7/17-7/23 - A roundup of the best of the Padres. The finale to a rough series in St. Louis. Avoiding the sweep in Los Angeles. Braving a blistering series in Arizona. The Friars have had a dark week of baseball, but here is some light.
California has been facing a pretty harsh drought. This week, Padres fans experienced that in more ways than one. Going 1-5 for the entire week, it's hard to find a lot to be thrilled about. But these are our Friars, and they've always got something to keep the faith going.
The Little Ninja has a big arm
Amarista has been filling in defensive roles all season. Despite being only 5'7" he has been covering long distances in the outfield making plays. Here he not only fields a quick one-hopper, but gears up and fires the distance to make the out.
Game: @ Dodgers
Friar:Alexi Amarista
Solarte does a cat impression
The line-drive grounder down the line couldn't have been more convenient to put Arruebarrena in a tough spot. More importantly, he saved two runs with his quick reflexes.
Game: @ Dodgers
Friar:Yangervis Solarte
Ross ruins no-hitter
There's a lot to savor about this moment in the game. Tyson's stellar pitching performance to match Kershaw's, his 9th hit of the season, but mainly the upset look on Clayton's face afterwards amplified by the loud groans throughout Dodger Stadium. Mmmsweet.
Game: @ Dodgers
Friar: Tyson Ross
Liriano can't stop diving
Rymer has laid out in right field more than a couple of times this week. What makes this play great is mostly that it kept the runner on first with no outs, and the amazing face he made while getting up.
Game: @ Dodgers
Friar: Rymer Liriano
Gyorko is a ballerina
Little known fact about Jedd is that he's a great dancer. You have to be when you're from West Virginia. Although he's on the DL from a tweaked hamstring, he gives his legs a good stretch here for a gorgeous flowery catch.
Game: @ Arizona
Friar:Jedd Gyorko
Top Performances
Tyson Ross 8IP, 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 8SO, 9.00 K/9, 2.25 ERA
Yangervis Solarte 6H, 4RBI, 2BB
- In the past week Alexi Amarista has been leading the club's WAR with 0.5. The little Ninja is posting an even .400 OBP, only behind Seth Smith's .429. He has been our most rounded high performance player with an offensive rating of 1.6 and a defensive rating of 1.2.
- Speaking of defense, Abraham Almonte's 2.1 rating has made him a solid fill-in for the outfield. He has legged out for at least 3 plays this week that were considered outside of his zone.
- Andrew Cashner had a great return on Sunday. He pitched five innings, giving up 2 runs, 2 walks, and striking out a Dback. Despite his solid outing, the Padres could not give him the win. But we know how useless that stat is.
- Kevin Quackenbush collected the very first save of his career for our only win of the week against the Dodgers.