Freddy Fermin delivered the unlikeliest homer of the Padres’ season to date, sending them to a much-needed 3-2 victory over the Mets at Petco Park.
Here’s some instant reaction, as San Diego snapped its six-game losing streak:
Of all people, Fermin plays hero
For the past several weeks, just about every time Fermin has come to the plate in crunch time, Padres manager Craig Stammen has opted to pinch-hit for him. Sensible enough. Fermin is a defense-first catcher. He entered his at-bat in the seventh inning on Saturday night hitless in his last 30 at-bats.
But Stammen stuck with his guy on Saturday. And Fermin delivered the decisive, two-run homer.
Hey, if you’re going to fall into a slump that pronounced … at least break out of it like this.
“What a huge swing,” Stammen said. “Exactly what we needed.”
With the Padres trailing by a run, Fermin got a first-pitch sinker from Austin Warren and launched it into the left-field seats, giving the Padres the 3-2 lead they would eventually win by. It was his first home run of the season and his first hit since May 14. He pounded his chest in the direction of the home dugout, which erupted.
“I knew from the second I hit it that I hit it out of the ballpark,” Fermin said through interpreter Jorge Merlos on Padres.TV. “Obviously it was a good swing right there. Tomorrow, we’ll come out [looking] for another victory.”
It’s been a mostly dreadful season for Fermin, whose OPS only ticked back above .400 with that home run. The Padres, in no uncertain terms, need more offensive production from their catchers. They got it Saturday.
At last, production at the bottom of the lineup
Fermin did his part. So, too, did Sung-Mun Song, who reached base in all three of his plate appearances out of the No. 8 spot. The Padres haven’t gotten many nights like this from the bottom of their order lately.
To be clear: The cleanest path for the Padres to improve their offense is for their stars to hit. But how can they take the burden off those stars? Well, the bottom of the order can make life easier on them.
“We’ve been talking with the guys on the bench right now and the guys hitting at the bottom of the order about finding ways to create some havoc,” Stammen said. “We’re trying to think of ways to do that … and get on base for the top of our lineup. And hopefully, them hitting with men on base allows them to be freed up and do some damage.”
Song’s night wasn’t perfect. He was caught in a rundown between third and home, falling for a pump fake from Mets catcher Luis Torrens in a key spot. Nonetheless, it was a solid night overall -- and Song will continue to get opportunities with Jake Cronenworth on the IL.
Now that Ramón Laureano and Nick Castellanos are no longer options, I noted in this space Friday night that the Padres are going to need production from their fringe players. Song and Fermin provided it straightaway.
The Padres needed this from Canning
Griffin Canning’s career renaissance came with the Mets last year. He posted a 3.77 ERA in 16 outings. Then, his season ended painfully early. Canning tore his Achilles in mid-June and would miss the remainder of the season, before hitting free agency last offseason.
When the Padres signed him, they envisioned that version of Canning from the first three months last season. And they got him on Saturday night.
Canning was sharp across five innings of one-run ball, striking out six and allowing just three hits. He went heavy on the slider and changeup to great effect.
Canning has shown flashes of returning to that quality mid-rotation arm that he was with the Mets last season. But this was perhaps the most encouraging sign yet.
“He pitched great,” Stammen said. “I thought he really controlled the strike zone. He kept those guys off-balance with those offspeed pitches, and he finished that outing really strongly. That fifth inning was probably his best inning, and he got it to our bullpen with a tie game.”
Indeed, the game was still tied at 1 when Marcus Semien hit a solo home run off Bradgley Rodriguez in the top of the seventh -- the first homer Rodriguez has allowed in his career. But Fermin responded with a two-run shot half an inning later.