San Diego Padres fans probably did a bit of a double-take when they saw their team’s starting lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies. Batting second, playing 2nd base, was Fernando Tatis Jr.
Yes, THAT Fernando Tatis Jr., the Platinum Glove-winning right fielder who has played all of one Major League inning at the keystone and last started there with Double-A San Antonio in 2017. Tati has been taking ground balls at 2nd base in pregame warmups for most of the season but it wasn’t clear if that was just for fun or a hint he might be occasionally moonlighting as an infielder again.
It was the latter, and the change might have done him and the Padres a world of good. Tatis Jr. handled the few defensive chances that came his way and had three hits for his best offensive performance of the season in a 9-5 win, their 4th straight victory and 3rd straight series win.
San Diego starter German Marquez had a few early issues against his former team. Marquez allowed three home runs, including one to La Costa Canyon High School alum Mickey Moniak, in the first three innings as the Rockies built a 4-0 lead. Marquez settled in to get through another couple of innings, giving his offense a chance to get going.
Oh, did it ever. San Diego got on the board with a three-run 3rd inning highlighted by a Manny Machado 2-run homer that cut the lead to 4-3. Machado’s second HR of the year tied him with Ramon Laureano for the team lead, something Laureano was not going to just let slide by.
In the 4th inning Laureano obliterated a Ryan Feltner changeup, sending it deep into the left field seats for another 3-run shot to put the Padres on top 6-4.
Laureano, hitting in the leadoff spot again, was on base four times, drove in three runs, and scored three more. The Padres put it out of reach in the 6th inning when the Rockies imploded. Kyle Karros made an error on a Freddy Fermin grounder then Zach Agnos proceeded to walk three straight batters to bring in another run and make it a 7-4 game. Jackson Merrill followed with a double to bring in two more and put it out of reach.
Through 15 games, the Friars are 9-6. If they average winning nine of 15 for the rest of the season they’ll finish with about 98 wins, which would tie the franchise record set by the 1998 National League champions and assuredly put them back in the postseason. They can earn their first series sweep of the year on Sunday afternoon with Nick Pivetta on the mound against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland.