ROOKIES OFF TO A FAST START
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It was quite an opening weekend for the Padres’ collection of rookies — particularly Saturday night.
In a 5-2 win over the D-backs, top prospect C.J. Abrams recorded his first career hit in the ninth inning. He scored his first run later in the frame when fellow rookie José Azocar notched his first career hit. And that insurance run would seal right-hander Steven Wilson‘s first career win in his big league debut.
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“You really can’t lose sight of how big a night that is for those guys and how exciting it is,” said Padres manager Bob Melvin. “They’ll be sitting in their hotel room, and their phones will be blowing up. It’s just a great night.”
All three — Abrams, Wilson and Azocar — later guessed that they received upwards of 100 text messages apiece from family and friends. Wilson, who said he had a contingent of 15 people at Chase Field over the weekend, said the moment didn’t quite hit him until Monday morning, after he’d arrived in San Francisco.
“This morning I woke up, and it was just me, and I had time to sit with my thoughts and take it all in,” said Wilson, who became just the fifth Padres reliever to earn the win in his debut. “It was pretty emotional. I sent some text messages to my family, thanking them for being there and for all the support over the years.”
Of course, two nights prior, Robert Suarez‘s big league debut didn’t go quite so smoothly. He walked a pair and hit a batter, as the Padres blew a two-run ninth-inning lead.
But Suarez returned to action in Sunday’s 10-5 victory over Arizona at Chase Field. He fanned D-backs catcher Carson Kelly for his first career strikeout and allowed a run on a hit over two innings.
“Most importantly, the win was nice,” Suarez said through a team interpreter. “For me to be able to throw two innings, even though I gave up that one run, we were able to win, and I was able to get my first strikeout, which is exciting. … I definitely felt much better.”
Among the four Padres who made their big league debuts over the weekend, Azocar was easily the most surprising inclusion on the Opening Day roster.
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In fact, Azocar didn’t learn that he’d made the roster until around 9:50 p.m. on the night before Opening Day. He received a call from general manager A.J. Preller. Per Azocar’s recollection, Preller asked if he was talking to José Azocar. Azocar responded, “Yes.” Then, Preller asked, “Wait, am I talking to José Azocar? Or am I talking to big leaguer José Azocar?”
Azocar made the team with an outstanding spring and has already proved to be a valuable piece. Capable of playing all three outfield spots, Azocar has served as a late-game replacement in left field because of his solid defense. He also boasts excellent speed and a decent right-handed bat, if he can avoid swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone. Multiple people in the organization have compared his skillset to that of former Padres center fielder Manuel Margot.
“It feels amazing,” Azocar said. “I’m just happy to be here, to do my job, to be ready every single day to go out there play defense, whatever they need me to do. It feels amazing.”
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• As Wilson pointed out, his first win was something of an all-Colorado affair. After he pitched a scoreless seventh inning, Pierce Johnson and Taylor Rogers did the same in the eighth and ninth, respectively. All three hail from the same 303 area code, and Wilson and Rogers played at rival high schools.
• Abrams has, somewhat surprisingly, started only two of the Padres’ first five games this season. Don’t expect that to be the norm; the Padres want their top prospect playing regularly. But it just so happens San Diego has faced left-handers in three of five games to start the year. As such, the righty-hitting Ha-Seong Kim has gotten the starts at shortstop ahead of the lefty-hitting Abrams.
• Yu Darvish already looks like a different pitcher. In his first start of the season, Darvish threw his four-seam fastball at a 50 percent clip. Typically, Darvish relies far more heavily on spin — using his cutter, slider and curve. Last season, Darvish threw his four-seamer only 22 percent of the time.
“It makes everything else better,” said catcher Austin Nola. “It makes hitters, once they realize the fastball is established, they have to respect it, they have to respect the other stuff.”
Darvish, who didn’t allow a hit in six innings against the D-backs, faces a much tougher lineup on Tuesday night in San Francisco. It’ll be worth monitoring his pitch usage.
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• Bob Melvin is back in his old stomping grounds this week. Not only did he spend 11 seasons as Oakland manager, but he was born in Palo Alto, grew up in Menlo Park and attended the University of California, Berkeley.
“It’s always special when you get to come home,” Melvin said. “You’ve got the rivalry against the Giants. This ballpark’s fantastic. You’re always going to get big crowds here, and it’s going to be fun to play. It’s a really good team, so you have to play your best to win here. But whenever you come home, it’s special.”
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