The Friars started the scoring in the top of the second inning with some timely hitting by the bottom of their batting order.  San Diego had runners at second and third after rookie Jedd Gyorko hit a single and Alexi Amarista blasted a ground-rule double before an unlikely player stepped up with two outs.  John Baker, who received a spot –start today, laced a single which plated both Gyorko and Amarista to put the Padres ahead by a score of 2-0.

The “hit parade” continued for San Diego as they really got to Freddy Garcia during his less than four innings of work.  Yes readers, it was the same Freddy Garcia who the Padres brought in for competition purposes during spring training.  In fact, every single Padres starter recorded a least one hit today!

Amarista had a great game today. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

In the top of the fourth, Kyle Blanks crushed a solo home run and Amarista followed the scorcher with another double to right field.  Everth Cabrera walked after a Baker fly-out, and Will Venable hit a double to score Amarista from second after Garcia left the game!

San Diego added on more insurance runs in the top of the sixth with a single by Carlos Quentin, a two-run home run by Amarista in the seventh, and a Cabrera single in the final frame.

Amarista’s jack was particularly impressive, especially because the “Little Ninja” smashed the ball to deep left-center.  Make no mistake, Alexi is a short guy, but he sure can pack a wallop if he makes the type of solid contact he did today.

Jason Marquis (5-2) did not have his “best” stuff on the mound today, but credit must go to the veteran for pitching himself out of numerous sticky situations.  Jason did not dominate Baltimore’s hitters today as he gave up seven hits and three walks during his five innings of work.  Yet the veteran’s ability to perform “damage control” in the most crucial of situations was huge as he only allowed two solo home runs on the day.

Kudos must also go to the rest of San Diego’s bullpen for their collective performance over the final four frames too.  Dale Thayer, Joe Thatcher, Anthony Bass and Huston Street allowed a grand total of two runs during the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings as they slammed the door on any hope of an Orioles comeback.

The Padres will head back to San Diego tomorrow for two difficult series in a row.  Tomorrow the Padres begin a four-game set with the Washington Nationals, and on Monday they will tango with the Cardinals for another three.

Let’s just hope that the Friars can continue to play some solid baseball against these two National League juggernauts.

Hopefully Headley and the Padres can get on the right track over the next 10 days. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego saw a 3-2 lead evaporate in the seventh inning on Friday night when Tampa Bay put up four runs to coast to the win.  On Saturday evening, Huston Street blew a save in the bottom of the ninth with two outs when Evan Longoria hit a two-run home run to win the game 8-7.  And yesterday, the wheels came off once again when in the bottom of the sixth for San Diego when starter Eric Stults allowed two runs to score after the Padres had built a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately for the Padres, they will not have much time to reflect on what transpired this past weekend.  In fact, over the next week and a half, San Diego will probably face their toughest stretch of opponents so far this year.

After today’s off-day, the Padres will stay back east and travel up to Baltimore to take on the Orioles for a two-game series.  Still hot off of their surprising run to the postseason last year, Baltimore has enjoyed similar success through the first month and a half of the 2013 campaign.

The Orioles sit in second place in a loaded American League East with a 23-15 record, and they are only one game behind the New York Yankees for the top spot in the division.  Native San Diegan Adam Jones (.321 batting average, 5 home runs, 14 doubles, 25 RBI’s), Manny Machado (.331 batting average, 5 home runs, 14 doubles, 24 RBI’s) and Chris Davis (.313 batting average, 11 home runs, 37 RBI’s) have all swung hot bats this year, and the Orioles currently rank third in the league in runs scored (184).

After their series in Baltimore, the Padres will head home to take on the Nationals for a four-game set in San Diego.  Like Baltimore, Washington has also carried their positive mojo over from the 2012 season.

The Nationals not only qualified for the postseason for the first time since the franchise was in Montreal (1981), the team came dangerously close to beating St. Louis in the ALDS last year.  And just like Baltimore, Washington sits in second place in their division, and they are only one game behind the Atlanta Braves.  While the Nationals aren’t nearly as formidable at the plate as the Orioles are, the team ranks 6th in team ERA (3.47) and starters like Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg are always threats to turn in stellar outings on the mound.

As difficult as San Diego’s next six games will be, the Padres will really need to bring their “A game” when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals immediately following their series with the Nationals.  St Louis is one of the league’s hottest teams right now as they have won eight of their last 10 games.  Even without Albert Pujols for a second straight year, their offense is still a productive force as they rank ninth in the league in batting average (.263) and are led by veterans Yadier Molina (.343 batting average), Carlos Beltran (.298 batting average, 9 home runs, 22 RBI’s) and Allen Craig (.295 batting average and 27 RBI’s).

The Padres however should be more worried about St. Louis’ formidable starting rotation during their three-game series next week.  Shelby Miller (5-2 and 1.58 ERA), Adam Wainwright (5-2 and 2.30 ERA), Lance Lynn (5-1 and 2.72 ERA), Jaime Garcia (4-2 and 2.86 ERA), and Jake Westbrook (2-1 and 1.62 ERA) have all done a tremendous job in 2013, and the Cardinals rank first in the league in team ERA (2.89) and have complied 26 quality starts already this year.

Final Thoughts

Although the next 10 days will be anything but easy for the Friars, I for one am definitely intrigued to see how well that San Diego’s players can respond against some of the league’s best teams after such a crushing sweep in Tampa Bay.  The next week and a half should provide a some tremendous litmus tests for the Padres, and any and all learning experiences should serve this team well as they ready themselves for an arduous summer.

Stats Courtesy of: Baseball Reference and ESPN

Venable had a strong performance today. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, a tip of the cap must go to Jason Marquis for his efforts on the mound today.  The veteran right-hander pitched eight innings of scoreless ball, recorded two strikeouts, allowed only five hits, and started an important inning-ending 1-2-3 double-play when the bases were loaded with one out in the top of the third.

San Diego’s starter moved to 4-2 on the season and has done a fine job as of late.  In fact, Lee noted earlier today exactly how effective many members of the Friars’ starting staff have been over the last couple of weeks.  It’s a solid post, and I highly suggest you Padres fans give it a read.

While Marquis kept the goose-eggs on the scoreboard, he was helped by Will Venable out in right field.  Venable made two fantastic diving catches this afternoon, and is beginning to make his case for some extended playing time in San Diego’s outfield.

In addition to his defense, Venable was a key cog in San Diego’s offensive machine today.  While the Padres’ offense could only muster four hits, Will collected two singles in his three plate appearances and scored the only run of the game on a Yonder Alonso sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.

The Friars have been one of the league’s hottest teams as of late, and their 11-3 record over the last two weeks speaks for itself.  Now at 16-18, the Padres are finally starting to play with a little bit of confidence and have now made their way out of the NL West basement.

San Diego’s upcoming series will be a nice litmus test as the team will travel to Florida to take on the Rays for three games.  For now though, let’s give credit to the Padres for their play as of late and recognize Marquis and Venable for their strong performances today.