JP Sears gets a second chance to make a good impression on the San Diego Padres.
Acquired from the Athletics on July 31 as part of the six-player blockbuster trade that involved closer Mason Miller and former San Diego top prospect Leo De Vries, Sears will start for the Padres Wednesday night when they continue their four-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants.
Sears (7-10, 5.12 ERA) started his first game with San Diego on Aug. 4 at Arizona and struggled, suffering a 6-2 defeat as he was touched for 10 hits and five runs over five innings. The left-hander went down to Triple-A El Paso the next day and won his only outing for the Chihuahuas, scattering six hits and allowing two runs over five innings in a 9-7 game on Aug. 12 against Triple-A Reno.
The Padres hope Sears will perform better in his second stint for two reasons: Petco Park’s tendency to suppress offense and his career numbers against San Francisco. He’s 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in four career starts, striking out 26 batters over 24 2/3 innings. He fired six scoreless innings against them on July 4 in an 11-2 win.
After a series-opening loss on Monday, San Diego evened the series Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory, getting two hits and an RBI each from Manny Machado and Ryan O’Hearn. It scored in four different innings, taking advantage of a variety of Giants mistakes that included errors, bases-filled walks and hit batters.
“It was hugely important for us to get back into the win column,” said O’Hearn of the Padres, who open play Wednesday two games behind the Los Angeles Dodges in the National League West but in wild-card position.
The Padres won without Jackson Merrill (ankle) and Jake Cronenworth (elbow). Merrill missed his second straight game and Cronenworth got the night off after being drilled by a Robbie Ray fastball in Monday night’s 4-3 defeat.
While San Diego now tries to put together a winning streak after snapping a four-game losing skid on Tuesday, San Francisco will attempt to clean things up after a sloppy showing. The Giants managed just four hits against four pitchers, striking out 12 times, and committed two errors for the third straight game.
Shortstop Christian Koss’ throwing error to start the bottom of the first led to an unearned run, while third baseman Casey Schmitt’s wild throw after an infield hit led to an extra base and a run in the sixth. Reliever Carson Seymour could have escaped that inning with a double-play ball but his throw to second for the force wasn’t a good one, requiring Koss to make a great catch just to get an out as the Padres’ final run scored.
The Giants played without shortstop Willy Adames, held out with right side soreness. Manager Bob Melvin said it wasn’t easy to get him out of the lineup.
“It was a bit of a fist fight to talk him out of it,” Melvin said. “He wants to play.”
Landen Roupp (7-6, 3.45) gets the start Wednesday night for San Francisco. He gave up five runs on five hits in three innings of the team’s 7-6 loss Friday night against Tampa Bay. He did not figure into the decision.
Roupp is 0-1 in six career appearances (three starts) with a 1.93 ERA against San Diego.
–Field Level Media
