PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres had two Cactus League games canceled on Tuesday night. In Goodyear, their split-squad contest against the Reds was called before the first pitch. But in Peoria, the rain held up just long enough for a quick glimpse at a potential Opening Day lineup.
Here's the starting nine from that game against Oakland:
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Eric Hosmer, 1B
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Franmil Reyes, RF
5. Wil Myers, CF
6. Hunter Renfroe, LF
7. Luis Urias, SS
8. Austin Hedges, C
9. Aderlin Rodriguez, DH
Swap Rodriguez for any number of potential starting pitchers, and that’s the closest thing to an Opening Day lineup the Friars have used this spring.
"You look at some of those names in the lineup and look at what some of those guys have done in their careers and recently -- it's pretty exciting," Myers said. "It's a lineup of middle-of-the-order hitters. It's something that we haven't had in a while."
The sample is as small is it could possibly be, but the early returns were good. Five Padres came to the plate. All five reached base, and Machado walloped a three-run homer off the left-field pavilion.
On paper, the addition of Machado, along with the ability to work Myers, Renfroe and Reyes into the same outfield, makes it one of the most potent Padres lineups in a long time. Still, manager Andy Green has questions to sort out before he pencils nine names onto a card on March 28.
First and foremost, the Padres need to discern whether Myers is capable in center. They don't need him to be a Gold Glover -- or even an everyday-caliber center fielder. But they'd like for him to play there occasionally, so they can load their potent righty power bats into a lineup against tough lefties -- like, say, Madison Bumgarner.
"It's a tradeoff, a little bit, but we want to see what they look like together," Green said. "... We'll just keep rotating guys in and out through spring to find out what works best for us."
Green was quick to note that Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero will factor prominently into the outfield mix as well. Both will probably get more playing time in center than Myers over the long haul.
As for the rest of the lineup, the Padres have fallen into something of a pattern this spring with their top three. Every time Machado has played, he's batted third -- behind Kinsler and Hosmer. On Tuesday night, Kinsler singled and Hosmer reached, before Machado's first homer of the spring.
"Our lineup's pretty deep," Machado said. "Everyone, one through eight, they're going to be impactful. We're all going to get pitches to hit. We're just going to have to take advantage of the situation."
Solis arrives
The Padres announced the signing of left-hander Sammy Solis to a Minors deal on Wednesday, and he reported to big league camp. Solis, who owns a 4.51 ERA in parts of four seasons with Washington, will compete for a place in the Padres bullpen.
That bullpen is currently a bit too righty-heavy with lefties Matt Strahm and Robbie Erlin eyeing a transition to the rotation. But Solis has actually fared better against right-handers throughout his career.
He was excellent in his first two seasons with Washington, posting a 3.38 ERA and a 2.41 ERA in 2015 and '16 respectively. In the past two seasons, however, those totals jumped to 5.88 and 6.41.
"We're hopeful a new opportunity, change of scenery and maybe being used a little bit differently will give him a chance to show what he's always had," Green said. "It's a live-arm lefty, who's done very well against righties."
Up next
In his quest to win a rotation place this spring, righty prospect Chris Paddack has been excellent, having posted a 2.08 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings. He faces the Angels on Wednesday night in Tempe with first pitch slated for 6:10 p.m. PT. Don't look now, but if Paddack gets the ball every fifth day for the next two weeks, he'd be in line to start on Opening Day against the Giants. No pitcher has made his big league debut by starting a team's season opener since 1943. The game will air on MLB.TV and an exclusive audio webcast.