Padres Press Clips Saturday, April 15, 2017 Article Source Author Page Padres drop opener at SunTrust Park, 5-2 UT San Diego Lin 2 Padres activate Sanchez, recall Quackenbush UT San Diego Lin 3 Enyel De Los Santos perfect for San Antonio Missions UT San Diego Sanders 5 Quiet Padres bats can't steal show in Atlanta MLB.com Cassavell/Brown 6 Inconsistent Chacin finds more success at bat MLB.com Cassavell 8 Sanchez back, Quackenbush replaces Esch MLB.com Cassavell 9 Atlanta Braves beat San Diego Padres in debut of new UPI Curtright 10 7SunTrust Park 1
Padres drop opener at SunTrust Park, 5-2 BY: DENNIS LIN San Diego Union Tribune Two weeks before the official debut of SunTrust Park, a nearby bridge suffered a fiery collapse. Two days before the first major league game at the new venue, boxes of foam tomahawks tumbled from a truck, obstructing traffic on a busy interstate. On Friday night, the ill omens were forgotten, drowned out by the Atlanta Braves familiar warchant. The Padres looked out on a sea of foam tomahawks, rising and falling in unison, the fluffy souvenirs having arrived in time to commemorate a 5-2 loss to the home team. The introduction of a gleaming ballpark brought a series of firsts. There was the first hit, Ender Inciarte s single leading off the bottom of the first. The first runs, driven in by Nick Markakis double in the same inning. The first visiting RBI, produced by an infield hit from Padres pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. And, later, the first home run, a two-run blast over the right-field wall. Inciarte rounded the bases, a hero, as reliever Craig Stammen rued an elevated fastball. The sixth-inning swat supplied the final margin in a contest the Padres would rather forget. While the tomahawks remained in the stands, the Braves clogged the bases with their own players. Chacin, who had gone from pitching an opening-day disaster to a shutdown effort at Petco Park, received an untidy introduction to a new stadium. He drove in half of the Padres runs, which were confined to a single frame. We didn t stay in the strike zone, Padres manager Andy Green said. The entire night, it was chasing (Braves starter Julio Teheran) and his stuff. Watching that, it s frustrating to see. That s kind of what we constantly go over with these guys. I don t think he was as sharp as he normally is. I ve seen him much better. He was beatable tonight. We didn t take advantage. Inciarte s opening single was the first of eight hits off Chacin. The Braves assumed a 2-0 lead after Freddie Freeman doubled and the next batter, Markakis, did the same. The Padres erased their deficit in the ensuing half-inning. With two outs, Erick Aybar was hit by the first pitch he saw from Julio Teheran. Austin Hedges singled. Chacin topped a fastball down the third-base line, then legged out an infield hit as Aybar scored from third. Manuel Margot drilled a single to right, bringing Hedges in for the game-tying run. In the bottom of the fourth, with two on and two outs, it was Teheran s turn to provide unexpected offense. The Braves starter sent a slow grounder up the middle. Second baseman Yangervis Solarte 2
corralled the ball on the run and, with his momentum carrying him away from first base, fired a relay across his body. The throw arrived on one hop to Wil Myers, who attempted to scoop the ball out of the dirt but instead saw it ricochet off his glove. A run scored, untying the game. I ve got to make that play, Myers said. That was in a big situation. Solarte did a great job getting to it. Got to be better than that and come up with that one. Chacin issued consecutive walks in the fifth but emerged from that inning unscathed. I battled pretty much all game, said Chacin, who allowed four runs over five-plus innings. My pitches weren t that good today. I wasn t throwing enough strikes early in the count. In the sixth, he was lifted from the game after issuing a leadoff walk. Stammen threw an elevated fastball. Inciarte blasted it over the right-field wall. The celebration was on. Padres activate Sanchez, recall Quackenbush BY: DENNIS LIN San Diego Union Tribune The Padres on Friday reinstated catcher Hector Sanchez from the seven-day concussion disabled list and recalled right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. In corresponding roster moves, outfielder Jabari Blash and right-hander Jake Esch were optioned to El Paso. Sanchez sustained the seventh concussion of his career April 6 when he took a foul tip off his face mask. This latest occurrence was considered relatively minor. His return means the Padres are again carrying four active catchers, including reliever-in-training Christian Bethancourt. I m feeling great, Sanchez said. That s what I told them, that I would be ready soon. Quackenbush s stint with the Padres is his first of the season. The reliever opened 2017 with El Paso, allowing two runs over four innings. He posted a 3.92 ERA with the Padres in 2016. Blash had been recalled from El Paso when Sanchez went on the disabled list. He made two starts in left field and went 0-for-8 overall. We want Jabari to go down and find his timing and his rhythm, manager Andy Green said. At some point in time, you kind of expect to see him back in a Padre uniform. Esch began the season with Double-A San Antonio after being claimed off waivers from Miami on March 31. He was recalled Tuesday and walked both batters he faced at Coors Field. He could be a startingpitching depth option for the Padres down the road. Capps likely to join El Paso 3
Padres reliever Carter Capps rehab assignment could be moved to the Triple-A level this weekend. Capps, now more than 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, made his second rehab appearance with High Single-A Lake Elsinore on Thursday. The right-hander worked a scoreless inning, walking a batter and striking out another. His fastball was clocked at up to 96 mph. Green said Capps would be prepared to throw Sunday, but Lake Elsinore is off that day. El Paso, which will be playing at Reno, is an option. We re going to talk internally about sending him on to El Paso and maybe getting him an inning on Sunday, Green said. We need to finalize those details. Rotation scheduling Right-hander Trevor Cahill is scheduled to come off the 10-day disabled list to start Sunday s game here. Cahill has missed one start due to a lower back strain. Right-hander Jered Weaver will start Monday, and right-hander Jarred Cosart will start against Arizona Tuesday at Petco Park. Cosart is filling the rotation spot of Luis Perdomo, who went on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation. That move is retroactive to April 9. The Padres are hopeful that Perdomo will not miss many more than two starts. He played catch out to 90 feet Friday. He felt nothing (in the shoulder), felt good, Green said. We re hoping to be able to accelerate his path very similar to how we dealt with Trevor. Right-hander Zach Lee, who threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday at Coors Field, will work in long relief for the time being. SunTrust debut The Padres were the visiting team Friday for the official debut of the Braves new home, SunTrust Park. San Diego previously played in the introductions of Seattle s Safeco Field in 1999 and the New York Mets Citi Field in 2009. Compared to Atlanta s old ballpark, the most significant change in dimensions is the distance to the rightfield power alley 375 feet at SunTrust Park (390 feet at Turner Field). In an interesting quirk, the top portion of the right-field wall consists of red brick, with padding below that. You re going to have to hit some balls off that in batting practice to get an idea of how that s going to kick off, Green said. How that wall plays in right field is going to change some games. We re going to have to make sure (center fielder Manuel Margot) flies over to back up in right field consistently. 4
Enyel De Los Santos perfect for San Antonio Missions BY: JEFF SANDERS San Diego Union Tribune The San Antonio bullpen wasn t quite perfect Friday night. Enyel De Los Santos was. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out seven and retired all 18 hitters he faced in a 2-0 win over Northwest Arkanas that fell two outs shy of a perfect game. The Naturals Ruben Sosa spoiled that bid with an infield single in front of right-hander Eric Yardley with one out in the ninth inning. Yardley wound up striking out the side around that infield single for his first save. Right-hander T.J. Wier also turned in two perfect frames after Santos (1-0, 0.75) threw 47 of his 64 pitches for strikes in a second straight quality start to start the season in the Texas League. Acquired from the Mariners for Joaquin Benoit before the 2016 season, De Los Santos is ranked 16th in the organization by Baseball America. He has struck out 13 and allowed one run on two hits and two walks through his first 12 innings in Double-A ball. Last year, De Los Santos was 8-5 with a 3.72 EREA, 97 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP in 121 innings spread across the Padres two Single-A affiliates. Second baseman Noah Perio (.261) hit his second homer and shortstop Luis Urias (.233) doubled in a run for the Missions (6-2). TRIPLE-A EL PASO (4-5) Tacoma 2, Chihuahuas 1: The Rainers scored the walk-off win on a missed pop-up that charged an unearned run to LHP Keith Hessler (0-1, 0.00), who allowed an unearned on three walks in 2/3 of an inning. RHP Dinselson Lamet (0.00) allowed an unearned run in 2 1/3 innings in a game that was interrupted by an hour rain delay. RHP Logan Bawcom (1.35) struck out six over 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. LF Rafael Ortega doubled in El Paso s lone run and went 2-for-2 with a walk and his first steal. HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (3-6) Rancho Cucamonga 5, Storm 4: RHP Pedro Avila (5.87) allowed three runs two earned on six hits and three walks in four innings. RHP Zech Lemond (0.00) struckout four and allowed two unearned runs in three innigns and RHP Jose Ruiz (0.00) struck out three in the eighth. C Miguel Del Castillo (.571) hit his first homer in a 2-for-3 day, RF Taylor Kohlwey (.321) went 2-for-4 and 1B Josh Naylor (.171) singled in two runs. LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (2-7) Bowling Green 6, TinCaps 1: RHP Austin Smith (0-1, 9.45) struck out three and allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings before RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (4.50) struck out four over three 5
scoreless innings. 2B Reinaldo Ilarraza (.233), SS Fernando Tatis (.171) and RF Jorge Ona (.281) all had two hits. Quiet Padres bats can't steal show in Atlanta BY: MARK BOWMAN AND AJ CASSAVELL MLB.com ATLANTA -- It didn't take the Braves long to find comfort in their new home, as they constructed a two-run first inning and benefited from Ender Inciarte's latest home run to open SunTrust Park with Friday night's 5-2 win over the Padres. Playing their first official game in front of the 41,149 fans who flocked to their new stadium, the Braves jumped out early and watched Julio Teheran will himself through a six-inning stint that was only blemished during a two-run second, which included three consecutive two-out singles, the first of which was recorded by Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin. Full Game Coverage "I feel really happy with myself," Teheran said. "Obviously, we wanted to win this game, the first game at this ballpark for the franchise. We obviously wanted to win. I didn't have my best, and I knew it was going to be a tough night for me. But I'm glad I got this moment. It was a special moment for me and the team." Teheran's fourth-inning RBI single proved to be the decisive blow against Chacin, who surrendered four runs and eight hits over five-plus innings. Inciarte provided the Braves some comfort with a two-run, sixth-inning home run off right-handed reliever Craig Stammen. Chacin surrendered hits to three of the first four batters he faced and faced a 2-0 deficit before he recorded his second out. Inciarte notched the stadium's first hit with a leadoff infield single in the first inning, and he scored when Nick Markakis followed a Freddie Freeman double with one of his own. "I battled pretty much all game," Chacin said. "My pitches weren't that good today. I wasn't throwing enough strikes early in the count." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Power threat: Inciarte provided the Braves' bullpen some breathing room with his two-run homer, which per Statcast had a 99-mph exit velocity and 40-degree launch angle (matching the highest launch angle recorded for a Braves home run during the Statcast era). The Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder has three homers in his past seven at-bats, or the same amount he had in 522 at-bats last year. 6
"I knew it was gone," Inciarte said. "That's all I got. After I hit it, I knew. I was looking for that pitch up in the zone. I put a good swing on it and I was able to get it out." Teheran teeters: Teheran wasn't nearly as impressive as he'd been in his previous two starts, and his streak of 23 innings without giving up an earned run vanished after he hit Erick Aybar with a pitch and then allowed Chacin and Manuel Margot to record consecutive RBI singles in the second inning. The Braves' ace allowed the Padres to produce two baserunners in two of the next four innings, but he stranded two when he ended his 105-pitch night by striking out Austin Hedges in the sixth. "We didn't stay in the strike zone," said Padres manager Andy Green. "The entire night, it was chasing him and his stuff. It's frustrating to see.... I don't think he was as sharp as he normally is. I've seen him much better. He was beatable tonight. We didn't take advantage." QUOTABLE "One of my favorites I've played in so far. I thought they did a great job with it." -- Padres first baseman Wil Myers, on SunTrust Park "It was nice to jump out like that and give Julio some runs. That's the big thing. We were excited to give him some runs to work with for a change." -- Braves manager Brian Snitker SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS In 20 years at Turner Field, both starting pitchers drove in runs in the same game only seven times. It's already happened at SunTrust Park. Chacin plated the Padres' first run when he legged out a two-out dribbler to third base in the second inning. Teheran notched his RBI in the fourth with an infield knock. Padres second baseman Yangervis Solarte made a nice backhand stop, but his throw was low, and Myers couldn't pick it at first. AFTER REVIEW With no outs in the third, Solarte bounced to first, starting a 3-6-1 double play. Teheran, who was covering, took his foot off the bag at practically the same moment the ball arrived. The Padres challenged the call, arguing that Teheran's foot left the base before the ball landed in his glove. But after review, the call stood, confounding Green. "I'm going to need an explanation for that one, to be honest," Green said. "It's hard to look at, kind of changes the context of the game, too. Maybe they're going to argue that a spike that you can't see could potentially be on the bag. Outside of that, I don't see how you could come up with any solution where there is not space when the ball hits the back of the glove." WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Ground ball master Clayton Richard makes his third start on Saturday, having recorded 22 groundouts and just four flyouts in his first two starts. The veteran left-hander posted the 7
highest ground-ball rate in the Majors during the second half last season. First pitch is slated for 4:10 p.m. PT. Braves: R.A. Dickey will match up against Richard when this four-game series resumes Saturday night at 7:10 p.m. ET. Dickey will be pitching with two extra days of rest and attempting to bounce back from the loss he took when a few defensive miscues marred his six-inning season debut in Pittsburgh. Inconsistent Chacin finds more success at bat BY: AJ CASSAVELL MLB.com ATLANTA -- Jhoulys Chacin -- yes, Jhoulys Chacin -- provided a sizable chunk of the Padres' offense in their 5-2 defeat Friday in Atlanta. Chacin, of course, would prefer to make his mark on the mound. Full Game Coverage "I'd rather trade those two hits for two more innings or two less runs," Chacin said, after he allowed four runs over five-plus innings in the first game at SunTrust Park. It's been a bit of a grind for Chacin through three starts with the Padres. He's been very sharp at times, showcasing the slider/sinker combo San Diego loves so much. But for the most part, he simply hasn't been in the strike zone early enough to make those pitches effective. "He battled all day, which is great to see," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He just wasn't able to pitch consistently ahead in the count, so everything turned into more of a battle. You look back, solid effort, I just know there's a lot more in him." Thus far, that's been the story with Chacin, who owns a 7.80 ERA this season (with most of the damage coming on Opening Day against the Dodgers). The Padres are adamant that the veteran right-hander can be a different pitcher from the one who struggled last season -- a season he opened in Atlanta with a 5.40 ERA in five starts for the Braves before he was dealt to the Angels. Chacin hasn't proven it yet. "I battled pretty much all game," Chacin said. "My pitches weren't that good today. I wasn't throwing enough strikes early in the count." To his credit, Chacin was OK, aside from back-to-back doubles in the first inning by Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis. 8
"Chacin had really good movement on his fastball tonight," noted Ender Inciarte, who led off that frame with an infield single. The Padres right-hander fell behind early when those doubles put the Braves up, 2-0. But he made up for half of that himself with a second-inning RBI dribbler up the third-base line. In the fifth, he tacked on a single to left. But on the mound -- where it counts -- he wasn't quite as effective as he was over 6 2/3 scoreless frames against the Giants his last time out. "He was much crisper [in his previous start]," Green said. "This time, he pitched behind to Freddie Freeman, pitched behind to Markakis. He battled through those at-bats. You look at this lineup, you pick your spots where you want to attack guys. You need to get ahead of those guys." Sanchez back, Quackenbush replaces Esch BY: AJ CASSAVELL MLB.com SAN DIEGO -- The Padres reinstated catcher Hector Sanchez from the seven-day concussion disabled list on Friday, while also recalling righty reliever Kevin Quackenbush. In a pair of corresponding moves, outfielder Jabari Blash and right-hander Jake Esch were optioned to Triple-A El Paso. Sanchez took a foul ball off his mask on April 6 in Los Angeles and reported concussion-like symptoms afterward. Friday marked his earliest possible return date, and he hasn't felt any symptoms since the day after he sustained the injury. "I knew it was a light concussion, but you have to be careful with that," said Sanchez, who has now suffered seven concussions. "Two days after, I was feeling really nice, sleeping well, didn't have any symptoms. From that moment, I was thinking about getting back." The Padres, of course, were cautious with Sanchez, who has an unfortunate history of head injuries. Most recently, he missed significant time in 2014 with a pair of concussions. "I know I have to be careful with that, take my time to let the brain to recover," Sanchez said. "This is the kind of situation you have to be careful about, especially with what's happened to me and with what I've been through the past couple years." With Sanchez back on the roster, the Padres, again, are carrying just three primary outfielders in favor of four catchers -- though they currently consider Christian Bethancourt more of a reliever. 9
In Sanchez's place on the roster, Blash went 0-for-8 with a pair of walks. "We want Jabari to go down and find his timing and his rhythm," said Padres manager Andy Green. "At some point in time, you expect to see him back in a Padre uniform." As for the pitching move, Quackenbush replaces Esch after opening the season in El Paso. Quackenbush -- who was drafted by the Padres in 2011, and has spent as much time in the organization as any player on the roster -- allowed two runs in four innings for the Chihuahuas. Esch, meanwhile, made his Padres debut Wednesday in Colorado. He walked the first two hitters he faced before exiting without retiring a batter. Cahill slated for Sunday return Right-hander Trevor Cahill appears to have recovered fully from the lower back strain that landed him on the 10-day DL last week. He will start Sunday's game in Atlanta, his next scheduled turn in the rotation after he missed Monday's outing in Colorado. Green noted that Cahill likely wouldn't have been placed on the DL at all, if not for the change from 15 days to 10. That allowed the Padres to skip Cahill's turn in the rotation once, while his back spasms calmed down. The Padres will need to make a corresponding move when he is reinstated to the roster. Capps progressing to El Paso Righty reliever Carter Capps has thrown two scoreless, hitless innings thus far in his rehab stint with Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. It appears likely his next appearance will come with Triple-A El Paso on Sunday in Reno. Capps, who hasn't pitched since 2015, underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2016. He joined the Padres last July as part of the trade that sent Andrew Cashner to Miami. Atlanta Braves beat San Diego Padres in debut of new SunTrust Park BY: GUY CURTRIGHT UPI ATLANTA -- Ender Inciarte matched his homer total for all of last season with his third in two games and the Atlanta Braves made the opening of SunTrust Park a winning one Friday night. 10
Inciarte, who had homered twice at Miami on Wednesday, connected for a two-run blast against San Diego reliever Craig Stammen in the sixth inning and the Braves defeated the Padres 5-2 before a sellout crowd of 41,149. "It was a special night for all of us, but it was definitely an extra special night of me," Inciarte said. With the Braves ahead by a run, Stammen replaced Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin after a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and got two outs before Inciarte picked on a 3-1 pitch and lined a homer over the right-field fence. "I swung hard and got the good result," said Inciarte, who won a Gold Glove for his work in center field last year and batted.291. "I was looking for that pitch. I knew it was gone. That is all I've got." Julio Teheran wasn't nearly as sharp as he had been while not allowing an earned run in his first two starts, but the right-hander got the victory despite allowing 11 baserunners in six innings. Teheran (1-0) gave up five hits, walked four and hit two batters, but allowed just two runs and helped himself at the plate with an RBI hit. "He was beatable tonight and we didn't take advantage of it," said Padres manager Andy Green, bemoaning how his team had chased too many pitches out of the strike zone. Chacin (1-2) took the loss despite going 2-for-2 and driving in a run. The right-hander was charged with four runs in five-plus innings while giving up eight hits, walking four and striking out three. Nick Markakis' two-run double in the first inning gave the Braves (3-6) a quick 2-0 lead. But Chacin and Manuel Margot had two-out RBI singles in the second to tie the game for the Padres (5-6) as Teheran's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end at 23 2/3 innings dating to last season. It was Teheran's turn to produce a timely hit in the fourth inning. His infield single with two outs put the Braves back ahead as Tyler Flowers scored from second base as the throw to first base bounced away from Wil Myers. "Wil comes up with that nine out of 10 times," Green said. Jim Johnson pitched through a one-out single in the ninth inning to record his second save in three chances for the Braves after Jose Ramirez and Arodys Vizcaino each pitched a perfect inning. Freddie Freeman reached base three times for the Braves on a double, single and walk, scoring once. In addition to his two-run homer, Inciarte had a leadoff infield single and scored the Braves' first of two runs in the opening inning. 11
The Braves had dominated the Padres for most of the past 20 years at Turner Field, where they swept a three-game series last season. This victory carried a lot more meaning, though, for the Braves and their fans. "I really hope we get this energy every single game," Inciarte said. "Everybody was pumped in the dugout and you could feel the excitement of the crowd. It was a great way to get everything started here." NOTES: Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron tossed the ceremonial first pitch to Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox during pregame ceremonies that also spotlighted Braves' legends Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Dale Murphy and Phil Niekro.... The game did not start until 7:53 p.m. ET because of the festivities.... SunTrust Park and the neighboring entertainment district Battery Atlanta are about 13 miles from Turner Field, the Braves' downtown home for the previous 20 seasons.... San Diego reinstated C Hector Sanchez from the concussion disabled list and recalled RHP Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso.... The Padres optioned OF Jabari Blash and RHP Jake Esch to El Paso.... The Braves recalled RHP Luke Jackson from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioned RHP Jason Hursh to the same team.... RHP R.A. Dickey (0-1, 4.76 ERA) will start for the Braves on Saturday night in the second game of four-game series, with LHP Clayton Richard (1-1, 2.57 ERA) pitching for the Padres. 12