{"id":46469,"date":"2021-04-29T13:11:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T17:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=46469"},"modified":"2021-04-29T18:08:48","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T22:08:48","slug":"padres-beat-diamondbacks-in-blowout-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/04\/29\/padres-beat-diamondbacks-in-blowout-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Padres Beat Diamondbacks in Blowout Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 11 game losing streak for the San Diego Padres<\/a> versus the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> is finally over. Last night, the Padres beat the Diamondbacks 12-3. It was their first victory at Chase Field in over two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe swung the bats well all day,\u201d manager Jayce Tingler said. \u201cWe hit some balls hard the first, second, third inning and didn\u2019t have any luck. In the fifth, that\u2019s probably as good of an inning of squaring the ball up as we\u2019ve had this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Padres Beat Diamondbacks with Lively Offense<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The bats may have found life last night, but the opposite was true on Tuesday<\/a> night. The lackluster offense contributed heavily to the Padres\u2019 first loss in Arizona. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, which was the second time they had gone hitless this season (their first was against the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Untimely hitting has been the thorn in San Diego\u2019s side so far this season. Heading into last night\u2019s game, their .205 batting average with runners in scoring position was fourth lowest in the majors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last night, they turned things around. The Padres had several hard hit balls (all hit at 99.7mph or harder) that never found the open field through the first four innings of play. <\/span>Then, the flood gates opened in the fifth. The Padres drove in six runs off of seven hits before recording an out, making it 6-2. It was the first time a Padres team began an inning with seven straight hits and no outs since April 29, 2010.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was noticeable how aggressive they were at the plate compared to previous games. One significant element of the Padres’ offensive approach over the years has been selective hitting, drawing walks and driving up the pitch count. Last night, they pounced on pitches early in the count and did not draw their first walk until late in the fifth inning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Cronenworth and Jorge Mateo would each go on to hit their first home runs of the 2021 campaign in the innings that followed. They both came off the bench at different points in the game to add to the Padres’ gaping lead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

San Diego\u2019s 12 runs scored last night is the most they\u2019ve scored in a game so far this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

San Diego Shows Signs of Maturity\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In no way, was this two-game stint in the desert, remotely comparable to the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> saga. Although, it showed resemblance to a new wave San Diego is riding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year was the year of the Slam Diego<\/a>. The Padres relied on their sluggers Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. to smash balls into the seats whenever runners were in scoring position. It was a recipe that worked for them\u2013\u2013they found success through powerful hitting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, they are 4-for-27 with the bases loaded and second worst in the league with stranding runners on base. However, there are moments that indicate evolution. Moments like the comeback win over the Dodgers and tonight\u2019s string of singles in the fifth illustrate how the Padres are maturing as an offensively sound team. They now find other ways to score runs such as by hitting out an infield single, stealing a base or two, or roping a single to bring the runner home. San Diego no longer depends on the grand slam to win ball games (although one every now and then would be nice).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the series against the Dodgers proved to be as entertaining<\/a> as baseball can get. Yet the Padres are in a division race against three other National League West teams. They can\u2019t afford to have flat offensive production against teams they should otherwise overpower. Their win on Wednesday showed that San Diego can resort to small ball, and ultimately, win big games.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like, \u2018There it is,\u2019” Tingler said after the victory. \u201cWe\u2019ve known it\u2019s in there. These guys have been busting their butts working. If they\u2019re guilty of anything, it\u2019s pressing and trying too hard. \u2026 To finally get some consecutive hits and string some really good at-bats together, it was exciting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main Image:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>