By Mike Janela
Easter Sunday brought a second straight day of double Padres action, as a San Diego split-squad took on both the Astros in Mexico City and the Angels back in Peoria for Cactus League play.
The tale of two countries produced a tale of two games, as the Padres bats absolutely lit up south of the border en route to an utterly dominant 21-6 win on 17 hits. It set a new Padres season-high for runs scored in a game.
Back home, San Diego hitters struggled to get much going against Los Angeles of Anaheim, falling 11-2. Take a look at our combined recap for some of the biggest Padres takeaways of the day from both places.
PADRE OF THE DAY
Hand it to Jabari Blash. Starting in left field in Mexico, he hit the 3-run homer that opened the scoring in the Padres rout. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI. Special mention also goes to Adam Rosales, one of a number of players the Padres took to the Mexico City Series of Mexican descent. Starting at first base, Rosales went 2-for-4, hitting a two-run homer and scoring twice. His home run also came during the Padres’ explosive first inning in the win, the second long ball of three San Diego hit in the frame.
PLAY OF THE DAY
Pick any of the home runs San Diego blasted down in Mexico. The Padres combined for five long balls, their most in any single game this season. Those responsible included Jabari Blash, Adam Rosales, Jon Jay, Travis Jankowksi, and Casey McElroy. Blash’s was the most damaging: a 3-run shot that opened the day’s scoring deluge in San Diego’s first trip to the plate. Speaking of…
TURNING POINTS
For both versions of the Padres, it was the first inning. That was a good thing for the San Diego contingent in Mexico. The recap above tells you how the Pads jumped all over the Astros early for a 9-0 advantage right out of the gate on the way to their season-best run production.
In Peoria, meanwhile, the Angels put up four runs behind four singles and two walks to drop the Padres into a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
MYERS MASHING
With another home run Sunday in Arizona, his third of the spring, Wil Myers continues to rake. He now sports an 8-game hitting streak, batting .444 (12-for-26) in that span with three home runs, three doubles, and 9 RBI. It’s the longest hitting streak for any Padres player this season.
THEY COULD GET USED TO THIS
The 21-run game in Mexico was the latest in a line of crooked numbers the San Diego offense has put up in the back half of Cactus League play. In their first 13 games of spring, the Padres plated 8 runs on two separate occasions but didn’t score more than 4 in any other game. In the 15 games since, San Diego has put up games with 21, 17, 12, 11 and 10 runs scored, going 4-1 in those contests.
MOST IMPRESSIVE ARM
The easiest nod of the day: Cesar Vargas, who took the bump as the starter in Mexico City. Pitching in his homeland, Vargas tossed three scoreless innings against Houston, allowing just two hits and walking two as he earned his first win of spring. The righty also struck out five, as the Padres were in control of the Astros from the very beginning.
GAME NOTES
In Mexico, the winning pitcher was Cesar Vargas (1-0). The losing pitcher was Brady Rogers (1-2). Game time lasted 3:13. …In Peoria, the winning pitcher was Hector Santiago (1-0). The losing pitcher was Andrew Cashner (2-2). Attendance there was announced at 5,452. Game time lasted 3:02. …Melvin Upton Jr. also went yard for the Padres in Peoria, his first home run of spring on a monster shot that hit halfway up the batter’s eye in straightaway center field.
