Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Speaking of fast games, shutouts and 1-0 shutout wins on a homer:
Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Arizona was played in two hours and 13 minutes. It was the fastest game played at Petco Park since May 21, 2015, when the Chicago Cubs defeated the Padres, 3-0, in two hours and seven minutes.
The fastest game ever at Petco Park was one hour and 53 minutes and was played on Aug. 23, 2005. The Padres defeated Houston, 2-0. Jacob Peavy allowed four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in a shutout. Right fielder Brian Giles was 2-for-3 with a triple and homer, and he drove in both runs.
The fastest game ever played by the Padres was an hour and 29 minutes played at San Diego Stadium on May 4, 1977. The Padres defeated the Phillies, 4-1, in a match of two of the Major Leagues' fastest-working pitchers -- Randy Jones of the Padres and Jim Kaat of the Phillies. Jones allowed one run on four hits and a walk with a strikeout in a complete game. Left fielder Gene Richards was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs.
Wednesday was the Padres' 20th 1-0 win at Petco Park. But shortstop Erick Aybar's eighth-inning homer made it only the third 1-0 Padres win at Petco Park decided by a home run. The other two came during the 2010 season -- on May 25 and Sept. 11. Thanks to Jeff Praught for the background.
On May 25, 2010, shortstop Jerry Hairston homered off the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright in the second inning. Jon Garland, Mike Adams and Heath Bell combined on a seven-hitter in the 1-0 win over St. Louis.
On Sept. 11, catcher Yorvit Torrealba homered in the third in a 1-0 win over San Francisco. Tim Stauffer, Luke Gregerson, Adams and Bell combined on a three-hitter.
Three of the Padres' six wins this season have come on shutouts. Clayton Richard and Brad Hand combined on a five-hit, 4-0 shutout of the Dodgers on April 4 in the season's second game at Dodger Stadium. Spot starter Zach Lee, Jose Torres, Ryan Buchter, Jake Esch and Brandon Maurer combined on a three-hit, 6-0 shutout of the Rockies at Coors Field on April 12.
GAME NOTES:
• RHP Jhoulys Chacin went eight innings Wednesday night, his longest outing since he pitched a complete game last May. In two starts at Petco Park this season, Chacin has allowed no runs on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. In two starts on the road, Chacin has allowed 13 runs (12 earned) on 16 hits and six walks in 8 1/3 innings. Chacin, who also made a Petco Park start for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic in March, has a 4-1 record with a 1.82 ERA in six career games (four starts) at Petco Park.
• SS Erick Aybar was hitless in 16 at-bats when he homered in the eighth inning Wednesday night. Going back farther, Aybar's slump was 1-for-19 and 2-for-34.
• 1B William Myers singled in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 10 straight games, which is two shy of his career-long streak. But Myers was 1-for-3 Wednesday night, and he is only 7-for-24 in the past six games of the streak. Overall, he is hitting .410 (16-for-39) during the streak with three doubles, two triples and two homers.
• 2B Yangervis Solarte grounded into his eighth double play in the Padres' first 16 games of the season. Solarte grounded into only nine double plays in all of 2016. He is in a 1-for-21 slump that has plummeted his batting average from .324 to .224.