Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
The Padres return home to Petco Park Thursday night coming off their worst offensive run since the start of June.
The Padres hit .165 (47-for-284) while going 2-7 on their nine-game trip to Pittsburgh, New York (Mets) and Tampa Bay. The Padres averaged 2.4 runs per game. In addition to the 47 hits, the Padres drew only 25 walks during the trip against 86 strikeouts.
The Padres' on-base percentage for the trip was .236. They did hit 10 homers, which accounted for 15 of the 22 runs scored. But outside of the long ball, the Padres' offense generated only seven runs in nine games while averaging just eight baserunners a game.
The hottest Padre on the trip was Alexei Ramirez. The shortstop was 6-for-19 with a homer just a week after being told his playing time would be considerably reduced over the remainder of the season.
Third baseman Yangervis Solarte was 6-for-29 with two homers. He was the only other regular with a batting average over .200 for the trip. Infielder Nick Noonan was 3-for-13.
Alex Dickerson was 6-for-31. Center fielder Travis Jankowski was 5-for-32, although he did draw five walks.
Even the homers came at a high price. Ryan Schimpf was 2-for-24 with two homers and 10 strikeouts. Jabari Blash was 4-for-26 with two homers and 14 strikeouts. Wil Myers was 4-for-34 with two homers and 16 strikeouts.
Derek Norris was 2-for-13 and Christian Bethancourt was 2-for-23. Adam Rosales was 1-for-12. Brett Wallace was 0-for-12.
NOTES FROM THE SCOREBOOK
• Left-hander Christian Friedrich was the starting pitcher both times the Padres got shut out on the nine-game road trip. Friedrich has lost seven straight decisions and the Padres are 2-7 in his last nine starts during which his ERA is 6.52.
• Left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter has allowed two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 scoreless innings. Buchter has allowed runs in just five of his 56 appearances.
• Left-handed reliever Brad Hand has allowed one earned run in his last 10 outings covering 11 innings. He has allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and 15 strikeouts over those 11 innings to lower his ERA from 3.17 to 2.77 - its lowest mark since May 1.
• On the flip side, right-handed reliever Carlos Villanueva has given up runs in 10 of his last 14 outings since June 28. He has given up a total of 28 runs on 34 hits and five walks in 19 2/3 innings -- an ERA of 12.81. Since his last outing in June, Villanueva's ERA has shot up from 3.20 to 6.09.