SAN DIEGO -- By now, the National League West should be on high alert: Hunter Renfroe has a cannon. Justin Turner got a harsh reminder on Monday night.
In the first inning of the Padres' 8-2 loss to the Dodgers at Petco Park, Turner sprayed a would-be double in the direction of the right-field corner. Renfroe hustled toward the line and played the ball with his bare hand on one hop.
Then he pulled off the spectacular. Renfroe spun and uncorked a brilliant throw from the right-field wall to second base. It took one hop, and Turner was out by five feet.
"When he hit it, I knew I had a play," Renfroe said. "I was able to stop before I hit the wall and maintain my balance. Then I knew I needed a good throw."
Add it to the list of impressive throws from Renfroe over his three-year big league career. From the day he was drafted, his arm strength has never been in doubt -- though he has drawn some criticism for his accuracy. On Monday night, there were no issues on either front.
"He has the ability to have the best arm in the big leagues," said Padres first-base coach Skip Schumaker, who works with the team's outfielders. "It's just about being a little more accurate and knowing when to use it."
For some perspective on Renfroe's arm strength, he uncorked two other throws on Monday night that were clocked at 100 and 98.7 mph, respectively. The first came on Chris Taylor's RBI single in the fourth. (Yasmani Grandal didn't dare try to take an extra base.) The second came on Chase Utley's single in the seventh. Alvin Toles slid into third safely -- but only barely.
"He was playing with some fire," Schumaker said. "Tonight was a really good example of who he can be as a right fielder."
Last year, Renfroe's nine assists tied him with Giancarlo Stanton for the most by a right fielder in the NL. Monday's was his third this season.
As for the barehand, Renfroe noted the ball took an awkward bounce, causing him to adjust mid-play.
"I wouldn't have done that on anything but a ball that bounces straight up," Renfroe said. "It was maybe the only play I had."