortage of T-shirts that
were promised to attendees.
“We were surprised to learn of the statement issued today regarding Filipino Heritage Night at
Petco Park, as we had not received any complaints in the two weeks since the event on
Saturday, June 4,” the team wrote in a statement. “Having heard the concerns expressed today,
we have already reached out to those who planned the event to discuss their concerns. The
Padres have been proud to host Filipino Heritage Night annually since 2008, and we were
especially proud this year to work closely with the Filipino community to grow the event.”
The Padres added that the event surpassed projections, leading the team to order an additional
200 T-shirts that were not available on June 4. More than 200 members of the group have
attended games this week to pick up T-shirts, according to the Padres’ release.
The team also contends that a number of unscheduled performers were added at the last
minute, complicating the entertainment schedule.
The complaint comes nearly a month after the Padres made national headlines when they
mistakenly played the wrong pre-recorded rendition of the National Anthem during the San
Diego Gay Men’s Chorus.
“The Filipino community wants to ensure that the Padres organization hosts all community
events in a more efficient and respectful manner with sincere and authentic intentions," Silk
Road Production event producer Lauren Garces said in a release. “The Padres need to resolve
these issues (especially with cultural significance) in a more professional manner so avoidable
mistakes do not create a devaluement and consequence to a community culture.”
Although Silk Road Productions was not the Padres’ primary point of contact for the event, the
company was brought in to add entertainment acts for the event. Garces said in an email that
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the Silk Road Productions staff waited two weeks to release a complaint to discuss it with
Filipino community members.
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Myers an ambassador for AllStar Week
Padres first baseman was an All-Star
Futures Game participant in 2011, 2012
By Jeff Sanders | 10:55 a.m. June 17, 2016 | Updated, 6:59 p.m.
With a National League-best eight homers this month, Wil Myers is making quite a case to
represent the Padres in next month’s All-Star Game and perhaps even the home run derby.
He’ll be in the neighborhood, either way.
The Padres’ 25-year-old first baseman on Friday was named an ambassador for the Major
League Baseball’s All-Star Week events in San Diego. In that role, Myers will promote several
events leading up to the July 12 game at Petco Park, including FanFest at the San Diego
Convention Center, the All-Star Futures Game and celebrity softball game on July 10 and the
All-Star Workout day and derby on July 11.
Naturally, Myers is holding out hope for an official invite.
“That’s what I’m working towards,” he said with a laugh before Friday’s game against the
Nationals. “Obviously that would be great, but I’m excited about this opportunity as well.”
Myers was an All-Star Futures Game participant as a Royals prospect in 2011 and again in
2012 in front of the hometown crowd at Kauffman Stadium before winning the AL Rookie of the
Year in 2013. Padres team president Mike Dee offered Myers the ambassadorship that might
not be entirely unlike his experience at the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.
“That was a really cool experience – being in Kansas City and I was with the Royals at the time,”
Myers said. “It was a really cool experience to be around the fans and interact with them. I’m
excited to see what happens in San Diego.
Healthy for the first time since that breakthrough season in 2013, Myers has already set careerhighs in home runs (15) and steals (8) and his .851 OPS would be a career-best if the season
ended today. He has yet to garner much momentum in online fan voting but could still be placed
on the team via the players or NL manager Terry Collins, who has already added Padres
manager Andy Green to the coaching staff.
Now, Green is stumping for Myers to receive a more substantial role than All-Star Week
ambassador.
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“He’s a colorful personality to be sure,” Green said. “You don’t know what he’s going to say in
any given moment. So if you like that, that’s going to be a lot of fun. But Wil has played
extraordinarily well, especially since the calendar has flipped to June. The work he’s put in the
last couple of weeks is really playing out on the field right now and I think he’s clearly played his
way into All-Star consideration.
“You hope the fans start pulling the lever for him and give him an opportunity to represent the
city in more ways than just an ambassador.”
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Nationals-Padres preview
SAN DIEGO -- The line of great pitchers currently active in the National League starts with
Clayton Kershaw, Jake Arieta and Madison Bumgarner.
Stats LLCJun 18, 2016 at 5:42a ET
SAN DIEGO -- The line of great pitchers currently active in the National League starts with Clayton Kershaw,
Jake Arieta and Madison Bumgarner.
But perhaps the hottest pitcher in the league at the moment is right-hander Max Scherzer of the Washington
Nationals.
"He's been very tough this month," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of Scherzer recently. "And each
starts seems to be better than the last."
For example, in Scherzer's most recent outing, he struck out nine of the first 10 Cubs he faced. And he didn't
allow a hit for 5 1/3 innings. When he was done, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander had allowed one run on
two hits with 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
And his statistics since the start of the month -- 3-0 with three runs allowed on 12 hits and three walks with 28
strikeouts in 22 innings. That's a 1.23 earned run average and a 0.68 WHIP. Can you say Pitcher of the
Month?
Now Scherzer has an excellent opportunity to pad those statistics. He's facing the Padres at Petco Park
Saturday night.
Offensively, the Padres have been much improved recently. But they still rank near the bottom of most
National League rankings. And they've lost six of their last seven games.
The pitching matchup Saturday is Scherzer, who is 8-4 with a 3.30 earned run average on the season,
against Padres' right-hander Colin Rea (3-3, 5.37).
On paper it's a mismatch. Rea has struggled in his last three starts since returning from Triple-A El Paso -where he was sent as a way to curtail his innings. He has allowed 17 runs (14 earned) on 21 hits and five
walks in just 15 innings in those three starts. His most recent outing was the shortest and worst of his career.
The Miami Marlins got to Rea for eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks in just 2 2/3 innings.
So, let's summarize.
You have one of the National League's top pitchers in Scherzer facing a struggling team ... and you have a
struggling pitcher facing one of the league's top offenses. And the Nationals have the upper hand in both
equations.
"We've caught most of the top pitchers in the Major Leagues this year," said Padres manager Andy Green.
"So we know this is going to be tough. Scherzer is as advertised. But we've faced Kershaw and Bumgarner ...
we've caught everyone's No. 1 more than once."
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Plus, the Nationals are smelling blood as they continue to pull away in the National League East during a run
that's seen them win 10 of 12 games -- including the first two games of a four-game set in San Diego to open
a 10-game road trip that continues in Los Angeles (against the Dodgers) and Milwaukee.
The Nationals, who took two of three from the Cubs earlier in the week, now have the second-best record in
the National League -- and only 3 1/2 games off the torrid pace being set by the Cubs.
"Chicago has grabbed the headlines early in the season," said Green. "But when you look at the length of the
Washington lineup and the quality of the rotation, that is an excellent team."
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Joe Ross Beats Padres In Return To San Diego
The Padres 2011 1st Round Pick Won His First Start at Petco Park
By Ben Rosehart
Would you rather have Wil Myers or pitcher Joe Ross AND shortstop Trea Turner?
San Diego’s 7-5 loss to Washington Friday night served as a solid backdrop to debate that
question.
In his first start at Petco Park as a member of the Washington Nationals, Ross improved to 6-4
with the victory.
Pitching against the organization that drafted him 25th overall in the 2011 MLB draft, Ross
struck out six batters in six innings and held the Padres to just three runs on six hits.
Ross had pitched previously against his old team but not in a visiting uniform in San Diego
until this particular outing.
With his older brother, Tyson Ross, perched in the Padres home dugout, the younger Ross
sibling also won all three of his one-on-one battles with Myers, coercing two groundouts and
a sacrifice fly out of the Padres slugger.
You can make the argument that trade worked out pretty well for both the Padres and
Nationals. Even though San Diego sent away two former first round picks as part of that huge
three-team transaction with the Tampa Bay Rays, Myers looks like an All-Star candidate at
this point in the season.
Myers entered Saturday tied with Matt Kemp with a team-high 15 home runs. Despite going
just 1-for-5 Friday (0-for-3 against Ross), the first baseman is batting a sizzling .326 (33-for101) over the course of his last 26 ball games.
The bulk of Washington’s offense was powered by Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman.
Zimmerman cranked a 2-run homer in the 3rd to give the Nats a 5-1 advantage.
Murphy also provided a 2-run double and later a solo shot in the 6th inning to extend the
visitors lead to 6-2.
Derek Norris lined his 8th homer of the season when he just barely cleared the left field fence
in the 6th frame. That cut the Padres deficit to 6-3.
3-time Nationals all-star Bryce Harper later smacked a RBI single in the 7th when he fought
back from an 0-2 count with the infield pulled in.
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San Diego kept scratching together runs but ultimately came up short against a first-place
team that at this stage appears primed for a deep playoff run in the National League.
Jon Jay was the only hometown hitter who looked comfortable at the plate. He collected three
hits (including a pair of doubles), scored twice and raised his average to .298. San Diego
wound up leaving nine runners on base.
The Padres will try to get back on track Saturday night at 7:10 p.m. when Colin Rea (3-3)
takes the mound.
It will be a tough task as the Nationals have ace Max Scherzer (8-4) scheduled to make the
start.
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