Padres Press Clipscincinnati.reds.mlb.com/documents/6/8/8/225841688/Padres_Press_… · Padres Win Series Opener against Marlins NBC 7 Acosta 34 Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres

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Padres Press Clips Saturday, April 22, 2017

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Four more hits for Missions' Luis Urias UT San Diego Sanders 2

Hedges, Cahill lead Padres to third straight win UT San Diego Lin 4

Jered Weaver slowing down Padre Time UT San Diego Acee 6

Could Padres cap record international class with Luis Robert? UT San Diego Lin 9

Anderson Espinoza: 'Feeling good, ready to go' UT San Diego Sanders 11

Will Padres-inspired 'Pitch' strike out, end San Diego's UT San Diego Miller 13

TV closeup?

Cahill's first Padres start at Petco 'special' MLB.com Cassavell 16

Small swing fix has Hedges in a good place MLB.com Cassavell 18

Homecoming king: Cahill rolls in Petco debut MLB.com Cassavell 20

Anthem highlights Out at the Park event MLB.com Cassavell 23

Weaver makes first Petco start for Padres MLB.com Paris 25

Hedges homers, Cahill pitches 7 in Padres' 5-3 win Marlins Associated Press AP 26

Andy’s Address, 4/21 Friar Wire Center 28

This Day in Padres History, 4/21 Friar Wire Center 30

Padres On Deck: Pitchers Lamet, Allen, Quantrill Friar Wire Center 31

Continue Run of Strong Pitching

Padres Win Series Opener against Marlins NBC 7 Acosta 34

Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres game preview (4/22/17) The Sports Xchange Stats 35

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Four more hits for Missions' Luis Urias

Jeff Sanders

The youngest player in the Texas League is more than meeting the challenge.

Luis Urias, 19, drove in two runs on four hits – including two triples – and finished a home run shy of the cycle in Double-A San Antonio’s 16-13 win over host Midland on Friday night.

The Padres’ No. 6 prospect according to Baseball America, Urias has hit in five straight games to raise his average from .206 to .357. Friday’s four-hit game was his second in a row.

Urias also walked and scored five runs in the game.

First baseman Fernando Perez (.263) hit his third home run and drove in five runs on four hits, Nick Schulz (.347) hit his fifth homer and Franmil Reyes (.316) and Alberth Martinez (.256) both drove in two runs.

Right-hander Brett Kennedy (8.74) allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings in the start.

Right-hander Eric Yardley (1-0, 4.63) struck out four over 2 2/3 innings.

The Missions are 8-6.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (7-9)

Tacoma 11, Chihuahuas 8: 1B Jamie Romak (.333) hit his seventh and eighth homers – tops in the Pacific Coast League – and drove in four runs on four hits. 3B Cory Spangenberg (.382) went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. RHP Bryan Rodriguez (1-1, 4.24) allowed seven runs in five innings and RHP Jason Jester (9.82) allowed three runs in 1/3 of an inning. RHP Carter Capps (13.50) walked two and allowed an unearned run in a rehab inning.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (5-10)

Lancaster 4, Storm 1: C Austin Allen (.208) drove in the Storm’s lone run on his first homer, while DH Edwin Moreno (.233) went 2-for-4 with a double. RHP Pedro Avila (0-1, 4.61) struck out five and allowed two runs on six hits and a walk in six innings.

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LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (6-9)

Great Lakes 6, TinCaps 4: RF Jorge Ona (.305) hit his first professional homer, singled and scored twice before exiting with a minor quad injury. He isn’t expected to miss more than a couple days. SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.186) also had two hits. LHP Jerry Keel (2.76) struck out nine and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in five innings. RHP Will Stillman (0-1, 20.25) allowed three runs in 1 1/3 innings and RHP Mark Zimmeran (5.87) allowed an unearned run in 1 2/3 innings.

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Hedges, Cahill lead Padres to third straight win

Dennis Lin

Offense arrived early Friday in the Padres’ series opener against the visiting Marlins. Manuel Margot led off the bottom of the first with a triple and came home on Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly. Marcell Ozuna homered in the top of the second.

And for six and a half innings, that was the extent of the scoring at Petco Park. Miami's Adam Conley and San Diego's Trevor Cahill took turns suppressing the opposing lineup, turning a brief exchange of runs into a stalemate.

In the bottom of the seventh, one loud swing changed the tenor of the game. Catcher Austin Hedges' three-run homer off the third deck of the Western Metal building turned a pitchers’ duel into what would be the Padres’ third consecutive victory, 5-3 over the Marlins.

The Padres’ battery fueled this latest win. While Hedges continued to unlock his raw power — Friday’s home run was his fourth in a week — Cahill threw seven innings of one-run ball in his home debut.

A hanging curveball to Ozuna proved an isolated mistake. After J.T. Realmuto followed the tying blast with a single, Cahill retired the Marlins’ next 15 batters. The Vista High graduate allowed a total of three hits and one walk, striking out six.

“His sinker is always great, but he whipped out a slider today that he hadn’t thrown a lot, and to these guys it was really, really good,” Hedges said. “I think it kept them off balance, and he executed all his pitches.”

The right-hander’s seven innings represented the deepest he’d pitched into a game since Aug. 9, 2014. Before signing with his hometown team in January, Cahill had spent the last two seasons as a reliever.

“It felt good,” Cahill said. “I’ll see how my body feels tomorrow. You always want to go deep. Especially being in the bullpen, you realize how important saving a bullpen is.”

Through three starts, Cahill has recorded a 3.44 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings. Friday’s outing carried added significance for the 29-year-old, who had grown up rooting for the Padres.

“I didn’t know what it was going to feel like, because I pitched (at Petco Park) before,” he said. “I’ve made two starts already. But pitching here, being in the home dugout, as the game was going on, it felt really special.”

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Hedges ushered Cahill through Friday’s outing, then took matters into his own hands. After a bases-loaded double play squeezed a run across in the bottom of the seventh, Hedges demolished a 2-2 fastball from reliever David Phelps, sending a 430-foot blast high and deep to left.

The home run was Hedges’ second in as many games, his fourth in his last six. Since he started the season 0-for-24 at the plate, six of his nine hits have gone for extra bases.

“I have a lot of high expectations for myself,” Hedges said. “When I have a disciplined approach and I trust the process, I expect good things to happen.”

Said Padres manager Andy Green: “We know he can hit and hit for power. We’ve known it the whole time. When he was 0-for-20 or whatever to start the season, other people doubted it. Nobody in house doubted it.”

Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Brad Hand recovered from the blow to close out the game.

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Jered Weaver slowing down Padre Time

Kevin Acee

On a team full of players just figuring out what they're doing, Jered Weaver so clearly knows what he is doing, plus what everyone else is doing.

In a season when we are so focused on youth, the oldest player on the team has so far been one of the marvels.

“I have a blast watching him pitch,” Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley said. “It’s fun.”

It is a blast. Right up there with watching Wil Myers hit and Austin Hedges frame pitches and trying to figure where punctuation fits into Andy Green’s run-on sentences, watching Weaver pitch has been among the most enjoyable parts of this young season.

His starts are appointment viewing. Really.

With all sincerity and respect, I say that with a similar intent as to how I might say you would have to stop and watch a man juggling chainsaws on the beach. It could go horribly wrong. And if it doesn’t, well, that’s dang impressive.

Look, we have to seek things to enjoy and appreciate about the Padres. This season is all but predestined to be irrelevant if only paying attention to the standings.

Most of us have bought into the construction project underway in the organization. We are vested in Hedges, Hunter Renfroe and Manny Margot. We are intrigued by the Rule 5 trio and the Christian Bethancourt experiment. We look forward to seeing more young players up, some sooner than later.

But we can also pause on occasion to value 33-year-old Clayton Richard’s sinker and 29-year-old Yangervis Solarte’s enthusiastic execution and most definitely the 34-year old Weaver defying age (and gravity) with the slowest fastball among major-league starting pitchers.

So make an appointment for Saturday evening, when Weaver makes his first start at Petco Park for the Padres.

His only start in San Diego was in 2012 for the Los Angeles Angels. He gave up three hits and two runs over seven innings and got the win. That Petco appearance was three starts after he threw a no-hitter against Minnesota and was the sixth of his 20 victories that season.

Yeah, the dude has been around for a long time.

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Dude, by the way, is a perfectly appropriate way to refer to Weaver, a 12-year veteran. There is a slight resemblance in the way he moves and talks to Jeff Bridges’ character in “The Big Lebowski.” The Dude, with a bit of a snarl.

It would take a guy who is both laid-back and a little angry to take the hill at this point, with a fastball that averages 84.4 mph and has topped out at 86 this season.

Do you have any idea how much nerve and smarts this guy possesses that enables him to do what he’s doing?

He’s not left-handed. He doesn’t throw a knuckleball. There’s no gimmick, just cunning.

He’s out there slinging a fastball you didn’t even think they allowed in the majors anymore. And he’s getting people out. Like, he has thrown 85 mph fastballs past people this season.

He’s not going to win the Cy Young. He might not last the season. He could give up four homers in his next inning, let alone his next outing.

Neither are we talking about giving him a participation trophy.

After teetering on the edge of disaster in the season’s fourth game at Dodger Stadium, in which he took 82 pitches to get through five innings, allowing four runs, including two rocket-propelled Yasiel Puig homers, Weaver has strung together two quality starts.

In Coors Field last week, he allowed two runs on three hits (two homers) in six innings. Monday in Atlanta, he again went six innings, allowing two earned runs while working out of the trouble caused by seven hits.

If you have even an inkling of what it takes to compete at the level Weaver does, you must appreciate that he is doing it.

His average fastball is almost 8 mph slower than the MLB average among starters. In a game that has become so dominated by power arms, Weaver’s velocity is oft-ridiculed. What he is doing with deception, angles, pluck and methodical strategy should become the stuff of legend.

Balsley prepares meticulous scouting reports that Weaver considers. Then Weaver goes out and does his own thing based on what batters are showing him.

“He can really read a swing,” Balsley said. “He can really read what a hitter is trying to accomplish at the plate, what they’re looking for.”

He notes the way a hitter fouls off a pitch, the way he takes, where he’s standing. He’ll move a hitter inside, then attack the outside. As his fastball velocity has dropped, so has the velocity of his breaking pitches. He’s developed a two-seam fastball, which sinks. So he keeps hitters off-balance.

“When you don’t have stuff you can get by guys, you have to try to out-think them,” Weaver said.” Sometimes you’re not going to. But more times than not I think I have a grasp on what guys are trying to do at the plate. … It’s kind of a chess game. I take a lot of pride in trying to do that.”

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Chess. With chainsaws.

“There’s not too many of those guys around anymore,” Balsley said. “It’s such a technical game now. There are so many analytics. He’s a throwback. He’s a great competitor. He just relies on his instincts and his guile to navigate his way through a game. Not many guys know how to do that anymore.”

Rarity should be something we cherish, something we look for, especially when there isn’t much else.

Watch this dude pitch.

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Could Padres cap record international class with Luis Robert?

Dennis LinContact Reporter

Since July 2, the Padres have dominated the international market, committing franchise-record-obliterating money to dozens of prospects from various parts of the globe. More than half of the roughly $80 million expenditure, which includes overage taxes, has gone to six Cuban players, headlined by left-hander Adrian Morejon, whose $11 million signing bonus is the largest any club has handed out during the current signing period.

With that signing period ending June 15, could the Padres have one more big addition in them?

The possibility became distinct Thursday when Cuban outfielder Luis Robert, the most coveted prospect left on the market, was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. While Robert won’t be eligible to sign with a club until May 20, his clearance arrived at an opportune time for both the 19-year-old and a number of interested teams.

If he hadn’t received free-agent status by mid-June, the Padres and other clubs who blew past their 2016-17 international spending allotments would be sidelined from bidding for Robert. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams face a hard cap for international spending beginning with the 2017-18 signing period. The Padres, because of the penalties they have incurred since last summer, will be prohibited from giving any individual prospect more than $300,000 for the next two periods.

As things stand, San Diego will remain unrestricted for several more weeks and should be a major contender for Robert’s services.

“We have seen him multiple times and will continue to scout him aggressively until he signs,” Padres international scouting director Chris Kemp told the Union-Tribune on Friday.

Several other clubs that have spent past their 2016-17 bonus pools — including the Reds, Cardinals, Astros and Athletics — are in position to make strong plays for Robert. All of those teams and the Padres attended Robert’s first open showcase March 30 in the Dominican Republic. Private workouts have started, with the Padres expected to hold one of their own in the coming weeks.

The White Sox, who have Cuban star Jose Abreu at first base and Cuban super-prospect Yoan Moncada in Triple-A, have not exceeded their current pool but, according to Baseball America, come up often in discussions regarding Robert.

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Robert has earned attention with a track record of performance. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound center fielder made his debut in Cuba’s top professional league at 16. In 2016, he hit .401 in 232 plate appearances with 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 38 walks and 30 strikeouts. His career average (.311) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.867) are impressive considering the level of competition.

Robert’s extensive international experience includes the 2014 COPABE 18U Pan American Championship, where the then-16-year-old tied teammate Jorge Ona for the most home runs in the tournament. Ona signed with the Padres in July, receiving a $7 million bonus, and is hitting .305 with a home run for low Single-A Fort Wayne. Like Ona, Robert should be ready for a Single-A assignment after he signs with a club.

How high the bidding goes remains to be seen. Sources indicate that the Padres, having already committed $80 million, may be approaching their limit, but Robert’s talent and a closing window of spending flexibility provide significant incentive.

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Anderson Espinoza: 'Feeling good, ready to go'

Jeff Sanders

Spitting out pumpkin seeds between sentences, Anderson Espinoza talked quickly and smiled often after starting a throwing program Friday afternoon at The Diamond.

The step was small – 25 pitches from 60 feet – but it was at least something after forearm tightness had relegated the Padres’ top pitching prospect to two weeks of rest, treatment and a lot of time on the bench.

“I’ve been very anxious to start the season,” Espinoza said through an interpreter. “It’s tough to see everyone else pitching, but I’ve got time. I’m just getting ready for the correct time.”

That correct time is still to be determined.

He’s unlikely to start his season before mid-May, possibly in extended spring training. Those plans, however, won’t begin to crystalize until the Padres have seen Espinoza throw multiple times without incident inside the next four to five days.

So far, so good.

Really, Espinoza said he has been improving with each passing day since reporting discomfort upon joining high Single-A Lake Elsinore earlier this month.

“I’ve been feeling better every day,” Espinoza said. “After the inflammation went down, it’s been feeling better.”

The initial pain was alarming, he said.

Although he’d had some elbow pain upon signing with the Red Sox as a 16-year-old, it didn’t slow him much. He debuted the following year in the Dominican Summer League, threw a career-high 108 innings in 2016 and was pumping his fastball up to 97 mph his final weekend in spring training when forearm tightness raised the first real red flag of his career.

“It doesn’t matter what the pain is in the arm – it’s scary,” Espinoza said. “This is basically your life, your tool. I had nightmares. I was thinking, is this going to be surgery? All sorts of things enter the mind.”

A visit with the Padres’ head physician calmed those fears, he said. The inflammation subsided, too, after two weeks after rest and treatment.

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The hope now is that Espinoza – ranked No. 21 in Baseball America’s top-100 prospects – has taken the first step toward getting his season back on track. He went 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 32 innings at Fort Wayne after joining the organization in the Drew Pomeranz trade and is ticketed to spend a good chunk of 2017 in the California League.

When healthy, that is.

“I’m feeling good,” Espinoza said. “I’m ready to go.”

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Will Padres-inspired 'Pitch' strike out, end San Diego's TV closeup?

Bryce Miller

The show, like the team it portrays, finds itself a youthful underdog, clawing for its competitive life.

The Fox television series “Pitch,” based on the first woman to break into the Major League Baseball as a member of the Padres, sits uncomfortably low in the ratings as the final fate-deciding innings loom.

Will the spotlight on Petco Park be a 10-episode blip, a fleeting whiff of Hollywood without the withering traffic? Will the chance to beam a gratis San Diego postcard from coast to coast vanish into the marine layer?

We’ll find out in a few weeks, when Fox announces its fall lineup.

“We spoke with some of the producers and share their enthusiasm to continue the project,” said Wayne Partello, the Padres’ chief marketing officer. “There’s a value to it, definitely. If you’re a fan of the show and living somewhere else, it’s a reason for more people to be interested in the Padres.

“It paints a great picture of our city and Petco Park.”

The picture proved a vibrant stunner, for sure. The question is whether enough people saw it to keep adding those get-to-know-us brushstrokes.

The show centers around a pitcher named Ginny Baker, who uses a screwball to break into the big-league boys club — uncomfortably, at most turns. It marked a groundbreaking partnership with MLB, which allowed the use of a real stadium and team in a series for the first time.

Traction proved tricky, though.

Deadline Hollywood proclaimed the premier a “slow start” as USA Today dubbed the series an early-season “miss.” Yet the show built unique ratings appeal among women and generated high numbers of DVR views.

Fox Chairman and CEO Gary Newman tight-roped the decision during the Television Critics Association press tour in January.

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“We would’ve loved to see a bigger audience,” said Newman, adding, “We were very proud of ‘Pitch.’ … It’s very much on our minds.”

Let’s translate: This is a business, folks. If people in big offices fail to find enough pilots to flesh out a lineup or think the series can grow — cha-ching — they’ll suddenly embrace the show’s message of empowering women to shatter a glass ceiling with a chin-high fastball.

Just to double-check that thinking, I contacted Fox. They weren’t interested in talking, pending decisions and such.

Selfishly for San Diego, it would be great to keep the cameras rolling. Will the show translate into tens of thousands rushing to the mall for Padres gear? No. Will it cause ticket-selling hands to cramp under the crush of new fans? No.

The benefit is more subtle, yet all positive. For a team fighting to simply remain competitive, it’s wise to scoop up as much goodwill as possible.

Kylie Bunbury, who plays the trailblazing Baker, gushed to the Union-Tribune about San Diego’s walkability and our dog-loving sensibilities. The family of Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the beard behind faux Friar Mike Lawson, Baker’s catcher, ripped off a weeklong vacation in Ocean Beach and one son adopted the Padres as his team.

Baker’s “North Carolina” home is a house in Point Loma. Hundreds of locals have worked as extras in scenes filmed at Petco.

The chamber of commerce moments could grow, but only if someone continues barking “action.”

A group of women launched an Internet campaign to keep the show breathing. The Pitch Street Team, as they call themselves, designed a five-month assault on Fox executives — sending specialized postcards, baseballs and more.

The team saturated social media sites from Twitter to Tumblr with the hashtag #keepherinthegame, earning responses from Bunbury and show staff.

“People love your city who’ve never been to the city,” said Kelci Williams, 28, one of the group’s founders who soaks up America’s Finest City through a TV in Cleveland. “The show did a really great job of making San Diego a main character.”

The show-pushers discovered fans as far away as South Africa.

“There’s a woman in London who bought a Padres jersey and hat,” said group co-founder and East Coast fan Sabrina Lopez, 24. “I said, ‘How did you find that? I can’t even find that in New York.’ ”

One show, with a charming city as the backdrop, caused ripples across time zones.

The interest of Williams, who’s no baseball fan, also hooked a nephew and niece. She snapped up tickets for all of them when the Padres meet the Indians in July. Lopez, a Yankees fan, gritted her teeth to buy tickets in a rival park to see a team she suddenly cares about.

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“I don’t even like the Mets, but I’m going to see the Padres since they’re not playing the Yankees,” she said.

For now, Padres officials are holding tight. Juggling days to film in the offseason is easier than shoe-horning a late-arriving holiday party or something keyed to a specific date.

“My wife started watching that show ‘Friday Night Lights,’ ” Partello said. “Now she buys a bunch of those Dillon Panthers shirts. She didn’t do it after the first season, but once it got into another season it was over.”

San Diego waits to find out if its homespun baseball drama can mount a comeback and charge into a new season of its own.

Fans of the show might want to brace themselves. Like following the real-world Padres, it could be a bumpy ride.

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Cahill's first Padres start at Petco 'special'

Padres starting pitcher grew up in northwestern San

Diego

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 2:02 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- A decade and a half before his seven brilliant innings in Friday's 5-3 victory over the

Marlins, Trevor Cahill was a student at Vista High School watching Padres games from his home in

northwestern San Diego county.

"I literally watched every single Padre game on TV throughout high school, just doing homework," Cahill

said.

It's a Friday night, so there probably weren't too many kids tuning in while they did their algebra. But

Cahill turned in masterful display in his first start in a Padres uniform at Petco Park.

Cahill stifled the Marlins over seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed only three hits and, really, only

one well-struck baseball -- Marcell Ozuna's solo shot in the top of the second inning.

"I didn't know what it was going to feel like, because I pitched here before," Cahill said. "I've made two

starts already. But pitching here, being in the home dugout, as the game was going on, it felt really

special."

Cahill is a nine-year veteran who typically does everything he can to keep himself composed.

But he when he dotted the outside corner with a nasty curveball to end the top of the seventh, he hopped

off the Petco Park mound and pounded his fist into his glove.

"Usually I'm a guy that the harder I try, the worse I do, being a sinkerballer," said Cahill. "But I was able

to be myself, keep the ball down."

Following Ozuna's homer, Cahill allowed a single to Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. He would retire the

next 15 batters he faced, before Justin Bour's infield single broke that stretch. Cahill bounced back from

that rather nicely, with consecutive strikeouts to end his day.

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"I'm sure it was great for him to pitch in front of a good crowd, Friday night, pitched incredibly well,"

said Padres manager Andy Green. "He kept us in the game."

With the score tied at one in the bottom of the seventh, the Padres opted to pinch hit for Cahill, who was

due up to lead off the frame. In his place, Luis Sardinas singled, starting a four-run rally that was

punctuated by Austin Hedges' three-run homer.

Cahill signed a one-year deal with the Padres during the offseason, intrigued by the chance to serve as a

starter. He spent the majority of the past two seasons pitching in relief for the Cubs and hadn't thrown

seven innings since 2014 with Arizona.

"Felt good, I'll see how my body feels tomorrow," Cahill said. "You always want to go deep -- especially

being in the bullpen, you realize how important saving a bullpen is. ... Seven innings is kind of what you

shoot for as a starter. More than that is gravy. Seven innings, I'll take it."

Surely, a few young Padres fans watching across the city will take it as well.

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Small swing fix has Hedges in a good place

Padres catcher has four home runs in last seven games

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 2:26 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- To the untrained eye, it's practically indiscernible, but Austin Hedges' current swing is

not the same one he used when he started the season 0-for-24.

About a week ago, the Padres noticed Hedges' hands moving a split second later than they had in the past

-- and after the rest of his body loaded to swing.

"We showed him video, brought his attention to that," said Padres hitting coach Alan Zinter. "He was like,

'Oh, easy.' And he went out the next day and hit a home run off R.A. Dickey. He's been working on it

since, just putting his hands back in sequence."

The tweak, however minor, has paid major dividends over the past week -- including Friday, when he

slugged a three-run home run in a 5-3 victory over the Marlins. In his last seven games, Hedges is 7-for-

20 with two doubles and four home runs.

"My hands weren't in sync with my lower half," Hedges said. "It was really just about getting them all

synced up. ... It wasn't a huge adjustment. It was very small. It's something I already did."

As catcher, Hedges spends the bulk of his time gameplanning for that day's pitcher. He's renowned for his

defensive prowess and his ability to work with a pitching staff.

The way the Padres see it, if Hedges develops into a league-average hitter as a catcher, the rest of his

game could carry him to All-Star status.

"He's an anchor to this club," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He's got the ability to be our heart and

soul on a baseball field, and for a young catcher, that's saying a lot."

As a result, Hedges' bat is sometimes written off. It's still very much a question mark. He's a career .163

hitter, but he's only received 230 plate appearances -- many of them in sporadic backup duty over the

previous two years. Last year at Triple-A El Paso, Hedges hit .326 with 21 homers.

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"I wasn't worried about him one bit," said Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe, who -- along with Hedges

-- helped propel El Paso to the Pacific Coast League title last season. "Obviously he hasn't done what he

did in Triple-A in the big leagues yet. But in the past few days he's been raking. That's the Hedgy I know,

that's the Hedgy I've always played with. I wasn't worried about him at all."

As for his hitting prowess, the Padres worked to install a leg kick before the 2016 season, which helped

increase his power numbers. Still, it took quite a bit of tinkering, and Zinter noted that the adjustments

may have been what threw Hedges' timing off in the first place.

"He's made a few mechanical adjustments over the past year and a half," Zinter said. "When you make all

these adjustments, you can get out of sequence. We've been working on the leg kick, and his timing, and

in the process, his hands got a little bit out of sequence."

They're back in sequence now, Zinter says. And Hedges, for the first time as a Major Leaguer, has put

together a sustained run of success at the plate.

"The really good hitters are efficient in their movement, and they're always in sequence," Zinter said. "...

This is something that was minor, it was something simple, it wasn't an overhaul."

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Homecoming king: Cahill rolls in Petco

debut

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 2:12 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Austin Hedges capped a four-run seventh inning with a three-run home run off the third

deck of the Western Metal Building Friday night. That was enough to make a winner out of Vista High

School graduate Trevor Cahill in his first home start at Petco Park, as the Padres beat the Marlins, 5-3.

Both starters pitched crisp one-run ball, before the Padres' bats came alive against the Miami bullpen. Wil

Myers drove in the go-ahead run with a double-play grounder, before relieverDavid Phelps intentionally

walked Yangervis Solarte. Hedges made the Marlins pay for that decision, launching a projected 430-

foot shot for his fourth homer in the past week.

"We know he can hit and hit for power," said Padres manager Andy Green. "We've known it the whole

time. When he was 0-for-20-whatever to start the season, other people doubted it. Nobody in house

doubted it."

Marcell Ozuna plated the Marlins only run off Cahill with a big fly of his own in the top of the second.

He turned around a 1-1 curveball and sent it into the second deck in left field at 109 mph. The ball

traveled a projected 433 feet -- the second longest at Petco Park this season.

J.T. Realmuto followed with a single, but Cahill wouldn't allow another Marlins hitter to reach base until

the seventh. He allowed that lone run on three hits, while striking out six.

"Usually, I'm a guy that the harder I try, the worse I do, being a sinkerballer," said Cahill, who

acknowledged that he was a bit more amped up, pitching for his childhood team in front of his hometown

fans. "But I was able to be myself, keep the ball down. They've got a really good young lineup over there.

It was tough to navigate, but Hedgy called a good game and we played good defense."

Marlins lefty Adam Conley, who had never faced the Padres, matched Cahill, with one run over six

innings.

"I got into a better rhythm and a better feel of what I wanted to do,'' Conley said. "I also got a better feel

of these guys, too.''

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Miami mounted a ninth-inning rally, which included a Giancarlo Stanton rocket homer, but former-

Marlin Brad Hand sealed the Padres' victory by inducing a game-ending grounder to short.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Bunting clinic: The Marlins put the wheel play on after the first two men reached base in bottom of the

seventh. Erick Aybar was bunting, and everyone in the stadium knew it. No matter; Aybar dropped the

perfect roller up the third base line, and Realmuto slipped after scrambling to barehand the ball. Aybar

was credited with a hit, and the Padres' decisive rally ensued.

"It was perfectly laid down," Green said. "Right before the bunt I was pushing dew off the pad right

beside me. The field was getting wet, and that's what happened."

Off and running: Manuel Margot led off the game by showcasing his other-worldly wheels with a triple

to right field. He scored one pitch later on Aybar's sacrifice fly, giving the Friars an early edge. But that

lead was short-lived, as Ozuna launched his mammoth home run in the following frame.

QUOTABLE

"I'm just leaving balls in the middle of the plate. It's getting to the point where it is embarrassing.'' -

- Marlins reliever David Phelps, after surrendering four runs in two innings of work

WALK THIS WAY

Hunter Renfroe's plate discipline has been well documented. It's the one aspect of his offensive game

that needs to be honed. Through his first 67 career plate appearances, the Padres right fielder had never

worked himself an unintentional walk.

But after a pair of singles in his first two at-bats Friday night, Renfroe looked at a 3-2 slider from Conley

that finished well out of the strike zone. It marked his first free pass of the season and capped an

impressive night at the dish.

"He's had really good at-bats," Green said. "A walk is a byproduct of a really good at-bat. He had [some]

really good ones today -- battle at-bats with two strikes."

WHAT'S NEXT

Marlins: Dan Straily gets the start in the second game of the three-game set Saturday as he will be

facing the Padres for the first time. In his last two starts, Straily, a right-hander has worked 10 ⅓ innings

and allowed two runs and three hits.

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Padres: Even with a fastball that has averaged 84 mph this season, Jered Weaver has been sharp since

joining the Padres this past offseason. He's coming off consecutive outings in which he lasted six frames

and allowed two earned runs. The veteran right-hander is slated for his first start at Petco Park this season

Saturday with first pitch against Miami slated for 5:40 p.m. PT.

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Anthem highlights Out at the Park event

Padres celebrate LGBT inclusion at Petco Park Friday

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 1:18 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres capped their biggest Out at the Park night ever with one of the biggest

national anthems to grace Petco Park.

The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus, the San Diego Women's Chorus and San Diego Pride partnered with

several Padres executives to perform the anthem before Friday's game against the Marlins. In total, more

than 200 people took part in the singing, including former Padre Billy Bean, now Major League

Baseball's vice president for social responsibility and inclusion.

The event doubled last year's turnout and was the largest Out at the Park night ever hosted by the Padres.

"Being welcomed into the Padres' space ... is just so inviting," said Fernando Lopez, the director of

operations for San Diego Pride. "We really feel that this is our city, our team, and we couldn't feel more

welcome in this space."

Friday's anthem comes on the heels of last year's technical error during Pride Night, which resulted in a

recording of a woman singing to play over the Gay Men's Chorus. At the time, the chorus called for an

investigation into the origins of the mishap, and Major League Baseball investigated the incident. Its

findings revealed that the situation was merely, "a product of human error."

In the time since, the Padres have worked closely with the LGBT community and have been lauded for

their continued dialogue.

"They forgave what happened last year and are looking forward, and that's what we're doing, too," said

Padres senior vice president of community affairs Tom Seidler, who was among a handful of Padres

executives who sang in solidarity with the aforementioned groups.

"It's been a fun year, a learning year, and I think it's going to continue to grow. ... It's been an opportunity

for us to step back and build a better relationship with SD Pride and other friends in the LGBTQ

community."

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Added Lopez: "It's meant the world to see how responsive and compassionate and accepting the staff has

been to listening to the concerns of the LGBT community."

Friday's Out at the Park night featured a VIP pregame event in the "Park at the Park" area beyond center

field. The bunting on the right-field seats featured rainbow coloring. And among the usual flags that fly

above right field was a rainbow flag with the Padres' interlocking SD across it.

Said Bean: "For me to be a part of baseball a long time ago when these kinds of nights did not exist, it just

fills me with great pride and hope for the future, as we continue to champion the message that everyone is

welcome here if you love baseball."

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Weaver makes first Petco start for Padres

By Jay Paris / Special to MLB.com | 12:20 AM ET

Miami Marlins right-hander Dan Straily will face the Padres for the first time in his career as the teams

continue their three-game series on Saturday night at Petco Park.

Straily (1-1, 4.61 ERA) has allowed two earned runs and three hits in his last two starts, covering 10 1/3

innings.

Veteran Jered Weaver (1-1, 4.24) faces Straily as the former Angel will make his first career start as a

Padre a Petco Park. The right-handed has battled the Marlins just once, earning the win in 2011 when he

threw seven innings of one-run ball.

Three things to know about this game

• Weaver owns a lifetime mark of 3-1 against NL East teams, posting a 3.53 ERA.

• Straily was a Padre for one day in 2016 after being acquired via a trade. He was then claimed off

waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.

• Ichiro Suzuki has 74 at-bats against Weaver in his career; the rest of the Marlins have just 10. Suzuki is

hitting .257 (19-for-74) with five walks and 10 strikeouts.

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Hedges homers, Cahill pitches 7 in Padres'

5-3 win Marlins Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Although Trevor Cahill had pitched at Petco Park before, he'd never trotted out to the mound from the home dugout until Friday night. Backed by Austin Hedge's impressive three-run homer, Cahill pitched seven strong innings in his home debut for his hometown San Diego Padres, who beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Friday night for their third straight win.

"I felt really good," said Cahill, who signed as a free agent on Jan. 20. "I didn't know what it would feel like. Pitching here, being in the home dugout, as the game was going on, it felt really special."

Cahill grew up in northern San Diego County, where he pitched for Vista High. He said he saw more games when the Padres played at Qualcomm Stadium than he did once they moved to Petco Park, which is a farther drive.

"I literally watched every single Padres game on TV throughout high school when I was doing homework or whatever," he said.

Cahill (1-2) held the Marlins to one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one.

Cahill's only mistake was allowing Marcell Ozuna's homer into the second deck in left to tie it at 1 with one out in the second. It was his sixth. "I'm sure it was cool," manager Andy Green said. "As long as he's pitched, it feels like another game. I'm sure it's great for him to pitch before a great crowd on a Friday night, throw the ball incredibly well, keep us in the game where we were putting a ton of guys on base for honestly the first time in a while. We just couldn't cash in until Hedgy had the swing." Hedges gave the Padres a nice cushion when he homered off the front of the balcony on the fourth floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left field corner, his fourth. It was off reliever David Phelps (2-2). Rookie Manuel Margot was aboard on a single and Yangervis

Solarte on an intentional walk.

"I felt great," Hedges said. "In that situation, walking Soly, he's been great for us; he probably would have drove the guy in, too, but I was just trying to get a knock to drive both those guys in and give us a little bit of a lead."

After starting the season 0 for 24, Hedges has gone 9 for 27 with two doubles and four homers, with seven RBI.

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"He can hit," Green said. "It gets pretty simple. We've known it the whole time. In that 0-for-20-whatever to start the season, other people doubted it; nobody in-house doubted it. We knew he was going to hit home runs when he was going to turn on fastballs. You're going to go through stretches where it's tough to hit. Tough game, tough level. He doesn't quit. He grinds."

The Padres scored a run earlier in the inning when Luis Sardinas, who singled while pinch-hitting for Cahill, came in on Wil Myers' double play. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer, his fifth, with one out in the ninth. He won the Home Run Derby here last July 12 and had a big homer for the United States in a victory against the Dominican Republic last month that put the Americans into the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic. Margot hit a leadoff triple to right in the first and scored on Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly. The Padres had runners on the corners with one out after Myers walked and Solarte singled before Adam

Conley retired the side.

Conley held San Diego to one run and six hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two.

"I thought Adam was really good tonight," manager Don Mattingly said. "He threw the ball really well for us, kept us in the game, really gave us the chance to wake up. We really didn't do enough to win, other than Ozuna's swing and we get a couple runs there in the ninth. But other than that, we didn't really mount much of a charge against their guy all night.

"In between the Ozuna homer and the Stanton homer, there just wasn't a lot of action. We didn't get anything going on."

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (1-1, 4.61) is scheduled to make his fourth start. Padres: RHP Jered Weaver (0-1, 4.24) is scheduled to make his home debut. Signed in the offseason as a free agent, his only other start at Petco Park was with the Angels on May 18, 2012, when the beat the Padres.

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Andy’s Address, 4/21

Andy addresses lineup changes, Aybar, Marlins,

winning series

Bill Center

Andy Green adjusted his lineup for Friday moving shortstop Erick Aybar into the №2 spot in the order and advancing catcher Austin Hedges to the №5 slot while dropping the slumping Ryan Schimpf and Travis Jankowski down in the order.

“We have leaps and bounds to go offensively,” Green said before the Padres opened a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park.

“I know we can get better there. I don’t feel great about where we are offensively. Obviously Wil Myers is swinging the bat really well. But I don’t know of anyone else who has hit their stride at this point in time. There’s more within each of these guys, we’re going to keep fighting to get it out of them.

“We’re searching for something offensively right now. That’s no secret. Outside of Wil, there’s no real consistency throughout the lineup. We know we’re going to find it, but when you don’t have it, you search for it. You search for it in different lineup constructions and you see how people respond being in different places.

“Aybar is having better and better at-bats. He’s hit up there plenty of times in his career. He handles the bat well. It’s a chance to use him effectively in that spot. Aybar made some swing adjustments, particularly from the left side to get him back to where he was successful.

“It’s a fine line as a hitter. Erick seems to be on board with what was suggested. Guys are constantly working. You don’t want to be tinkering every day, but you also have to know when something is off and not working well. It’s a delicate balance.”

Aybar is 2-for-6 the past two nights with a game-winning solo homer and a game-winning two-run double. The hits came at the end of 0-for-10, 1-for-19 and 2-for-32 runs.

Hedges is 8-for-23 with two doubles and three homers since starting the season 0-for-24.

Green on:

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— Winning the series against Arizona: “Any time you win a series against a division rival is good,” said Green. “We had a rough series in Atlanta. After losing the opening series of the year, we’ve won three of four. If you can do that throughout the season, you’re going to be good.”

— On Miami’s lineup: “Miami has as deep a lineup as there in baseball right now . . . one through eight, every position player they’ve got. It’s a solid lineup and they defend the field well. It’s a solid corps of position players. We have our work cut out for us.”

On Miami left fielder Marcell Ozuna: “He’s a free swinger. He has the ability to hit a lot of pitches that most hitters can’t.”

— On Vista High grad Trevor Cahill making his first home start for the Padres Friday night against Miami: “Cahill, coming from Vista, it’s big for him to pitch here particularly on Friday night before a good crowd. I know he’s excited to pitch here. I’m optimistic about what he brings to the table for the rest of the season. Cahill stacks up nicely against them. I just want him to be healthy and repeat mechanically.”

— On right-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich’s rehab: “He’s playing catch in Arizona. I don’t know if he’s close to a rehab assignment.”

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This Day in Padres History, 4/21

RHPs Perry and Peavy star with arms, bats

By Bill Center

April 21, 1975 — Left-hander Randy Jones allows six hits and no walks with four strikeouts in a complete-game shutout as the Padres score a 4–0 win at Houston.

April 21, 1978 — Right-hander Gaylord Perry stars on the mound and at the plate as the Padres get 18 hits in a 9–3 win over Atlanta at San Diego Stadium, Perry allows three runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk with five strikeouts in a complete game. He is 3-for-3 as a hitter with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Third baseman Bill Almon is 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.

April 21, 1996 — Center fielder Steve Finley drives in Rickey Henderson in the top of the 15th to give the Padres a 2–1 win in Atlanta.

April 21, 1999 — Right-handed starter Andy Ashby and Trevor Hoffman combine on a three-hit shutout as the Padres defeat Pittsburgh 2–0 at Qualcomm Stadium.

April 21, 2002 — Right-handed starter Brett Tomko and four relievers combine on a four-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts in a 5–0 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Tomko allows two hits and two walks with 13 strikeouts in seven innings.

April 21, 2004 — Right-hander Jake Peavy stars as a hitter and pitcher in the Padres 11–0 win at Petco Park. Peavy allows four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in six scoreless innings and goes 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored.

April 21, 2015 — Former Rockies Clint Barmes homers at Coors Field in Denver as the Padres defeat Colorado 7–6 to improve to 10–5.

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Padres On Deck: Pitchers Lamet,

Allen, Quantrill Continue Run of

Strong Pitching

Hitters Schulz, Romak move to top of leaders in

their respective leagues

By Bill Center

The Padres continued to get excellent outings from starting pitchers in their farm system Thursday night.

Right-hander Dinelson Lamet struck out a Triple-A El Paso record 13 Tacoma hitters in 5 1/3 innings in El Paso. Lamet, 24, the №12 prospect in the Padres system, allowed a run on three hits and three walks while lowering his earned run average to 0.69. He now has the second-lowest ERA in the Pacific Coast League and is tied for third with 19 strikeouts.

Left-hander Logan Allen pitched five hitless innings for Single-A Fort Wayne. Allen issued three walks and struck out seven. The 19-year-old who is rated as the Padres’ 19th-best prospect has a 2.08 ERA.

And right-hander Cal Quantrill allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings Thursday night at Inland Empire. Quantrill, 22, is the Padres №4 prospect is 2–1 in three starts with a 4.11 ERA

But several hitters in the Padres’ farm system have also moved to the top of league sharts.

Right fielder Nick Schulz was 4-for-6 with Double-A San Antonio Thursday night with his fourth homer for two RBIs. Schulz, 25, leads the Double-A Texas League in homers, slugging percentage (.696) and OPS (1.140). He is sixth with a .348 batting average and fifth with a .444 on-base percentage. Schulz signed with the Padres as a non-drafted free agent in 2014.

And El Paso first baseman Jamie Romak (.286) was 1-for-4 with his sixth homer Thursday night. He moved into a tie for the PCL lead in homers.

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Two other Padres pitchers rank among the leaders in their respective leagues in strikeouts. Jesse Scholtens, who leads all Padres minor leaguers with 22 strikeouts, ranks third in the Midwest League in the category.

And Texas League Pitcher of the Week Enyel De Los Santos — who allowed three runs on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts in three innings — is tied for fourth in the Texas League with 16 strikeouts. De Los Santos is the 17th-ranked prospect in the Padres’ system.

Right-hander Rafael De Paula, 21, who followed De Los Santos Thursday night and improved to 2–0 by allowing a hot with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings, is now listed as the Texas League leader in ERA with a 0.00 mark,

In one move Thursday, right-handed pitcher Pete Smith joined El Paso after starting the season in extended spring training.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (7–8) — Tacoma 6, CHIHUAHUAS 5 (10 innings): 3B Cory Spangenberg went 3-for-5 with a RBI to raise his system-leading batting average to .360. SS Dusty Coleman (.171) hit a two-run homer to join Romak in the homer club. El Paso finished the game with a franchise-record 18 strikeouts, although the bullpen couldn’t preserve the win for Lamet. RHP Carlos Fisher (7.94 ERA) allowed four runs on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning. RHP Logan Bawcom (0.96) allowed a hit with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 scoreless innings. RHP Andre Rienzo (4.91) allowed a hit and two walks with a strikeout in one inning. RHP Michael Dimock (0–1, 13.50) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning to suffer the loss.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (7–6) — Missions 9, MIDLAND 5: 2B Luis Urías, 19, backed Schulz and raised his batting average to .314 by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a RBI and a run scored. CF Auston Bousfield (.226) was 3-for-5 with a double, a RBI and two runs scored. RF Franmil Reyes (.288) was 2-for-5 with a RBI and a walk. RHP Adam Cimber (3.18 ERA) followed De Los Santos and De Paula and pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings. LHP Brad Wieck (1.80) then retired all four hitters he faced. RHP Justin Hancock (9.00) allowed two runs on two hits with a strikeout in the ninth.

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (5–9) — Storm 5, INLAND EMPIRE 3: 1B Josh Naylor (.233) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, a run scored and two steals. 2B Chris Baker (.273) was 2-for-5 with a double, a steal, a run scored and a RBI. SS Javier Guerra (.137) had an RBI double in three at-bats. RHP Zech Lemond (2.08 ERA) followed Quantrill and allowed a run on two hits with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. RHP Colby Blueberg (2.19) struck out two in a perfect 1 1/3 innings to get his first save.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (6–8) — Tin Caps 7, GREAT LAKES 5 (13 innings): SS Reinaldo Ilarraza (.259) was 3-for-5 with his fourth stolen base and a run scored. RF Jorge Oña (.291) was 2-for-5 with a RBI and two runs scored. CF Jack Suwinski (.216) was 2-for-5 with a steal,

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two RBIs and a run scored. 3B Hudson Potts (.200) was 2-for-6 with two RBIs. RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (7.71 ERA) followed Allen and allowed four runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. RHP Evan Miller allowed a hit with a strikeout in 1 2/3 otherwise scoreless innings for his 2017 debut. RHP David Bednar (1–0, 1.80) allowed a run on a hit and a walk with four strikeouts over three innings to get the win.

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Padres Win Series Opener against Marlins Austin Hedges Sends 3 Run Homer to Top of Western Metal Supply Building

By MJ Acosta

What a way to jump start the weekend! The Padres brought Petco Park to life Friday night

with a 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins.

Outfielder Manuel Margot got things off to an exciting start with a leadoff triple in the bottom

of the first inning. Margot then scored on an Erick Aybar sac fly and the Padres took an early

1-0 lead.

The second inning had some tough moments for right handed pitcher Trevor Cahill who was

on the mound for the Friars. Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna sent a homerun to the second

deck in left field and tied the game at one run apiece.

All eyes were on Wil Myers in seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Myers hit into a double

play. Still, Luis Sardiñas scored and gave the Padres the 2-1 lead. The Friars first baseman

went 0-3 with a walk, which meant his hit streak stopped at 11 games.

Later in the seventh inning, it was Austin Hedges who made everyone’s night. The Padres

catcher sent an explosive three run homer to the top of the Western Metal Supply Co.

Building. His homerun went 429 feet to score Margot and Yangervis Solarte and gave San

Diego a little insurance.

It’s a good thing he did because Marlins all-star Giancarlo Stanton sent a two run homer to

right field in the ninth inning to cut the deficit, but it wasn’t enough to outdo the home team.

Game two of the three game series is Saturday April 22 at 5:40 p.m. PST at Petco Park.

35

Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres game preview (4/22/17) The Sports Xchange STATSApr 22, 2017 at 10:00a ET

SAN DIEGO — It appears the San Diego Padres spent wisely during the offseason.

And one of their acquisitions is on display Saturday night against the Miami Marlins when Jered Weaver takes the mound.

Weaver (0-1, 4.24) will face off against Miami’s Dan Straily (1-1, 4.61) as the Padres go for a fourth straight win.

Weaver is among the long-in-the-tooth starters the Padres signed to short-term, team-friendly deals. The former Angels ace came aboard in hopes of extending his career after going a combined 19-24 with a 4.86 ERA in the previous two seasons.

Although he does not have a win, Weaver has pitched decently. Weaver took the loss April 6 against the Dodgers but in his last starts, the right-hander has allowed four runs and 10 hits in 12 innings.

Trevor Cahill, who won Friday’s opener, wanted to rekindle his role as a starter. After 49 appearances as a reliever with the Chicago Cubs last year, he’s back starting and he scattered three hits in seven outstanding innings during Friday’s 5-3 win.

Jhoulys Chacin struggled mightily with the Angels last year, being replaced in the rotation at one point. But he’s showing good results with wins over the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner and the Diamondbacks’ Zack Greinke on his game logs.

Southpaw Clayton Richard returned to San Diego, his shoulder fit enough to spin 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Thursday’s win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Padres manager Andy Green said the starters’ price doesn’t quite match the value when he looks at his rotation. Instead he sees money pitchers that are savvy enough to take advantage of Petco’s nuances.

Weaver isn’t the Weaver of old and everyone gets that. But when slotted in with others trying to prove there’s still life in their arms, he’s holding his own.

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“When we went into the offseason, when we talked internally with the list of the names we were considering, these were the guys we wanted,” Green said.

The interest was returned, with the veteran staff being the proof. On rebuilding team full of kids, projects, catchers turned into relievers and Rule 5 players, little of that is sprinkled among the starters.

“They are all throwing the ball well,” Green said. “They’ve all bought in to what we are doing here.

“People might judge from the outside based on their salaries. But all those guys have an opportunity to do something special and lead the team back to relevance and to catapult themselves to another place in the future, maybe here with us.”

Straily gets his first start, and appearance, against the Padres. The right-hander is coming off 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts in which he’s allowed but two runs on three hits.

On Sunday, Straily pitched 5 1/3 hitless innings against the Mets. He might have pitched longer but gave up five walks.

“He’s throwing the ball well,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s got a number of pitches and he changes speed, he competes. He can do things with a baseball to keep guys off balance, and that is really who he is as a pitcher. He’s got to be able to work both sides, up and down, change speeds.”

Straily will try to help the Marlins get their second win on a nine-game road trip. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run Friday but David Phelps gave up a mammoth three-run home run to Austin Hedges.