SAN DIEGO — The Padres — six games over .500 and tied for the most wins in the National League with 23 — have pieced together a solid first quarter of their 2021 season. Even if they’ve spent a chunk of it wondering “what if?” about their offense.
What if they could just get the bats going? What if this lineup started to function like the relentlessly deep offense the Padres felt they’d built this winter? What if guys like Tommy Pham, Ha-Seong Kim and Austin Nola started chipping in — and perhaps even slugging a bit?
Well, it would probably look something like this.
The Padres rolled to a 13-3 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night. Pham went deep in the first inning, Kim followed in the second and Nola blasted a three-run shot in the third, as the offense erupted for 17 hits — the most for the Padres at Petco Park in five years.
“What can you say?” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “A lot of guys contributed in a lot of different aspects.”
That trio of Pham, Kim and Nola entered Saturday with just a single homer among them — none at Petco Park — and all three were hitting below .200. The Padres insisted they were due for an offensive breakout. It happened simultaneously.
Pham’s homer was a no-doubter, and he tacked on a walk before exiting the game as part of a double switch. Kim homered and continued his steady defensive run at short. Meanwhile, Nola’s offensive breakout was the most pronounced, as he went 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs.
“I was just following up on my teammates,” Nola said. “… When your teammates are hitting, you can’t help but get on board.”
All season, the biggest concern with the San Diego offense has been its stunning lack of power. The Padres entered play with a .319 on-base percentage that ranked eighth in the Majors. But their .359 slugging percentage ranked 27th. In simpler terms: The Padres were putting men on base, but they weren’t driving them in with any regularity — mainly because they weren’t slugging.
Cue Saturday’s surprise onslaught, which took place with half of the Padres regular lineup — Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar — on the injured list because of COVID-19 issues. The Padres again had no trouble working their way on base, drawing six walks. But they also made Cardinals pitchers pay with five extra-base hits.
“We know we’ve got a very good offense,” Tingler said. “We know that our [best] baseball is in front of us. … We just want to keep the momentum going.”
The positive developments weren’t limited to the offense on Saturday night. Chris Paddack — on a strict pitch count in his second start back from the injured list — worked four innings of one-run ball. His fastball was as electric as it’s been perhaps since 2019. He also mixed in 12 curveballs, his most this season by far.
“Over the past couple weeks, I’ve really dialed in that pitch,” Paddack said. “Throwing program, working on it in my bullpens, and then it’s transferred over into the game. That’s going to be a weapon for me.”
Just like it’s enticing to wonder what this offense might look like with all of its depth pieces clicking, it’s equally fair to dream on this Padres rotation with a thriving Paddack. San Diego starters have combined for a 2.94 ERA this season — and that’s been with an up-and-down showing from Paddack.
But since he returned from the IL, he has allowed one run across two starts — albeit just seven innings total between them. Still, Paddack — and his fastball in particular — has looked an awful lot like the 2019 edition that took the league by storm.
“I really think that’s it: Getting back to that mentality that my stuff is better than you,” Paddack said.
Of course, the last time Paddack faced St. Louis, he surrendered six runs across 2 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series last fall. That start, he said, was heavy on his mind entering this one.
“I guess you could say it was a little redemption,” Paddack said. “I tried to make it personal tonight. It’s good to see that my hard work’s paying off.”
By the time Paddack left, the Padres had a five-run lead, and they tacked on relentlessly. Trent Grisham and Jake Cronenworth joined Nola with three hits apiece. In total, 11 different Padres tallied hits — the first time they’ve done so since June 2017.
“We get the offense going, that’s going to help a lot of things,” Tingler said. “They’re starting to show some signs of turning the corner.”
