This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. This edition was written by Adrian Garro. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Padres’ lineup is loaded with big names. From Fernando Tatis Jr. to Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill to Xander Bogaerts, they’re stacked with stars.
But as surging San Diego has its sights set on a National League Wild Card spot with a little under two weeks’ worth of games remaining in the regular season, it’s worth highlighting a few of the role players who are making their presence felt at precisely the right time.
Joining the Padres on a Minor League deal earlier in the summer, Dustin Harris debuted on Aug. 24 with San Diego -- his third Major League club this season -- and all he’s done since is make an impact.
In 15 games as a Padre, Harris is hitting .333/.357/.410 with two extra-base hits and six RBIs. His hot play earned a bump to the No. 2 spot in the lineup on Saturday, and he responded with a key two-out, two-run single in a three-RBI afternoon.
“I think it shows the guys around me,” said Harris. “It’s like they say, it’s contagious. Seeing the at-bats and these guys around me, productive at-bats, just trying to get the next guy up there. It helps me stay within myself and not try to be a hero or do too much, just play my game and try to compete and see pitches.”
Harris has helped offset the absence of left fielder Ramón Laureano, who has been sidelined since June with a right hip issue and isn’t a guarantee to return this season. And thus far, Harris is having a blast.
“This clubhouse, it's electric,” said Harris. “Showing up here every day, just all the guys on the same page, just knowing we’re going out there trying to put together a win.”
Austin Hays is another player making a difference, hitting .400 in September (6-for-15) and splitting duty between DH, left field and right field.
Also playing a key role right now is Samad Taylor, who’s doing everything he can to contribute when called upon. Since Taylor was activated from the 10-day injured list Aug. 30, he’s hit .258 (8-for-31) with three steals as a bit of a sparkplug in the lineup.
In Saturday’s win, Taylor bunted for a single leading off the fourth and advanced all the way to third on a swinging bunt from Tatis before scoring on a sacrifice fly. Considering the Padres won the game by one run, Taylor’s hustle came up huge.
“Tati puts a swing on a ball and it’s a little dribbler, and now my only thought process is how could I take the extra base if they do turn and throw,” recalled Taylor. “I wasn’t expecting them to throw. I wouldn't have thrown, but they made a throw and I took the extra bag, just catching somebody with their pants down.”
Taylor emphasized the concept of “passing the baton” in the lineup.
“Hitting behind or in front of those guys, your only thought is just get on base and let them boys work. A lot of fastballs are going to come just because of the threat of running, and you're talking about guys that have light-tower power. You make a mistake and turn it into a homer, a double in the gap, and now we have momentum because I'm scoring from first or something like that.
“So I just try to do whatever I can, and I know Dustin does the same thing. Try to do whatever we can to get on base to help these guys out and get pitches to hit and put us in a situation to win.”
Taylor emphasized the concept of “passing the baton” in the lineup.
“Hitting behind or in front of those guys, your only thought is just get on base and let them boys work. A lot of fastballs are going to come just because of the threat of running, and you're talking about guys that have light-tower power. You make a mistake and turn it into a homer, a double in the gap, and now we have momentum because I'm scoring from first or something like that.
“So I just try to try to do whatever I can, and I know Dustin does the same thing. Try to do whatever we can to get on base to help these guys out and get pitches to hit and put us in a situation to win.”