ST. LOUIS -- The list of starting pitchers with the lowest average fastball velocity this season reads like a who's who of 30-something-year-old veterans, all masters in deception.
The outlier is Nick Margevicius, a 22-year-old rookie left-hander who came out of nowhere to win a job in the Padres' rotation this spring.
Margevicius made his second start on Friday, and for the second straight outing, he allowed one run over five innings. In the process, he's relied on a four-seam fastball that has averaged just 88.1 mph. Among starters, that's harder than only Marco Estrada and Kyle Hendricks -- and tied with Mike Leake.
Clearly, the pitch plays. He's throwing it 62 percent of the time, and hitters are 3-for-21 against it, including only one extra-base hit.
"I couldn't tell you," Margevicius said when asked for the secret. "It's not spin rate, it's not velocity. But since the middle of college, it just had something, and it just had enough to beat guys. Other guys were throwing harder than me, but they got squared up more than my fastball did.”
This much is clear: Margevicius really doesn't care what the gun says.
"You don't need to look at the radar gun necessarily to determine the effectiveness of your velocity," Margevicius said. "The hitters will tell you how you're throwing the ball. When I'm getting foul balls, swings and misses on my fastball, that tells me it's good enough. Whatever it says -- if it's 95 or 85 [mph] -- if they're not seeing it right, they're not seeing it right."
In the eyes of Padres skipper Andy Green, the success of Margevicius' low-octane fastball is two-fold. There's some deception behind his delivery, so the ball gets on hitters faster than they're expecting. Plus, Margevicius is savvy enough mixing his pitches that hitters aren't ever comfortable with what's coming next.
On Friday, his fastball averaged just 87.8 mph, yet he allowed only one hit -- a Paul DeJong homer on a slider. Perhaps, more than anything, it's the lack of fear for the 22-year-old. Margevicius made only one start at Double-A before he wowed the organization in Spring Training enough to win a big league starting job.
In that regard, his reaction to DeJong's homer was telling.
"I thought I threw a decent pitch to DeJong, and he hit it out," Margevicius said. "Welp, you know what? They're going to do that to you here. It's just going to happen. Might be the first time, won't be the last time. I just get after the next hitter and make the next pitch. That's all I can do."
Garcia humbled by ovation
Greg Garcia heard the noise as he strode to the plate Friday. He did a double-take. A partial standing ovation for a former Cardinals utility man upon his return to St. Louis?
"That was so special to me," Garcia said. "It was something I'll never forget. I didn't expect it. It kind of took me out of the moment. It took my breath away, for sure."
Garcia proceeded to ground out in his pinch-hit appearance, his first in St. Louis since the Padres claimed him off waivers last October. In four seasons with the Cardinals, Garcia posted a .355 on-base percentage while playing three different infield spots.
Garcia offers little in the way of power, and he's never been a regular. But he's undoubtedly a useful piece -- particularly as a lefty bat in a Padres infield that's righty-heavy.
"He's a great teammate," Green said. "He understands the game, and he plays it hard, and these fans here appreciate that. We're fortunate to have him."
Noteworthy
• Speaking of former Cardinals, Robert Stock played his first big league game in St. Louis on Friday, nearly 10 years after the Cardinals originally drafted him as a catcher. He allowed a run on two hits in one inning and picked up the win.
"It really just felt like any intense experience where you're out there and trying to win a baseball game," Stock said. "Granted, it is the Cardinals. Of course, they drafted me. But when you're out there playing, that's the last thing on your mind."
Stock was quick to point out that he has played at Busch Stadium before -- a Class A tilt in 2011 in which he caught Carlos Martínez. Garcia played short that day.
• Ian Kinsler, who entered Saturday's game 5-for-27 (.185) with 2 walks, remained in the leadoff spot despite the shaky start to the season. Though he went 0-for-3, Kinsler worked a pair of walks, stole a base and scored what proved to be the decisive run in a 6-4 victory against the Cardinals.
"We trust what he's ultimately going to do," Green said. "As much as there's been a rotation in the outfield, some things are nice to have settled a little bit. That doesn't mean it's settled for life by any stretch. ... But ultimately, we trust his ability to get on base, and we think he'll find his groove here very shortly."