Notes: Paddack happy for test in 2nd start

March 6th, 2021

The way 's 2020 season unfolded -- the way he too often came unraveled at the first sign of trouble -- the Padres right-hander was actually pleased to find himself in a jam in the second inning on Saturday afternoon.

The Dodgers' mini-rally was no fault of Paddack's. Matt Davidson hit a seven-hopper up the middle, and Sheldon Neuse reached base when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and third baseman Nick Tanielu collided on a routine grounder to the left side. Two on, two out.

This was the test Paddack wanted, against the team he wanted to test him. And Paddack passed with flying colors, fanning James Outman with a nasty 3-2 changeup to end the threat in an eventual 2-1 Padres victory over the Dodgers.

"You never want innings like that to snowball," Paddack said. "For me to eliminate and build that mental strength, I'll use these starts during Spring Training to focus on basically just staying disciplined, stay in my routine, stay in my gameplan."

Paddack is off to an excellent start to Spring Training with four scoreless innings across two starts. He's looking to rediscover the 2019 version of his electric fastball -- which was all too hittable during his '20 struggles. So far, so good.

Opposite Paddack was Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer -- the first time the Padres have faced him since he signed a three-year deal with Los Angeles during the offseason. The Padres put two men aboard with nobody out against Bauer in the top of the first inning, as Jurickson Profar and Tommy Pham saw a combined 16 pitches. But Bauer escaped trouble and matched zeros with Paddack.

"That was the first time I've gotten to face Bauer," Paddack said. "Hopefully I get the opportunity to do that during the season as well. ... It's going to be a little fun matchup whenever we face Dodger blue."

Paddack got a bit of an extra jolt on Saturday when he took the mound to warm up in the bottom of the first inning. Sitting behind home plate were several family members who had made the trip from his native Texas. It was the first time they'd seen Paddack pitch in person in a year.

"I'd never take that moment for granted, especially with this crazy year the past year," Paddack said. "To be able to go out there today and make them proud, and for them to see my last name on the back of the jersey, it meant the world to me."

Padres add pitching depth

San Diego claimed right-hander off waivers from the Giants on Saturday, adding some pitching depth to a group that has been dealt a couple of early injury blows.

Humphreys owns a 2.60 ERA across four Minor League seasons with 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, and as a result hasn't pitched above Class A Advanced.

The Padres are already without lefty José Castillo (Tommy John surgery) and righty Javy Guerra (right UCL sprain). Humphreys has options and should provide valuable pitching depth in the Minors, where the team expects him to work as both a starter and a reliever.

Abrams stars again

CJ Abrams seems intent on making the most of his first big league camp.

The 20-year-old shortstop, ranked as the Padres' No. 2 prospect and No. 8 overall according to MLB Pipeline, faced the National League's reigning Cy Young Award winner on Saturday. He got the better of Bauer.

Abrams lined a single to right-center against Bauer, then used his 80-grade wheels to swipe second base and take third on a fly ball to medium-deep center field. No Padre has received more plate appearances this spring than Abrams. He's 3-for-13 with a walk, a triple and a pair of steals.

Abrams has also impressed with his glovework, but mostly at shortstop. On Saturday, he played second base and made a brilliant diving stop on an Austin Barnes liner. He threw to second base for a double play to help Adrian Morejon escape a bases-loaded jam.

"It's a little bit of the same," Tingler said of Abrams' work at second base. "We just love his athletic ability and having him up the middle."

Blister issue for Espinoza

Right-hander Anderson Espinoza is dealing with a blister on a finger on his right hand, Tingler said, which has kept him from throwing lately. Tingler said he still expects Espinoza to get into game action at some point next week.

Espinoza, the team's No. 13 prospect, hasn't pitched competitively since 2016 because of a pair of Tommy John surgeries. But he impressed early in camp with an upper-90s fastball and a sharp curveball that plays well off the heater.