OSS: A 25-year old starter shut the Padres out, and a 23-year old and a 21-year old provided the power.
Three Up
1. Kyle Hendricks had a game score of 84. That’s tied for 9th-best this year, and it was doozy. He was 9 pitches away from a Maddux, and struck out 7. Really impressive game, and it makes you wonder if he attacked the zone more since he was in Petco Park. Whatever the case may be, he was sublime, hitting nearly every spot and making the Padres look very foolish.
2. If you only get one hit in a game, it’s a good idea to make that hit a 2-run bomb in the first inning. That’s precisely what Kris Bryant did, extending his hit-streak to 10 games with a shot to centerfield in front of his “home” crowd (he played college ball in SD). I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his bare-handed play to retire Derek Norris. It was a good play, but not a great one; a better first step and route and he probably fields it cleanly. Still, why complain; it looked smooth and got the job done.
3. Addison Russell singled and homered in this game, raising his wRC+ this year to an even 100. That’s 17th among 2B with 100 or more PA, so he’s right around the positional average (despite a comical 36.8% K rate, more than 20% higher than ANY person in front of him). Defensively, he’s slightly above-average at 2B (SSS alert! SSS alert!).
Three Down
1 and 2. Um… Rizzo and Soler, I guess? They went 0-4 with a K, and each saw 14 pitches.
3. My left shoulder dislocated on Tuesday after falling off a raised platform while holding my daughter (who was unscathed – thankfully I was able to set her down safely as I was falling). I’m in a sling for 4 weeks, PT’ing for longer. Typing this isn’t very fun. I’ll go ahead and hang the last spot on me.
Next Game
Cubs at Arizona, 9:40 PM CT
Lester vs. Collmenter
TV: CSN+
Radio: 780 AM