Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
The schedule makers are playing tricks with the Padres this season.
Take the start of next week for example. The Padres conclude a four-game series at Atlanta's new SunTrust Park Monday with a 4:35 p.m. PT game. Then they fly across country overnight to be able to play a Tuesday night game against Arizona at Petco Park.
But that's only one day in the Padres' unusual 2017 schedule.
Only three of the Padres' first 14 games were at home. In fact, 18 of their first 27 games are on the road.
Then the Padres play 18 home games in May and 17 home games in June.
In the end, the Padres play 81 games at Petco Park and 81 on the road. But how they get there in 2017 will have some interesting twists.
Game notes
• The Padres have four regulars hitting under .200 after 12 games of the season: catcher Austin Hedges (.114), third baseman Ryan Schimpf (.129), left fielder Travis Jankowski (.138) and shortstop Erick Aybar (.156). Schimpf is 1-for-24 with 12 strikeouts (and 11 walks) after a 3-for-7 start. Aybar has two hits in his last 27 at-bats.
• The back-to-back homers by Hunter Renfroe and Hedges in Atlanta on Saturday were the first set of back-to-back homers by the Padres this season. The Padres hit back-to-back homers seven times during the 2016 season. Saturday marked the 148th set of back-to-back homers in Padres history.
• Hedges has four hits in his last 11 at-bats after starting the season 0-for-24. The four hits include a double and Saturday night's home run. The three-game hitting streak has boosted Hedges' season batting average to .114. Hedges has 13 strikeouts in 35 at-bats.
• 1B William Myers doubled in four at-bats Saturday night to extend his hitting streak to six straight games. Myers is 11-for-23 during the streak with three doubles, two triples and two home runs, although his batting average has slipped from .400 to .375 with back-to-back, one-hit games.
• CF Manuel Margot's Padres' season-best, seven-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 Saturday.