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Padres Press Clips Monday, July 31, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Price on Brad Hand remains high as trade deadline nears UT San Diego Lin 2

Ronald Bolanos turns in best start for TinCaps UT San Diego Sanders 3

Andrew McCutchen hits three home runs as Padres fall in UT San Diego Lin 5

series finale

Padres activate Solarte, Hedges; Blash, Quackenbush optioned UT San Diego Lin 7

First pitch: Stoking confidence in Kirby Yates, Phil Maton UT San Diego Sanders 8

Hand not letting Trade Deadline weigh on him MLB.com Cassavell 10

Coleman hits homer, but Padres fall in finale MLB.com Ruiz/Berry 12

McGrath's big league debut worth the wait MLB.com Cassavell 16

Myers gets much-needed respite from starting MLB.com Ruiz 18

Padres welcome back Hedges, Solarte MLB.com Cassavell 20

Myers expected back in lineup vs. Twins MLB.com Wagaman 22

Andrew McCutchen's 3 home runs carry Pirates to win over Padres Associated Press AP 23

Trade Deadline Daily: Padres can afford to keep Brad Hand ESPN.com ESPN.com 26

This Day in Padres History, 7/31 FriarWire Center 27

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Price on Brad Hand remains high as trade deadline nears Dennis Lin

As of early Sunday night, Brad Hand was still in a Padres uniform. While talks with multiple clubs continued, no deal to send the All-Star lefty elsewhere seemed imminent.

Much, of course, can change in the final hours preceding Monday’s 1 p.m. trade deadline — and sources say a decision could come down to the wire — but there was more than a faint possibility of Hand staying in San Diego.

In an interview Wednesday on The Mighty 1090, Executive Chairman Ron Fowler said the Padres were prepared to hold on to their top bullpen arm.

“Other things being equal, right now I don’t see us moving him, because we value him more than what’s being offered and we think he could be part of the team for the foreseeable future,” Fowler said.

Sunday, rival officials continued to describe an exorbitant asking price. Meanwhile, the Padres did not appear ready to budge. Hand, who hasn’t allowed a run in his last 19 appearances, has raised his value to an all-time high.

“We know what will motivate us,” one team official said.

A number of scouts surveyed regarding available left-handed relievers rated Hand above Detroit’s Justin Wilson and slightly below Baltimore’s Zach Britton (it was unclear if the Orioles actually would trade Britton). Both Britton and Wilson have one year of club control left. Hand won’t be eligible for free agency until after 2019 — a key factor behind the Padres’ demands.

Absent a trade before the deadline, the Padres could attempt to move Hand this winter or next summer, and an evaluator from another team suggested they could net the “same return or better.” If they go that route, they would risk injury or a decline in performance. (The former is arguably the larger concern, and Hand has been on the major league disabled list only once, thanks to an ankle sprain.)

For his part, Hand has said he would be happy to remain in San Diego. Manager Andy Green has admitted he would like to keep his best reliever. Neither would be surprised if the opposite occurs.

“I trust the judgment of (General Manager A.J. Preller) and everybody in the front office to put us in whatever position’s going to make us most successful for the long run,” Green said Sunday morning. “...Do I enjoy Brad Hand here? Sure, what manager wouldn’t be? I’m thrilled every time I can reach down there and put him in a game. He understands, I understand, everybody understands where we are and what we’re trying to do.”

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Ronald Bolanos turns in best start for TinCaps Jeff Sanders

Ronald Bolanos is getting comfortable in the Midwest league.

The 20-year-old right-hander struck out seven and allowed only an unearned run over seven strong innings in low Single-A Fort Wayne’s 3-2 win over visiting Dayton on Sunday afternoon.

Bolanos retired 14 of the last 16 he faced, scattered six hits and a walk in the longest outing of his career as he threw 68 of his 108 pitches for strikes. The seven strikeouts were also two shy of his career-high, while he made it through the game without yielding an earned run for the first time since signing last summer for $2.25 million.

All told, the no-decision lowered Bolanos’ ERA to 4.12. He has struck out 39 and walked 24 in 54 2/3 innings with the TinCaps (23-13, 49-57).

Right-hander Wilmer Torres (2.70) allowed an unearned run in the eighth to blow the win for Bolanos, while right-hander Hansel Rodriguez (4-9, 4.54) turned in a scoreless ninth for the win.

At the plate, catcher Marcus Greene Jr. (.281) drove in two runs on two hits and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (.271) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, two walks, two runs scored and his 25th steal.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (52-56)

• Round Rock 7, Chihuahuas 3: RHP Kyle Lloyd (0-2, 6.25) allowed five runs – four earned – on seven hits and four walks in three innings in his return to the PCL. CF Travis Jankowski (.219) continued his rehab with a single and two walks, RF Colling Cowgill (.240) hit his sixth homer and LF Nick Buss (.370) went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a run scored. Buss leads the PCL in batting average.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (21-16, 62-45)

• Missions 7, Frisco 5: RHP Enyel De Los Santos (4.27) struck out seven and allowed five runs in six innings in a no-decision, RHP Aroni Nina (2-2, 2.33) turned in two scoreless innings and LHP Brad Wieck (2.60) saved his sixth game with two strikeouts in the ninth. DH Franmil Reyes (.262) drove in three runs on two hits, including two on his 14th homer. CF Auston Bousfield (.242) drove in two runs on two hits.

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HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (15-22, 50-57)

• Storm 3, Visalia 0: RHP Jesse Scholtens (5-5, 3.79) struck out four and allowed only one hit and two walks in six innings in the win. 2B Chris Baker (.231) doubled in two runs and 3B Carlos Belen (.248) went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (4-3, 24-21)

• Dust Devils 7, Vancouver 3: LHP Nick Margevicius (1-0, 3.60) struck out five and allowed three runs – two earned – on five hits and no walks in five innings in his Tri-City debut. Margevicius, a seventh-round pick in June, had a 1.42 ERA and a 30-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 19 innings in the Arizona Rookie League. 2B Kelvin Melean (.239) doubled in three runs and SS Justin Lopez (.268) and RF Aldemar Burgos (.242) each had three hits.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES2 (16-12)

• Padres 3, Mariners 2 (10): CF Tirso Ornelas (.276) doubled home the tying and go-ahead runs for the walk-off win in extra innings. SS Gabriel Arias (.293) collected three hits and 3B Eguy Rosario (.327) tripled in a run. RHP Osvaldo Hernandez (1.69) struck out nine and allowed a run on four hits and no walks in 5 1/3 innings, his first appearance since a demotion from the Tri-City (4.95 ERA).

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Andrew McCutchen hits three home runs as Padres fall in series finale Dennis Lin

Two regulars, Yangervis Solarte and Austin Hedges, returned to San Diego’s lineup on Sunday. They figured to provide a boost for a rebuilding team that has been surprisingly competitive of late. After a 15-30 start, the Padres had gone 32-27. With Solarte and/or Hedges on the shelf, they won 19 of 33 games.

A glance at the standings was enough to ground them.

“The full body of work says we’re 10 games below .500 and we’ve got a long way to go to get to where we want to get,” manager Andy Green said Sunday morning. “We’re nowhere near a playoff team at this point in time. Are we pleased with the progress? Sure, but not nearly satisfied.”

Sunday afternoon provided a reminder. In a 7-1 loss at Petco Park, the Padres fell well short of a sweep and dropped to 47-58.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen hit three home runs in a game for the third time in his career. Dusty Coleman hit his second major league homer, supplying the Padres’ only run of the game.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole went six innings before allowing a run. San Diego left-hander Clayton Richard surrendered three runs in the sixth.

Richard has drawn some interest ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, but recent results have dampened his value. The veteran yielded four runs over six innings. His ERA crept up to 5.40.

McCutchen hit his first home run with two outs in the first. As Cole stymied the Padres, Richard did not allow another run over his next four frames.

A leadoff walk in the sixth preceded a sour exit. With two on and no outs, Jose Osuna lined a drive to right-center. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe tried but failed to cut off the ball. It rolled to the wall, where center fielder Manuel Margot bobbled it before delivering a throw toward the infield. Osuna wound up with a two-run triple. Jordy Mercer followed with an RBI single, for a 4-0 lead.

“Stuff-wise, felt like it was pretty good,” Richard said of his performance. “Fell behind to McCutchen a couple times, and that hurt. I think that’s really what changed the game, was not getting ahead to him. Gave up the home run there to him, and then the walk to him changed the outlook of that inning, so those two at-bats pretty much won the game for them.”

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In the top of the seventh, left-hander Kyle McGrath became the ninth player this season to make his major league debut with the Padres. McGrath retired the side in a nifty introduction.

“It was awesome,” McGrath said. “I was pretty nervous going into it. But now that I’ve got one under my belt, it’s a great feeling.”

In the bottom of the seventh, Coleman, who collected his first major league hit and his first major league home run last week, stepped to the plate. The journeyman shortstop tagged an 0-1 slider from Cole, sending the ball beyond the centerfield fence.

“He’s got power,” Green said. “It’s the consistency of the at-bats where he has to fight to maintain.

“Outside of that, I think Jose Pirela (1-for-4 with a double) had good at-bats against Gerrit Cole today, and outside of that, it was a fight for us.”

The Padres avoided a shutout, but they would not avoid more damage. McCutchen homered off Jose Torres in the eighth. Josh Bell led off the ninth with a home run. Three batters later, McCutchen clanged another solo shot off the right-field foul pole.

McCutchen joined Ryan Braun and Pablo Sandoval as the only players with a three-homer game at Petco Park. No Padres player has homered more than twice in a game here.

“We’ve missed against (McCutchen), and that’s what good hitters do when you make a mistake,” Green said.

Rust was evident in the Padres’ lineup. Solarte went 0-for-3 with a walk. Hedges finished 0-for-4.

The Padres completed July with a 14-11 record, their first winning month since they went 13-11 in July 2015.

“It starts at the top down, with the mindset and mentality that Andy puts forth,” Richard said. “When we put it together and play the game the right way, we’re a pretty good team.”

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Padres activate Solarte, Hedges; Blash, Quackenbush optioned Dennis Lin

The Padres welcomed two regulars back to their lineup Sunday. Yangervis Solartereturned from a left oblique strain and played third base, allowing Cory Spangenberg a start off. Austin Hedges was back from the concussion disabled list and back behind the plate.

In corresponding roster moves, the Padres optioned outfielder Jabari Blash and reliever Kevin Quackenbush to El Paso.

Both players have shuttled to and from Triple-A this season. While Quackenbush’s latest call-up was forgettable — in eight innings, the right-hander surrendered 10 runs — Blash recorded his most successful major league stint, hitting .298 (14-for-47) with six extra-base hits and six walks. Jose Pirela, who has hit .297 since his early-June promotion, will be the primary left fielder going forward.

“Over the last few weeks, (Blash) had an .850 (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) and was doing some really good things offensively in the box,” manager Andy Green said. “In the past, we were sending down guys that had .500 OPSes, and now we’re sending down guys that are producing fairly well while they’re here.

“We’re showing some depth, organizationally speaking, that we didn’t know we had coming into this season. … That makes for tough conversations, but those are good problems to have. It’s what you need if you’re going to turn into a playoff contender. We’re nowhere near that right now, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

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First pitch: Stoking confidence in Kirby Yates, Phil Maton

Jeff Sanders

Brad Hand, as of this writing, is (was?) still in San Diego.

Whether or not someone meets General Manager A.J. Preller’s lofty asking price for their All-Star left-hander, the Padres are confident his potential replacements in the ninth inning – rookie Phil Maton and waiver wire pickup Kirby Yates – will continue to set the tone for a bullpen that Andy Green expects to continue to be a strength well past Monday’s trade deadline.

Even with Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter moving on to Kansas City, the Padres 3.05 bullpen ERA since the All-Star break is 10th in baseball. While Hand continues to a lot of the heavy lifting, the 30-year-old Yates stepped into the ninth inning Saturday night for a two strike-out showing that gave him his first save since July 20, 2014, with the Rays.

Yates is 2-1 with career-bests in ERA (2.23), FIP (3.09), strikeouts per nine innings (13.6), walks per nine innings (2.23) and opponent average (2.23). Among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched, Yates’ 17.7-percent swinging strike rate is tied for sixth in baseball behind Craig Kimbrel (20.5), Jose Leclerc (18.9), Roberto Osuna (18.6), James Hoyt (18.3) and Kenley Jansen (18.0).

“I love the way he's chosen to use his slider more often than not now,” Green said of Yates. “That fastball up in the zone late, I think they are still searching for their first extra-base hit off it for the year. It's really special. He's not getting hit at the top of the zone with the fastball. It's got spin and it's got life and jumps. He's thrown the ball well for us.

“He's been another great pickup, just like Brad Hand was for us last year.”

That Yates was the choice in the ninth Saturday over Maton – Hand was down after pitching in three straight – was circumstantial, Green said.

Yates had pitched the previous game, making Maton the logical choice for one-plus innings when Green needed a bail-out in the seventh Saturday night. The right-handed rookie – who has a 2.95 ERA, 24 strikeouts and two walks in 21 1/3 innings – obliged and added a scoreless eighth to bridge the gap to Yates.

It might out differently next time Hand isn’t available – for whatever reason.

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“Honestly the way the game played out kind of dictated the decision-making,” Green said. “We got in such a dicey situation in the ninth and Phil was the only guy out of those two that was going to be good with going one-plus with Yates having thrown (Friday). At that point in time, that out in the seventh becomes more important than who's throwing in the ninth. If it had been a toss-up, I honestly might have gone the other way just as easily – not because I don't have confidence in Kirby, but because I have just as much in Phil. That could have gone the other way.”

Transactions With Yangervis Solarte (oblique) and Austin Hedges (concussion) activated and in the lineup, the Padres optioned both outfielder Jabari Blash and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush to Triple-A El Paso.

The 28-year-old Blash was hitting .224/.355/.395 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 30 games in the majors, including .298/.382/.511 since the All-Star break. At Triple-A El Paso, Blash’s 18 homers are tied with Chihuahuas teammate Christian Villanueva and Lake Elsinore catcher Austin Allen for the most in the system.

Quackenbush, who is out of options after 2017, is 0-2 with a 7.86 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 16 walks in 26 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. In the Pacific Coast League, Quackenbush is 2-1 with a 6.32 ERA and a .328 opponent average over 15 2/3 innings. This year alone, this is the sixth time Quackenbush has been optioned down to El Paso.

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ON DECK | Pirates (50-54) at Padres (47-57) Game 3: 1:40 p.m. Sunday

Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (8-7, 4.12 ERA)

• He was drafted No. 1 overall out of UCLA in 2011. Cole is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA, 30 strikeouts and five walks in four career starts (23 2/3 IP) against the Padres. He struck out seven over six shutout innings in a win last year.

Padres LHP Clayton Richard (5-1, 5.37 ERA)

• The 33-year-old veteran leads the majors in hits allowed (168) and earned runs (76) and is tops in the NL with 21 starts and 11 losses. Richard has a 9.87 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break.

Up next The Padres are off Monday, the non-waiver trading deadline. Then the Twins are in town for two games, followed by a 10-game road trip through Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Los Angeles.

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Hand not letting Trade Deadline weigh on

him

Padres reliever says he'll be happy if he stays or goes

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell |

SAN DIEGO -- Brad Hand is hours from having some clarity regarding his future with the Padres.

Finally.

One of the most coveted trade chips ahead of the non-waiver Trade Deadline, Hand has been the subject

of intense speculation for the better part of the past month. Come 1 p.m. PT on Monday, his future -- for

the next few months at least -- will be sealed.

"It'll be over one way or another," Hand said. "Whatever happens, I'll be happy either way."

Hand has been nothing short of dominant since early June. He hasn't allowed a run in 19 straight

appearances, and he's struck out 19 hitters in 11 1/3 innings since the start of July. In the process, his ERA

has dipped to an even 2.00.

More than half the league has called to inquire about Hand. After last October's bullpen revolution, he

figures to be a perfect fit on just about any contender. His durability and versatility make him especially

appealing.

But Hand is still under contract through 2019. And the Padres have made it clear they're willing to keep

Hand if their asking price isn't met.

"I'd be happy," Hand said. "They would see me as a part of their future plans here. I like the team here, I

like the coaches, I like everything about it. It's a good spot to be."

Added Padres manager Andy Green: "Do I enjoy [having] Brad Hand here? Sure, what manager

wouldn't? I'm thrilled every time I can reach down there and put him in a game."

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Since trade speculation began to heat up in early July, Hand has done nothing to stifle interest. He's been

excellent this month, adding that it's been easy for him to block out any trade chatter. Hand added that his

wife is much more clued into any potential landing spots than he is.

Ultimately, if the Padres choose to keep Hand, he'd likely still be on the trade block this offseason. But it's

hard to see his value being much higher than it is now.

Of course, Hand has plenty of reason to be content where he is. He revived his career in San Diego, after

all. The Padres claimed him off waivers from Miami at the start of the 2016 season. He has since turned

into one of the game's most dominant relievers, and appeared in his first All-Star Game earlier this month.

"I'm just thankful for the opportunity they gave me here to be able to pitch in those kinds of roles," Hand

said. "I just kind of ran with the opportunity they gave me, and it's worked out."

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Coleman hits homer, but Padres fall in

finale By Adam Berry and Nathan Ruiz / MLB.com | July 30th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Celebrating his 60th birthday Sunday, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle received a handful of

gifts from his team: three home runs from Andrew McCutchen, seven strong innings from Gerrit

Cole and a much-needed, 7-1 win over the Padres at Petco Park. And, yes, a cake, delivered by club staff

to his office in the visitor's clubhouse.

McCutchen's third career three-homer performance backed Cole's strong start to carry the Pirates past the

Padres, snapping San Diego's four-game winning streak and ending Pittsburgh's four-game skid. After

leaping back into the National League Central race, the Pirates struggled through a 3-6 West Coast road

trip. But Sunday's victory at least sent them home, and into Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, on a

positive note.

"To have two of your best players go out there and have the performance they did today, Andrew and

Cole, it makes the game look easy," Hurdle said. "And it's not."

Each of McCutchen's home runs were solo shots against a left-hander. His first came in the first inning

against Clayton Richard, providing the Pirates a lead they didn't relinquish as they remained 5 1/2 games

behind the Cubs in the NL Central race.

"It feels good, man. Done it before. It's cool to be able to do it again," McCutchen said. "We need a 'W'

every day we're out there, but we definitely needed one today."

His second and third came against reliever Jose Torres, but the two weren't similar. He crushed a 3-1

pitch from Torres a Statcast-projected 424 feet in the eighth, his third-longest of 2017, while his ninth-

inning homer dinked off the right-field foul pole. At 333 feet, it was the shortest this year at Petco Park.

"He's good, there's no doubt about that," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We've missed against him,

and that's what good hitters do when you make a mistake."

Between McCutchen's first two homers, Jose Osuna tripled in a pair in the sixth before scoring on Jordy

Mercer's single. Josh Bell's pinch-hit blast off Torres preceded McCutchen's third shot.

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Cole lowered his July ERA to 2.25 with seven one-run innings, striking out eight as he ended a start with

an ERA below 4.00 for the first time since May 27. The Padres could do little against Cole before Dusty

Coleman's seventh-inning home run.

"It was big to try to salvage this a little bit," Cole said. "I just feel good to be able to do my job and keep

taking the ball."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Osuna Matata: Richard put himself in trouble to begin the sixth by walking McCutchen before David

Freese grounded a single into right. Osuna then laced a pitch into right-center. The hit was likely to at

least score McCutchen from second, but right fielder Hunter Renfroetook a poor angle to the ball,

allowing it to trickle deeper into the outfield, where center fielder Manuel Margot had his own troubles

with it, as well. It ended up as a two-run triple for Osuna, tying him for the team lead with four, and

Hurdle credited his hit as "the separation that we were looking for throughout the game."

"Fell behind to McCutchen a couple times, and that hurt," said Richard, who has an 8.29 ERA in his past

six starts. "I think that's really what changed the game, was not getting ahead to him. Gave up the home

run there to him [in the first], and then the walk to him changed the outlook of that inning, so those two

at-bats pretty much won the game for them."

Andrew's answer: After Coleman hit his second homer among his first four Major League hits, the

Padres were back within three. Torres fell behind against McCutchen to start the inning, and the veteran

outfielder -- who also walked twice Sunday -- crushed the rookie's 3-1 pitch to center for his 21st home

run of 2017 to again provide the Pirates with a four-run advantage. It was the 15th time McCutchen

homered more than once in a game.

"You're going to get rewarded sometimes. You just keep having good at-bats, keep trying to do the same

thing over and over," McCutchen said. "I've preached it since June. Just doing the same thing, trying to do

the same thing over and over. Not necessarily focused on the outcome. Just focused on the preparation

and being ready every pitch. That's all I'm trying to do. I was rewarded today."

QUOTABLE

"I don't think that's why he did it. I'll take it and run with it, though. I will remember. They'll say,

'Anything significant happen on your 60th birthday?' Yeah, McCutchen hit three home runs at Petco

Park!"-- Hurdle, on McCutchen's performance taking place on his birthday

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"Every time the phone was ringing, my stomach was dropping a little bit. The anticipation kept building

and building. But it's good to get that one out of the way." -- Padres left-hander Kyle McGrath, on having

to wait a couple of days to pitch before a perfect seventh inning in his Major League debut

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

McCutchen's first-inning homer gave him 20 on the year, the seventh straight season he's reached that

mark. The only Pirate with more consecutive 20-homer seasons is Hall of Fame member Willie Stargell,

who did so 13 straight years from 1964 to 1976.

Albert Pujols is the only active player with more three-homer games than McCutchen's trio. Pujols has

four such performances.

SAN DIEGO'S DIVE AND D

The Padres' infield showed off defensively in the eighth, with shortstop Coleman and first baseman Jose

Pirela making impressive plays.

With one out in the frame, Osuna hit a grounder that seemed it would slip between Coleman and third

baseman Yangervis Solarte, but Coleman ranged to his right and fired across his body to nab Osuna.

The inning came to an end when Pirela dove into the stands to catch a foul popup.

UPON REVIEW

After hitting a chopper to third in the fifth, Richard began to slowly trot toward first, making little effort

to reach safely, but Freese bounced his throw across the field. As Osuna bobbled the ball, Richard

continued his jog, ruled safe as Bell struggled to pick up the ball. A 1-minute, 45-second review

determined Osuna had the ball in his bare hand and his foot on the bag barely before Richard reached first

base, and Richard was called out.

WHAT'S NEXT

Pirates: The Pirates are off Monday, but general manager Neal Huntington and the rest of Pittsburgh's

front office will be busy before the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Bucs likely will walk the

line between buyers and sellers, as they did last year. They will return to the field Tuesday night at PNC

Park, where right-hander Jameson Taillon will take the mound to begin a three-game series against the

Reds.

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Padres: With an off-day Monday, general manager A.J. Preller and the rest of the Padres' front office will

have all of their attention on the non-waiver Trade Deadline at 1 p.m. PT. Left-handed reliever Brad

Hand, right-handed starter Jhoulys Chacin and others could be had, leaving San Diego's roster in

different shape by the time they face the Twins at 4:05 p.m. PT Tuesday.

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McGrath's big league debut worth the wait By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | July 30th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Kyle McGrath was a walk-on at Louisville. He was selected No. 1,077 overall in the

36th round of the 2014 Draft. The rookie southpaw had waited nearly 25 years for his Major League

debut.

The last four days were undoubtedly the toughest.

McGrath -- who tossed a perfect seventh inning in the Padres' 7-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday -- learned

he was headed to San Diego late Wednesday night.

Then he waited. And he waited some more. In fact, he waited so long, his parents canceled their flight

home Saturday. (Fortunately, his father, James McGrath, worked for American Airlines and has plenty of

miles to use.)

"Every time the [bullpen] phone was ringing, my stomach was dropping a little bit," McGrath said. "The

anticipation kept building and building. But it's good to get that one out of the way."

McGrath wasted no time recording his first Major League strikeout. He got Bucs starter Gerrit

Cole looking on three pitches. Then he fooled Starling Marte on a changeup, inducing a weak pop to

center field. McGrath punctuated the inning with a strikeout of Max Moroff on a nasty changeup.

One day before McGrath turns 25, it was quite the birthday present.

"It's everything you really dream of," McGrath said. "A lot of nerves. You look around with the crowd,

this place is almost full, and it's a really cool feeling."

McGrath's parents and his fiancee had been in town since Thursday morning. They met him in the tunnel

outside the Padres clubhouse following the game.

James McGrath harkened back to the summer following Kyle's freshman year of college at Eastern

Kentucky. Kyle informed his dad he'd be transferring to Louisville, where he planned to walk on. At such

a prominent Division I program, James McGrath warned Kyle, "You realize you may never get to play

baseball again."

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"He's finally proved everything that so many people thought he could never do," said an emotional James

McGrath. "It's euphoric, that's for sure."

McGrath's funky over-the-top delivery has played no small part in his success. He has posted a 2.66 ERA

at Double-A San Antonio this season and owns a 1.61 mark in four Minor League seasons.

For one game at least, that success translated to the big league level.

"It was awesome," McGrath said. "I was pretty nervous going into it. But now that I've got one under my

belt, it's a great feeling."

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Myers gets much-needed respite from

starting

Padres first baseman is hitting .196 in second half

By Nathan Ruiz / MLB.com | July 30th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Wil Myers doesn't like missing games, but he hopes doing that will be exactly what gets

him going.

The Padres' first baseman was out of the lineup for the second straight day Sunday. With Monday's off-

day, Myers will receive a three-day break to mentally "reboot, recenter," manager Andy Green said.

On Sunday, prior to the series finale against the Pirates, Myers said he was on board with the decision as

he searches for a way to correct his .196 average in the second half.

"I'm never a guy that wants to take days off anyway, even just a normal rest day" Myers said. "But for me,

the way Andy described it, I felt like it was a good idea for me to just maybe take a step back and more so

just kind of get away from it.

"These last two months have been tough. Haven't really swung the bat well at all. I think it was good to

just take a step back, miss the game a little bit, and just get ready to go for Tuesday."

The Padres open a series at home against the Twins on Tuesday.

After batting .310 in April, Myers is hitting .219 across the next three months. Overall, he's hitting .237

since posting a .286 average in 2016's first half to earn his first All-Star nod. He's tied with Hunter

Renfroe for the Padres' lead in home runs (20) and also leads the team in walks (45) and RBIs (49).

Myers played in 100 of San Diego's first 103 games, following a 157-game campaign in 2016. Despite his

dip in performance, Myers has consistently been on the field after consecutive injury-marred seasons in

2014 and 2015.

"He doesn't ask for days off," Green said. "... This year, he came out with the mindset that he wanted to

play 162 games, which is a great mindset to have. It's my job to decide if that's the best way for him to go

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through a baseball season, but you want your players to want to be on the field every single day. Wil

wants that, and he wants to produce as much as anything. I think these couple days -- not by his request

by any stretch, but by my judgment -- should be good days for him to step back and get back after it."

Myers said he has never taken a reprieve like this weekend before, though he's also never struggled to this

extent in his career.

He was antsy during the Padres' 4-2 victory Saturday, wanting to help his teammates. Myers watched as

his replacement in the three hole and at first base, Jose Pirela, hit a pair of triples. Pirela was in the same

spot Sunday, while Myers will spend another day in the dugout getting his mind right.

A couple of weeks ago, Myers described his slump as exclusively mental, with nothing physical causing

issues. He amended that statement Sunday, saying an off mental mindset could cause physical flaws, but

still reiterated his struggles are mostly between his ears.

"It's one of those things where I've got to find the right mental approach and find that confidence again,"

Myers said. "I definitely think it's going to help. I definitely don't think it can hurt at all. I think this is one

thing that can only help me."

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Padres welcome back Hedges, Solarte

Catcher, infielder reinstated from disabled list for finale

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | July 30th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Two key pieces returned to the Padres' lineup on Sunday afternoon. Austin Hedges was

back behind the plate after two weeks on the disabled list with a concussion. And Yangervis

Solarte returned from a left oblique strain. He started at third base, but will see time around the infield.

Both players were in the starting lineup for Sunday's finale against the Pirates.

To clear room on the roster, righty reliever Kevin Quackenbush and outfielder Jabari Blashwere

optioned to Triple-A El Paso.

Solarte, who spent the first three months at second base, strained his oblique in Chicago in late June. With

the emergence of Carlos Asuaje at second, it's likely Solarte will move around the diamond.

"I'm always taking ground balls," Solarte said. "For me, you never know [where you'll be needed]. I try to

do my best at every position. You never know. I just try to help the team and be ready."

Solarte hasn't played shortstop since 2014. He played nine innings there in a Triple-A rehab game on

Friday night.

Padres manager Andy Green said Solarte could see time at shortstop later this week.

"The nice thing about Soly is he can play second a day, play short a day, play third a day," Green said.

"[He can] stay in the lineup every single day, do what he does very well, which is be versatile and swing

the bat."

As for Hedges, he sustained his concussion taking a Brandon Belt foul ball off his mask on July 14. He

caught five innings in the Arizona Rookie League on Friday.

"It was frustrating," Hedges said. "Each day I was feeling a little bit better, but didn't know what that

meant. I was just searching for what normal felt like again. It's felt like a lot longer than two weeks."

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Since the injury, Hedges has made some adjustments to his mask, adding a bit more padding.

"There are some new masks, technologies that I'm looking into," Hedges said. "It's definitely not super

comfortable, but it's going to keep me safer."

Green noted that the two off-days this week will give Hedges and Solarte ample time to re-acclimate

themselves.

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Myers expected back in lineup vs. Twins By Michael Wagaman / MLB.com | July 30th, 2017

Minnesota pitcher Jose Berrios will look to continue his surprising season while San Diego's Jhoulys

Chacin attempts to keep his current streak of wins going in a matchup of right-handers when the Padres

host the Twins in the opener of a two-game series on Tuesday.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2014, when Minnesota won three of four from San

Diego. Overall, the Twins hold a 12-4 lead in the all-time series.

Berrios began the season in the Minors, but has the second-most wins on the Twins and has allowed two

earned runs or fewer in eight of his 14 starts this season.

The 23-year-old, who won seven of his first eight decisions, has hit a small rut recently and has been

unable to make it to the fifth inning in two of his last three outings.

It will be Berrios' first career start against the Padres and his fifth Interleague start. Berrios won two of his

three Interleague starts this season, but is coming off a loss to the Dodgers on July 25, when he gave up

four runs in four innings.

Chacin has won four straight decisions, despite some control issues. The righty has walked 13 in his

previous five starts, although he's trimmed more than a half-point off his ERA during that same time.

Things to know about this game

• The Twins expect to have center fielder Byron Buxton back in the lineup after he spent the weekend on

a rehab assignment. Buxton has been on the disabled list since July 15 with a groin strain and migraines.

• After getting a much-needed three-day break, San Diego first baseman Wil Myers is expected back in

the Padres lineup.

• The game will mark Joe Mauer's 1,677th in a Minnesota uniform, moving him past Tony Oliva into

fourth place on the Twins' all-time list. Harmon Killebrew holds the franchise record at 1,939.

• The Twins are 3-6 in Interleague play this season. The Padres are 7-9 in such games.

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Andrew McCutchen's 3 home runs carry Pirates to win over Padres Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Andrew McCutchen paused a bit as he rounded first base after hitting his third home run Sunday, wanting to make sure that it was indeed gone before finishing his trot.

It was. The ball hit the right-field foul pole and bounced onto the field, causing a moment of confusion before one of the umps signaled homer.

"I just wanted it to stay fair," McCutchen said after the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Diego

Padres 7-1 to snap a four-game losing streak. "I didn't know if it was going to stay fair or not. I just kept running until someone signaled something.

"It feels great," said McCutchen, who had his third career three-homer game. "I'm in a good position to hit. I wasn't missing anything; getting pitches to hit and hitting them and being able to hit them with some power. It felt good. I had a good day at the plate. It was an all-around good day."

McCutchen's big day backed Gerrit Cole, who pitched seven innings of five-hit ball for the Pirates. It was just the second win in eight games for the Pirates, who ended the Padres' four-game winning streak.

McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and the 2013 NL MVP, has 22 homers. He connected with two outs in the first off left-hander Clayton Richard, with the ball clearing the fence just out of the reach of center fielder Manuel Margot. He homered into the Padres' bullpen in left-center in the eighth off rookie Jose Torres and then homered with two outs in the ninth, again off Torres.

"It feels good, man," McCutchen said. "I've done it before so it's cool to be able to do it again. To have that opportunity to go out there and do it for the third time in my career, that's pretty cool."

This was McCutchen's third multihomer game of the season and 15th of his career. He also made a nice diving catch in center field to end the eighth.

"They're special days, and I told him that as he came off the field," said manager Clint Hurdle, who turned 60 Sunday. "I've got to see him do it a couple times now, three homers in a game. He creates a wake in everything he does. To have your best players and have the performance they had today, Andrew and Cole, makes the game look easy, and it's not.

"I've watched players play at an elite level and Andrew's as good as any of them."

McCutchen scored four runs.

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"He's a perennial All-Star," Richard said. "He's one of the top players in the league for a reason. You have to give him credit. Like you saw today, he hits with power to all fields, he has speed. He's a really good player.

"I fell behind McCutchen a couple of times and I think that's really what changed the game," he said.

Pinch-hitter Josh Bell homered in the ninth, his 19th. Cole (9-7), who lives in Santa Ana and played at UCLA, won his second straight start and third decision in a row. His only big mistake was allowing a home run by rookie Dusty Coleman to center field with one out in the seventh, his second. Cole struck out eight and walked two.

Cole was a happy witness to McCutchen's big day.

"It's a lot of fun," the right-hander said. "Using all three parts of the ballpark. Pretty special hitter."

McCutchen is successful because of "his persistence to stick with his process and just control what he can control and always going in the right direction," Cole said.

Cole said he "just executed a good amount of pitches and kept them off-balance enough. When guys are eating up groundballs left and right you tend to attack the zone."

The Pirates scored three runs in the sixth when the first four batters reached. Jose Osuna hit a two-run triple to right-center and Jordy Mercer followed with an RBI single to center.

Richard (5-12) gave up seven hits and four runs in six innings, struck out five and walked two.

Richard notched his MLB-leading seventh pickoff when he caught Cole too far off the bag after reaching on a single in the third.

San Diego first baseman Jose Pirela made an impressive catch of a foul ball by Chris Stewart while diving into the stands to end the top of the eighth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: Josh Harrison suffered discomfort in his lower left leg while stretching for the bag on a grounder in the third inning. He reached on a throwing error by shortstop Dusty Coleman and was replaced by Max Moroff. Moroff stayed in the game at second base. Padres: C Austin Hedges(concussion) and 3B Yangervis Solarte (side) came off the DL and started.

UP NEXT

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Pirates: After an off day, RHP Jameson Taillon (6-4, 4.03 ERA) is scheduled to open a home series Tuesday night against the Cincinnati reds and RHP Homer Bailey (2-5, 8.37). Padres: After an off day, RHP Jhoulys Chacin (10-7, 4.22) is set to start the opener of a two-game series against Minnesota, with RHP Berrios (9-4, 3.76).

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Trade Deadline Daily: Padres can afford to keep Brad Hand ESPN.com

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the San Diego Padres are no longer seeking top-tier prospects for bullpen lefty Brad Hand, but teams have been offering limited-ceiling prospects ranked in the 15-20 range from their systems -- which is not enough to get a deal done. Padres owner Ron Fowler wasn't posturing when he said the team might keep Hand, and offers will need to ramp up for GM A.J. Preller to make a deal. Crasnick notes that Hand could be a fallback option for a team like the Houston Astros -- if they're not willing to pay the price for Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton or Detroit Tigers closer Justin

Wilson -- or the Milwaukee Brewers.

An All-Star for the first time in his career this year, Hand has a 2.00 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 16 holds in 49 games, recording 70 strikeouts over 54 innings.

The 27-year-old southpaw is making just $1.375 million this season and has two years left until he reaches free agency.

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This Day in Padres History, 7/31

Winfield has eight straight hits; Coleman,

Gwynn honored

By Bill Center

July 31, 1979 — Right fielder Dave Winfield goes 5-for-5 with a double, a homer, four RBIs and four runs scored in the Padres 10–3 win in Atlanta. In his final at-bat, Winfield becomes the first Padre ever to get hits in eight straight at-bats.

July 31, 1982 — Right fielder Sixto Lezcano goes 6-for-7 with three homers and seven RBIs as the Padres sweep a doubleheader in Cincinnati.

July 31, 1988 — Right fielder Tony Gwynn is named the National League Player of the Month for July. Gwynn hit .406 in July with three homers, 17 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

July 31, 1996 — Left fielder Greg Vaughn acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for pitchers Ron Villone and Bryce Florie and outfielder Marc Newfield.

July 31, 2002 — Phil Nevin hits two of five Padres homers in an 11-inning Padres win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Nevin and Mark Kotsay both homer in the top of the 11th. Padres pitchers also tie a franchise record for an extra-inning game with 20 strikeouts.

July 31, 2005 — Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award.

July 31, 2009 — Right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy traded to the Chicago White Sox for four pitchers, including left-handed starter Clayton Richard.

July 31, 2011 — The Padres trade right-handed relief pitcher Mike Adams to the Texas Rangers for minor league starting pitchers Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland.