Solarte takes charge in first game back from DL
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SAN DIEGO -- How ecstatic was Yangervis Solarte in leading the Padres to a 3-2 victory in 11 innings over the Dodgers on Saturday night?
He couldn't remember an entire language.
"I forgot all my English,'' Solatre said. "I'm too excited.''
Solarte's smile could be translated in any language.
On his first day back from a hamstring injury, Solarte worked Dodgers reliever Chin-hui Tsao for a four-pitch, two-out walk to give the Padres their second win in their final at-bat in consecutive nights.
Solarte's walk came after Tsao had given free passes to Derek Norris and Brett Wallace. With the bases loaded -- Wil Myers opened with a single -- Solarte was going to be patient.
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"To have two outs and then the wheels came off a little bit with Tsao,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He just couldn't find the strike zone.''
Solarte, like everyone else, could sense just that.
"At that point and time you could pretty much tell [Solarte] was going to force him to get into the zone and he didn't,'' Padres manager Andy Green said. "It was smart baseball on his part.''
Solarte admitted he was eager to have a hack, but he knew better.
"In that situation, when it gets to 2-0, I like to swing, I want to swing,'' Solarte said through a translator. "But he wasn't even close, he was all over the place. I was going to wait until two strikes before I swing.''
The Padres have been waiting for their ailing infielders to return from leg injuries.
Alexi Amarista came back earlier in the week and had the sacrifice fly that tied the game in the seventh.
Solarte returned Saturday and he couldn't believe how the game revolved around him.
In addition to his crucial walk, Solarte, usually a third baseman, made a nifty effort on Corey Seager's hard-hit ground ball in short right field in the top of 11th.
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"It was a great play for a guy that hasn't played a ton of second base,'' Green said. "That was a really good play deep in the four hole, in the outfield.''
Solarte was caught between languages during the postgame scrum, but happy nonetheless.
"No, you can't imagine that you come up and this happens,'' he said. "I just try to do my job and work hard. The most important thing was that we won.''
To Solarte, that was si bueno.