PHOENIX — As opening weekends go, the Padres couldn’t have asked for a whole lot more. (OK, sure, they could’ve asked for a clean ninth inning on Thursday night — in which case, they’d be off to a perfect start.) But all in all, it was an impressive start to the season for a team with big aspirations.
“Losing the first one wasn’t ideal,” San Diego manager Bob Melvin said following Sunday’s 10-5 victory over Arizona. “But to come back and win the next two and have a little more offense today — it certainly felt good to finish off the series.”
Here are three takeaways from an eventful weekend at Chase Field.
1. That pitching depth should come in handy
“Keeping us healthy is the main issue,” right-hander Joe Musgrove said Saturday night when asked about the sky-high potential of the Padres’ rotation. “We’d like to stay healthy as long as we can. The guys that we have, we have a really strong chance to win a lot of games.”
Welp. Not even 24 hours after Musgrove uttered those words, left-hander Blake Snell was scratched from his start on Sunday with left adductor tightness, the same injury that plagued him last September. The injury, according to Snell, is “more minor” than the last time, but it’s possible he ends up on the injured list.
This is where all that pitching depth comes into play. It’s obviously not ideal when such an electric arm is sidelined in the first trip through the rotation. But the Padres have options.
“At one point, it looked like we had almost too many,” Melvin said. “And here we are, four games into the season, and it’s not too many. Good job by [president of baseball operations] A.J. [Preller] to go out and get [Sean] Manaea, for sure.”
Help could be on the way. MacKenzie Gore was outstanding in Spring Training and pitched five scoreless innings in his season debut for Triple-A El Paso on Saturday night. Mike Clevinger, meanwhile, threw an intensive bullpen session on Sunday morning and will begin a rehab stint later this week.
On top of that, the front of San Diego’s rotation already looks dominant. Yu Darvish and Manaea held Arizona hitless on consecutive nights, followed by Musgrove’s quality start on Saturday. Even with a short spring, the Padres’ first three starters all lasted at least six innings, meaning the bullpen was fresh when it needed to cover for Snell on Sunday.
Attrition comes for every rotation at some point. The Padres think they’re built to withstand it.
2. The catching balance feels just right
Jorge Alfaro, having learned that he and Nabil Crismatt had become the first all-Colombian battery to start a game in Major League history, took a moment to soak that information in.
“That’s nice to know, man,” Alfaro said. “It’s nice to be part of that.”
Then, Alfaro had something else to get off his chest.
“I just want to say,” he added, “that it’s fun to be here.”
The Padres are happy to have him. Alfaro raked all spring and is now 3-for-8 with a home run — a second-inning solo shot on Sunday — to start the season. If he can sustain this type of success for any measure of time, his arrival will have been a coup. San Diego landed Alfaro from Miami for modest cash considerations on the final day before the lockout.
And he’s only the backup. Austin Nola, healthy after some brutal injury luck during the 2021 season, is also off to a hot start. He will get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate, and he remains an immensely valuable piece as a strong defensive catcher with a solid bat as well.
Of course, like with starting pitching, organizational catching depth is paramount. And the Padres have Luis Campusano, their No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, stashed at Triple-A. That level of depth made them comfortable dealing Victor Caratini to the Brewers on the eve of the season.
3. Some lineup clarity
It was helpful that the Padres faced two lefties and two righties on opening weekend, as Melvin’s first four starting lineups offered plenty of clues moving forward.
First, at shortstop: C.J. Abrams started against righties and Ha-Seong Kim against lefties. That’s not necessarily going to be a strict platoon, Melvin says. He might ride the hot hand on occasion. But it’s a baseline.
At first base, it’s not quite so clear-cut. Eric Hosmer will presumably start against certain left-handers, as he did against Madison Bumgarner on Opening Day. But when Hosmer sits, the Padres have options. On Sunday, Luke Voit slid to first, and Nola served as designated hitter. With such a strong offensive combo at catcher, the presence of a DH could favor San Diego.
“Potentially, yeah,” Melvin said. “Austin does a great job with left-handed pitching, and Alfaro’s swung the bat really well.”
Then, there’s the much-ballyhooed left-field situation. No, the Padres didn’t trade for Bryan Reynolds, nor did they sign Seiya Suzuki. Instead, they entered the season with serious question marks, as Jurickson Profar and Matt Beaty were slated to share time.
And wouldn’t you know it? Profar has reached base seven times in 13 plate appearances with a pair of homers — including the second-inning grand slam that set the Padres on course for a rout of the D-backs on Sunday afternoon.
