Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
It is impossible to strike out when you go 3-for-3.
Which is why one streak ended for Padres first baseman Wil Myers Friday night.
And why another continued.
Going into Friday night's game against the Cardinals at Petco Park, Myers had struckout at least once in each of the Padres first 16 games.
The streak was tied for the eighth longest such streak in franchise history.
Outfielder Ryan Ludwick (2011) and first baseman Nate Colbert (1973) had each struck out at least once in 19 straight games. Kyle Blanks and Blake Tekotte had each struck out in 18 straight games. And Jedd Gyorko, Chase Headley and Bruce Hurst had all stuck out in 17 straight games as a Padre.
Not that Myers was doing poorly.
He entered Friday night's game hitting .273 with three homers and six RBIs. He was hitting .429 when he put the ball in play - the downside to that stat being the 24 times that he had struck out in 16 games.
But the strikeout streak ended as Myers went 3-for-3 against the Cardinals with a solo homer in the first, a double and a sacrifice fly for a season-high three RBIs. He also stole his second base.
Myers is also 13-for-31 (.419) in a seven-game hitting streak with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.
NOTES FROM THE SCOREBOOK:
• Dating back to July of 2014, the Padres have won 99 straight games in which they have led after eight innings. It is the second-longest streak in franchise history. Between July of 1996 and April of 1999, the Padres won 181 straight games when leading after eight innings.
• Right-handed starter Andrew Cashner picked up his first win since last Sept. 16 when he made a second straight strong start, holding the Cardinals to a run (a Randal Grichuk homer) on three hits, a walk and two hit batters with four strikeouts over six innings. It was Cashner's second straight quality start. Over his last two outings, Cashner has allowed two runs on seven hits, three walks and two hit batters with nine strikeouts in 12 innings. In his first two starts this season, Cashner allowed eight runs on 13 hits and three walks in eight innings.
• Myers is not the Padres only streaking hitter. Center fielder Jon Jay is 9-for-22 (.409) in a five-game hitting streak. Jay is off to a roller-coaster start. He opened the season with an eight-game hitting streak (10-for-33). Then he went hitless in 18 straight at-bats before getting the RBI single that started his current hitting streak.
• Left-hander Ryan Buchter has made six straight scoreless appearances, allowing three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings. Another good omen, with the Padres protecting a two-run lead, Buchter pitched the seventh inning Friday night in front of Brandon Maurer.
• Fernando Rodney is 3-for-3 in save opportunities as a Padre. He has allowed one unearned run on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in six appearances.