Lopez, Segura lead Brewers over Padres
SAN DIEGO -- Rookie pitcher Jorge Lopez picked up a victory in his Major League debut and Jean Segura hit a two-run home run Tuesday night as the Brewers edged the Padres, 4-3, at Petco Park.
"It's gonna work," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of the 22-year-old Lopez. "It's a great fastball."
Lopez allowed three runs on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Segura had an RBI double in the first inning as the Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead before he later added his sixth home run of the season.
San Diego pitcher Tyson Ross allowed four runs on six hits in six innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. He finishes the season with 212 strikeouts, good for sixth in the National League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Long on shortstops: Tuesday marked incoming Brewers general manager David Stearns' first in-person look at his team, making the timing perfect for Segura to make a first impression by hitting his sixth home run of the season. Segura is arbitration-eligible this winter, and plays the position of the greatest depth in Milwaukee's Minor League system, including top prospect Orlando Arcia, who spent this season at Double-A Biloxi. For now, the Brewers say their slew of prospects at the position are a positive; at some point, Stearns will have to solve a logjam.
"That was good to see," Counsell said of Segura. "He picked out a pitch and he turned on it."
Video: MIL@SD: Kemp singles in Solarte for 100th RBI of year
A milestone for Kemp: After sitting on RBI No. 99 for three games, Matt Kemp got No. 100 in the third inning when he lined an RBI single to left field to score Yangervis Solarte. This marked the first time since 2011 that Kemp has reached the 100-RBI mark. He had 126 that season while with the Dodgers. Kemp later left the game with right hand soreness, a soft tissue injury that will be evaluated on Wednesday.
"It's a step forward. I guess it's always good to drive in 100 [runs], but I'd rather have 80 RBIs and go to the playoffs. Hopefully it's a step forward going into next year and we can win more games." More >
Video: MIL@SD: Lopez strikes out seven in Major League debut
Nice start: Lopez, a 22-year-old ranked No. 8 on MLB.com's list of the top Brewers prospects, opened his Major League career with a 1-2-3 inning, touching 96 mph with his fastball and striking out two of the first three batters he faced, including Yangervis Solerte for Lopez's first career whiff, and Kemp to end the inning.
"My fastball was my best thing on this night," Lopez said. "It was amazing. All these guys are pretty good and when I looked [at Kemp] I was like, 'OK, I'm going to compete and try to beat him.'" More >
Video: MIL@SD: Ross knocks in Spangenberg on single in 4th
And he can hit, too: Sure, Ross can pitch. He was an All-Star in 2014. But he can swing it (a little). His RBI single in the fourth inning and gave him a career-high 14 hits and six RBIs this season. Ross entered the game a career .200 hitter in 145 at-bats. More >
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
So what is it with the Padres' first-inning woes? They allowed two runs in the opening frame on Tuesday, making it 104 runs they've allowed in the first inning of games this season -- 18 more than they've scored in the first inning. That's the most runs they've allowed in any one inning in 2015. As a means of comparison, they allowed 89 first-inning runs in 2014. The Brewers, meanwhile, already have 90 losses this season but have outscored opponents in the first inning, 102-78.
QUOTABLE
"I was healthy, that was a goal of mine to be able to go start to finish. Physically, I feel pretty good. I learned a lot along the way and had a better second half than I did the first," -- said Ross, who made all 33 start this season for the Padres, finishing with a 3.26 ERA and 196 innings.
WHAT'S NEXT
Road team: Zach Davies, the diminutive right-hander acquired in a July 31 trade with the Orioles, will make his sixth and final Brewers start of the season on Wednesday at 9:10 p.m. CT. He's coming off a pair of quality starts, including a victory at Wrigley Field in which Davies worked six scoreless innings.
Padres: Andrew Cashner (6-15, 4.21) makes his final start of the season when the Padres face the Brewers in the second game of the three-game series at 7:10 p.m. PT. Cashner allowed two runs over six innings in a loss at Miller Park on Aug. 4.
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