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Padres Press Clips Saturday, August 8, 2015

Article Source Author Page

Padres fall to homer-happy Phillies in 12 MLB.com Maiman/Zolecki 2

Dickerson singles for first big league hit MLB.com Maiman 5

Shields frustrated after surrendering 3 homers MLB.com Maiman 7

Ross looks to improve home record vs. Phils MLB.com Maiman 9

Davis leads Lake Elsinore to another marathon win MLB.com Center 10

Morrow leaning toward surgery on shoulder MLB.com Maiman 13

Rupp's 12th-inning homer gives Phillies 4-3 win over Associated Press AP 15

Padres

Phillies' homers torment Shields, Padres UT San Diego Sanders 18

Injuries, trades have thinned out rotation depth UT San Diego Sanders 21

Still no timetables for Spangenberg, Myers UT San Diego Sanders 23

Padres will explore August trades UT San Diego Lin 25

Minors: Justin Hancock strong in victory UT San Diego Sanders 27

Q&A: Padres reliever Marc Rzepczynski UT San Diego Sanders 29

Phillies-Padres Preview Associated Press AP Sports 31

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Padres fall to homer-happy Phillies in

12 By Beth Maiman and Todd Zolecki / MLB.com | 4:07 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Cameron Rupp blasted a homer to center field off Kevin Quackenbush in the 12th

inning to give the Phillies a 4-3 win over the Padres on Friday night at Petco Park. Rupp's homer, his third

of the season, was projected by Statcast™ to land 416 feet away.

The Phillies homered three times off James Shields, who went 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits, with one

walk and eight strikeouts.

"That was a fun game, man," said Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown, who hit one of the homers and

threw out a runner at the plate. "Definitely impressed and happy with how we've been playing. It's been a

lot of fun in the second half."

The Padres are now 52-58 and have lost four straight.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Surprise, not out: What looked like a routine fly ball to Brown in right field, turned into a two-run triple

for Justin Upton. With two outs in the third, Upton hit the ball deep, but Brown missed the catch at the

warning track before running into the wall and falling to the ground. The hit drove in Alexi

Amarista and Yangervis Solarte to give the Padres a 3-0 lead.

"I thought I had it, man," Brown said. "Honestly, here, it's a couple more feet on the warning track. I

knew that coming from BP, but at the same time I could feel myself getting closer and the ball just kept

carrying. I thought I was going to make the play."

Solo power: The Phillies' three solo home runs off Shields were from Brown in the second

inning, Ryan Howard in the fourth and Cody Asche in the sixth to keep the game tied going into

the 12th, when Rupp homered. More >

"We're being aggressive," Rupp said. "When pitchers make mistakes we're ready for them.

We're winning, too. That changes how you come to the ballpark every day. That changes your

approach at the plate. When you win you're having fun, everything clicks. And that's the way it's

going right now."

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Lefty luck:Marc Rzepczynski, who was picked up by the Padres at the Trade Deadline to shore up their left-handed relief, came in to face left-handed hitters Chase Utley and Odubel Herrera. Rzepczynski allowed a hit to Utley, but Herrera grounded out to shortstop Amarista for the final out of the seventh inning.

Nola grinds: Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola battled himself and the strike zone in his fourth

start of the season. He allowed six hits, three runs, two walks and struck out six in six innings.

He threw 99 pitches, but just 56 (56.5 percent) for strikes. Nola had not thrown fewer than 67

percent of his pitches for strikes in any of his first three starts. Pitching coach Bob McClure was

ejected in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook,

who heard it from both teams throughout the night.

"He worked his way out of a jam [in the sixth], which was huge," Phillies interim manager Pete

Mackanin said about Nola. "It's one of those reasons I left him in. He's got to learn how to do

that and he did a great job of it."

QUOTABLE

"There's nothing more fun than winning an extra-inning game and using most of your players.

Everybody feels like they contributed. That's a great feeling. To lose those games is

miserable." -- Mackanin

"I think that any time this time of year teams go through phases of being a little bit run down. I

think that road trip had something to do with it. I think our 3-1 lead usually holds up and it didn't

tonight. Again, credit to the Phillies." -- interim manager Pat Murphy on the team still struggling

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Howard has 26 RBIs since July 5, which, entering Friday, ranked second in the National

League.

INSTANT REPLAY

The Padres lost a challenge in the seventh inning. Brown threw out Solarte at the plate by

several feet, but Murphy asked for a review, thinking Phillies catcher Rupp might not have

allowed a path to the plate. The replay official in New York confirmed the call.

"Usually when they review it they see something," Brown said. "I got kind of nervous out there in

the outfield."

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WHAT'S NEXT

Phillies: Rookie Adam Morgan, who took a loss vs. the Braves in his last outing will start

Saturday. Utley returned from the disabled list Friday night in the series opener against the

Padres and batted leadoff in the Phillies' lineup. It will be interesting to see if he is in the lineup

for the middle game of the series, and if so, where he hits. Mackanin has said he plans to play

Utley about four times a week. More >

Padres: Tyson Ross (8-8, 3.37 ERA) will take the mound Saturday for the 5:40 p.m. PT game.

Ross has pitched better on the road with a 2.66 ERA in 81 1/3 innings, compared to his 4.47

ERA in 52 1/3 innings at Petco this season.

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Dickerson singles for first big league hit Padres rookie gets cup of coffee with club he grew up

cheering on

By Beth Maiman / MLB.com | 3:04 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Alex Dickerson was understandably emotional as he spoke to the media in the same

clubhouse he dreamed of standing in when he was a youngster.

Before the Padres faced the Phillies on Friday night, the Poway, Calif., native talked about memories of

playing Little League just down the street from where Petco Park stands and attending Padres' games at

Qualcomm Stadium. He got a pinch-hit single in the 11th inning of the Padres' 4-3, 12-inning loss to the

Phillies Friday night for his first Major League hit.

"It feels almost kind of normal -- being home again, being on West Coast time again. That's been a

pleasant surprise," Dickerson said. "Being home, feels like home. It's where I grew up."

The left-handed outfielder was called up from Triple-A El Paso before Thursday's game against the

Brewers in Milwaukee, filling in for Will Venable, who went on paternity leave.

After receiving the call that he was expected at Miller Park, it's been a whirlwind of emotions and travel

for the 25-year-old.

"Since I got [to Miller Park at the] last second, I had to grab a cup of coffee and as soon as I walked out

the anthem had started and that's when it hit me," Dickerson said. "I put the coffee down and sprinted out

and then you kind of look around. You see that amount of people at a game and then you are like 'Oh, this

is it, isn't it?'"

Dickerson got his first Major League at-bat Thursday, when he entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the

eighth inning and flew out to right. He was hitting .306/.375/.508 with 10 home runs, 59 RBIs and 47

extra-base hits in 102 games with El Paso.

Since receiving the exciting news, Dickerson said he has read a lot of text messages from friends and

family letting him know they already bought tickets for the game. He joked that his family might be more

excited than he is about his homecoming.

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"It's a great thrill for his family and all the people he knows," interim manager Pat Murphy said. "And just

knowing inside that he made it to the Major Leagues in his hometown is just a beautiful story."

To get to the point where he is now has certainly been a journey for Dickerson, who severely sprained his

left ankle in Spring Training 2014. That injury led to the discovery that he had cyst on the bone on his left

heel. He later had surgery to remove the cyst.

"It's fulfilling to know that a little bit after a year you walk in and you finally got to step into this locker

room for at least a day," Dickerson said.

Both Dickinson and Murphy understand the pressure that comes when you finally get your chance.

Murphy said he gave Dickerson the advice to think about what is important now and what his proper

intent is at the moment. Murphy, who spent time with Dickerson in El Paso and gave him the nickname

'Bronco' because of his tenacity, said that he has encouraged Dickerson to talk to other players about their

experiences of finally making it to the Majors.

"I always said once I get here try to enjoy it no matter how long it is. I'm just going to try to continue

working throughout the season wherever it is at," Dickerson said. "My biggest thing is that I know, it's

going to be exciting, I just got to make myself feel normal."

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Shields frustrated after surrendering 3

homers Padres starter feels he pitched well aside from 'mistakes'

By Beth Maiman / MLB.com | 3:03 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Starting pitcher James Shields' frustration was evident after the Padres' 4-3 loss to the

Phillies in 12 innings Friday night at Petco Park, their fourth straight defeat.

Shields, who is often mentioned as a leader on the club, took a no-decision, pitching 6 2/3 innings,

allowing six hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out eight. All three runs Shields allowed

came on solo home runs.

"I made three mistakes today; they took advantage of it," Shields said. "Sometimes that's going to happen.

Overall, I felt like I pitched pretty well. I don't want to give up the home runs, but what are you going to

do?"

Interim manager Pat Murphy agreed.

"I think he pitched the ball really well," Murphy said. " [He] pitched seven innings, gave up three solo

runs to a team that has been swinging it great. He pitched well enough to win and we've got to score more

runs than that."

Dominic Brown was the first to hit a long ball off Shields, with a homer projected byStatcast™ to land

418 feet away, over the right-field walll, in the fourth inning. Then Ryan Howard did his damage in the

sixth, before Cody Asche hit the tying shot in the seventh inning.

When asked about whether he thought about pinch-hitting for Shields in the sixth inning, as he had

thrown 88 pitches to that point, Murphy said it was something that had crossed his mind, but he wanted to

rest reliever Brandon Maurer.

"There's some things that go through your head. With our bullpen the way it was, with Maurer kind of

being sensitive lately and we haven't pitched him in a while ... the decision is James is our guy and he is

going to get through the next inning, so we don't have to use Maurer and he gets another days' rest for his

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workload this year. That would have been a great thing," Murphy said. "So that factored into the decision.

When it ends up tying the game you look back and say 'Wow, could have, should have, would have.'"

After Friday's performance, Shields is now tied for third with teammate Ian Kennedy and Arizona

pitcher Rubby De La Rosa for most home runs allowed in the National League with 24. However, of

those home runs, 20 have been solo shots.

With the Padres having a disappointing season, Friday's game seemed to have marked another example of

the team's struggles this year.

"To be honest, it's been frustrating all year. We've been losing one-run ballgames a ton of times this year,"

Shields said. "We've got to be able to win those games. Yeah, it's definitely frustrating to lose games like

that."

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Ross looks to improve home record vs.

Phils By Beth Maiman / MLB.com | August 7th, 2015

Tyson Ross and Adam Morgan will face off on Saturday in the second game of a three-game series

between the Phillies and Padres at Petco Park.

Ross (8-8, 3.37 ERA) was shaky at the beginning of his last start, but earned a win against the Brewers.

He allowed two runs in the first inning, but settled down and controlled his command better to pitch six

innings.

Morgan (2-3, 4.46 ERA) has pitched at least six innings in only three of his first seven big league starts.

His last time out, the left-hander took a loss against the Braves, giving up seven hits and four runs through

five innings.

Things to know about this game

• Wil Myers has made steady progress on his wrist injury and could start swinging a bat by the end of the

weekend. Myers has played in just three games since May 10. He had surgery on June 18 to remove a

bone spur in his wrist.

• Ross has pitched better on the road with a 2.66 ERA in 81 1/3 innings, compared to his 4.47 ERA in 52

1/3 innings at Petco Park this season.

• Entering this series, the Phillies own the best winning percentage of any visiting team in Petco Park

history, going 17 games over .500 since the ballpark opened in 2004.

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Davis leads Lake Elsinore to another

marathon win VanMeter returns less than 4 months after breaking leg

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres | 1:21 PM ET

Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

The Padres weren't the only team in the organization to go overtime Friday night.

First baseman Marcus Davis singled home Felipe Blanco in the bottom of the 13th to give high Single-A

Lake Elsinore a 2-1 win over San Jose - the Storm's second straight, walk-off, marathon win.

The Storm also defeated San Jose in 15 innings Thursday night and has played a total of 51 innings in the

last four days - the equivalent of 5 2/3 games.

Elsewhere in the system on Friday, Triple-A El Paso suffered a 3-2, 12-inning loss at Albuquerque and

short-season Single-A Tri-City suffered a 3-2, 10-inning loss at Everett.

In an unrelated piece of news, infielder Josh VanMeter, the Padres fifth-round pick in 2013, ran out two

doubles in four at-bats and scored a run in his first game for the Arizona Rookie Padres less than four

months after having surgery to repair a broken left fibula suffered while playing for low Single-A Fort

Wayne. VanMeter, 20, who appeared as the designated hitter, suffered the fractured leg on April 12 while

playing for his hometown TinCaps.

Davis, who tripled home the tying run and scored the winning run Thursday night, was 3-for-6 Friday to

raise his batting average to .253. Blanco (.269) was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a RBI in addition to

scoring the winning run.

Right-handed starter Kyle Lloyd (4.67 earned run average) took a two-hit shutout into the ninth but gave

up a one-out, game-tying homer. He finished with one run allowed on four hits and a walk with seven

strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.

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Right-handed reliever Bryan Verbitsky (3.38 ERA) struck out one in 1 2/3 perfect innings. Right-hander

Genison Reyes (3-3, 3.74) allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in three scoreless innings to get

the win for the 42-69 Storm.

At Albuquerque, right-hander Chris Smith, the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week last week,

allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings to lower his ERA to

3.54 for El Paso.

Right-handed reliever Nick Vincent (3.67) allowed a hit and two walks with three strikeouts in two

scoreless innings.

Right-hander Tayron Guerrero, who was promoted from Double-A San Antonio earlier in the day when

the Chihuahuas placed right-hander Leonel Campos (side strain) on the seven-day disabled list, allowed a

hit with a strikeout in two scoreless innings.

But right-hander Aaron Northcraft (2-4, 6.54) committed an error that combined with a hit in two-thirds

of an inning for an unearned run that cost him the loss.

Right fielder Rymer Liriano (.277) hit his 10th home run in five at-bats for the 58-55 Chihuahuas. Left

fielder Jake Goebbert (.289) was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored and is 10-for-26 in his last eight

games with two homers and five RBIs. Shortstop Diego Goris (.313) was 1-for-4 with a RBI.

AROUND THE FARM

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (48-64): Missions 5, FRISCO 1 - CF Alberth Martinez (.278) continued

his hottest run of the season, going 3-for-5 with his seventh homer, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Martinez is 9-for-20 over his last five games with two home runs, four RBIs and six runs scored. LF

Yeison Asencio (.293) was 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI. 1B Luis Domoromo (.259) was 2-for-4 with

a walk and three runs scored. Starting RHP Justin Hancock (7-6, 3.59 ERA) allowed a run on two hits and

three walks with four strikeouts over six innings. RHP Stephen Kohlscheen (2.80) allowed a hit with five

strikeouts over three scoreless innings to get his second save.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (56-53): PEORIA 2, TinCaps 0 - 2B Luis Urias (.357) and LF

Franchy Cordero (.236) were each 2-for-4. Starting RHP Dinelson Lamet (3-6, 3.36 ERA) allowed an

unearned run on four hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. RHP T.J. Weir (3.68)

allowed an unearned run on a hit with a walk and a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.

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SHORT-SEASON SINGLE-A TRI-CITY (27-20): EVERETT 3, Dust Devils 2 (10 innings) - Starting

LHP Jose Castillo (3.53 ERA) allowed a run on one hit and three walks with four strikeouts in five

innings. LHP Elvin Liriano (1.09) gave up two hits with five strikeouts in two scoreless innings. RHP

Louis Distacio (3.38) allowed a run on two hits in an inning to blow the save. RHP Corey Kimber (2-1,

2.04) allowed a run on two hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. DH Justin Pacchioli

(.238) was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored. SS Peter Van Gansen (.304) was 1-for-4 with a

double, a RBI and a run scored.

ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES (16-21): ROYALS 5, Padres 2 - Starting RHP Pete Kelich (1.64)

allowed three hits with two strikeouts over four shutout innings. RHP Jean Garcia (0-5, 8.18 ERA)

allowed five runs (three earned) in seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in four innings. RF Jhonatan

Pena (.313) was 3-for-3 with a RBI. LF Yale Rosen (.313) doubled in his only at-bat with a RBI and run

scored.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (26-33): Padres 11, REDS 10 - 3B Felix Suarez (.210)

was 2-for-4 with a triple, four RBIs and a run scored. CF Dayon Olmo (.259) was 2-for-5 with a run

scored. RF Jose Sotillo (.261) was 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. C Ricardo Rodriguez (.243) was

1-for-5 with a strikeout and three runs scored. Starting RHP Jaimito Lebron (6.43) allowed a hit in two

scoreless innings. RHP Erick De Los Santos (2-1, 7.20) allowed a hit in 2 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Dari

Lopez (3.08) allowed a hit with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings.

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Morrow leaning toward surgery on

shoulder Padres pitcher would require three to four months

recovery

By Beth Maiman / MLB.com | August 7th, 2015

SAN DIEGO -- Brandon Morrow was to meet with team physician Dr. Heinz Hoenecke before Friday's

game against the Phillies, but said, although nothing was finalized, he was leaning toward having surgery

on his right shoulder, which was diagnosed with an impingement.

On Thursday, assistant general manager Fred Uhlman Jr. said that Morrow's options included rehab or

having an arthroscopic surgery, which would require a three-to-four month recovery.

"The way things are going I think [surgery is] probably the best course of action right now to have the

cleanup done, just get it so it's feeling good in the future," Morrow said.

Morrow, who hasn't pitched in a game since May 2, had two setbacks during separate Minor League

rehabilitation stints. The first occurred on June 7 during a start with Double-A San Antonio and the

second on July 25 with Triple-A El Paso. Each time, Morrow experienced discomfort in his shoulder.

Before Morrow's second rehab stint, he said he felt that there was "a light at the end of the tunnel." The

31-year-old said he felt good during his last rehab start and pitched 90 to 95 mph the whole time. He

added that he had normal soreness in his arm after the start, but then felt pain a few days later.

"I had some optimism at the time," Morrow said. "Obviously frustrated to not be able to come back from

this one, I thought I was feeling good. When it keeps coming back the same every time, you kind of

decide that there is a problem."

tIn November Morrow signed a one-year deal for $2.5 million with the possibility of earning $5 million in

incentives. The right-hander was 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts before going on the disabled list in

late May with right-shoulder inflammation.

Morrow said there are frayed tissues in his shoulder that irritate and inflame when they are pinched

together, causing him discomfort.

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"The good news is that it's just a clean up and it's going to be really conservative. A lot of people have had

the surgery and come back just fine," Morrow said. "I feel like it is one of those things where you just

have to clean up because it just keeps coming back the same."

Morrow said if he were to get the surgery that there is plenty of time from him to be ready for Spring

Training. He'd go 12 weeks without throwing and then start a throwing a program.

"I would like to be able to come back and pitch, obviously, but it's nice to think that you wouldn't have

any recurring incidents of it and going forward you won't have any more soreness or the same thing

happening again," Morrow said. "I think in the long run it will be good. Obviously disappointing and

frustrating right now."

Worth noting

• Assistant general manager Josh Stein said that Wil Myers has made good progress on his wrist injury

and could start swinging by the end of the weekend. Myers has played in just three games since May 10.

He has surgery on June 18 to remove a bone spur in his wrist.

• Cory Spangenberg, who went on the DL on June 28 with a left-knee contusion, played three games with

Double-A San Antonio, had Thursday off and was to play again Friday. Stein said he is progressing well

and has received positive reports on his ability to move, but there is no specific timetable for his return.

"It's a matter of getting comfortable and getting good at-bats," Stein said "He isn't playing with it in his

mind, which is important."

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Rupp's 12th-inning homer gives Phillies 4-3 win over Padres Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- The Philadelphia Phillies, of all teams, made spacious Petco Park play like a bandbox Friday night. Cameron Rupp hit Philadelphia's fourth home run of the game, a leadoff shot in the 12th inning that lifted the Phillies to a 4-3 victory against the skidding San Diego Padres.

The Phillies (43-67) have won 14 of 19 since the All-Star break to tie Miami for fourth place in the NL East. The teams share the worst record in the majors.

Rupp drove a 90 mph fastball from Kevin Quackenbush (1-2) an estimated 416 feet to straightaway center field. It was his third of the season. Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard and Cody Asche hit long home runs off Padres starter James Shields. All the long balls traveled more than 400 feet.

"We're not in Cincinnati or Baltimore, something like that," Philadelphia interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Not to diminish the home run hitters on those teams. You've got to hit it to get it out of here."

The Phillies have been swinging the bats better the last several weeks.

"We're being aggressive," Rupp said. "We're having good at-bats. When pitchers make mistakes, we're ready for them."

That's what happened on his homer.

"I had two chances in that at-bat prior to that pitch, and I missed. He left one out over the plate and I was ready for it," Rupp said.

The Padres have lost four straight and five of six.

"I didn't want to walk him so I threw a pitch and he hit it over the fence. That was about it," Quackenbush said.

Besides hitting better, "We're winning, too," Rupp said. "That changes how you come to the ballpark every day. It changes your approach at the plate. We're having fun. Everything clicks and that's the way it's going right now."

Hector Neris (2-0) pitched the 11th for the win. Ken Giles worked the 12th for his fourth save, allowing two broken-bat singles before striking out Jedd Gyorko to end it.

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Shields blew a 3-0 lead and was pulled two batters after allowing Asche's tying homer in the seventh. One of San Diego's big offseason acquisitions, the right-hander has only one victory in his last 12 starts.

Brown hit a moonshot to right field with one out in the fourth. It was his fourth homer in 26 plate appearances after having zero in his previous 162.

Howard drove a ball an estimated 426 feet into the sandy play area beyond the fence in right-center with two outs in the sixth, his 19th.

Asche's shot went 415 feet to right-center, his sixth.

It was the third time Shields allowed at least three homers in a game. He gave up four at Arizona on May 8.

Maikel Franco just missed clearing the left-field fence with a high, arcing fly in the sixth.

"I made three mistakes today and they took advantage of them," Shields said. "I thought I pitched pretty well. It's been frustrating all year. We have been losing one-run ballgames a ton of times this year. We've got to be able to win those."

Shields pitched well otherwise, striking out eight and walking one in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs and six hits.

Phillies rookie Aaron Nola yielded three runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two. The Padres had a chance to take the lead in the seventh. Yangervis Solartedoubled into the right-field corner and was waved home by third base coach Glenn Hoffman on Justin Upton's single to right, but was out by 10 feet on a throw by Brown.

Padres interim manager Pat Murphy challenged the call but it was upheld after a replay review. Murphy apparently thought Rupp blocked the plate.

San Diego took a 3-0 lead on an RBI single by Derek Norris in the second and a two-run triple by Upton in the third. Brown missed Upton's fly ball as he was retreating toward the wall. Alexi

Amarista and Solarte, aboard on consecutive singles, scored.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Phillies: 2B Chase Utley was activated from the 15-day disabled list. INF Cesar Hernandez, who was filling in for Utley, will see playing time at shortstop and third base. SS Freddy Galvis could play center field if Hernandez moves to shortstop. Padres: RHP Brandon Morrow (shoulder) is consulting with team doctors to decide whether surgery or rehabilitation is his best option.

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UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Adam Morgan (2-3, 4.46 ERA) is scheduled to start the middle game of the series. Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (8-8, 3.37) goes for his third straight win.

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Phillies' homers torment Shields, Padres Padres lose fourth straight to drop six games under .500

By Jeff Sanders | 11:25 p.m. Aug. 7, 2015 | Updated, 12:17 a.m. | Aug. 8, 2015

At times this year, James Shields has teased onlookers with gaudy punchout totals. At times,

the Padres’ marquee free agent signee has tormented with a penchant for giving up the long

ball.

He did both in a 4-3 loss Friday night in 12 innings to the Phillies, the latter trend catching up to

the former as Shields yielded more than 1,200 feet in homers in front of a crowd of 31,334 at

spacious Petco Park.

“To be honest, it’s been frustrating all year,” Shields said after four solo homers – three off him

and the game-winner off Kevin Quackenbush in the 12th – dropped the Padres to 15-16 in one-

run games. “We’ve been losing one-run ballgames a ton of times this year. We’ve got to be able

to win those games. Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating to lose games like that.”

One by one, the three momentum-killing blasts – from Dom Brown (418 feet), Ryan Howard

(426 feet) and Cody Asche (415 feet) – unraveled 6 2/3 innings of quality work from Shields,

who has won only once since improving to 7-0 on June 3.

In the two-plus months since then, the Padres (52-58) have fired their manager, slipped as low

as fourth in the NL West and entertained all sorts of trade possibilities only to stand pat at last

week’s deadline.

Extending the Padres’ skid to four games on catcher Cameron Rupp’s 416-foot homer off

Quackenbush will only intensify scrutiny of a decision to keep this roster intact as September

approaches with playoff hopes dwindling by the day.

They woke Friday with a 0.6 percent shot at the postseason, according to

BaseballProspectus.com, and Shields pushing his homers allowed total to 24 – his most since

2012 – didn’t help matters one bit.

Staked to a 3-0 lead, he allowed a solo homer to Brown in the fourth, another to Howard in the

sixth and one more to Asche in the seventh – all of them no-doubters in a game in which

Shields also struck out eight batters through the first five innings.

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Yet instead of returning to the win column, Shields exited with three runs, six hits, a walk and a

no-decision on his ledger. T

“I made three mistakes today; they took advantage of it,” Shields said. “Sometimes that’s going

to happen. Overall, I felt like I pitched pretty well. I don’t want to give up the home runs, but what

are you going to do?”

Phillies’ 22-year-old right-hander Aaron Nola, a little than a year removed from the draft, didn’t

look like much of a novice in the fifth start of his career.

In scattering six hits and three walks over six innings, a play that should have been made

defined Nola’s outing: Brown appeared to take his eye off the ball as he tracked Justin Upton’s

third-inning blast to the right-field wall, turning what should have been an inning-ending out into

a two-run triple that staked Shields to a 3-0 lead.

Nola stranded Upton at third base in that inning. Then he got out of the fourth- and fifth-inning

jams unscathed – the latter after back-to-back walks to Matt Kemp and Upton fetched pitching

coach Bob McClure out of the dugout for an argument that resulted in his ejection – and one last

threat in the sixth after the first two batters reached base.

Melvin Upton Jr. was even ahead in the count, 2-0, before Nola got him to swing through a 2-2

curveball. Then Shields, at 88 pitches on the mound, struck out on a failed bunt attempt and

Alexi Amarista watched strike three float into the glove to allow Nola to leave the game with a

quality start intact.

The next inning, the Phillies erased Yangervis Solarte’s leadoff double when Brown came up

firing to the plate to easily nab the Padres’ slow-footed third baseman – waved in by Glenn

Hoffman – trying to score on Justin Upton’s one-out single to right. A replay review confirmed

that catcher Cameron Rupp did not illegally block the plate, perhaps the costliest out in the

Padres’ 3-for-13 effort with runners in scoring position.

““I think you’ve got to (send the runner),” Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said. “… It’s all

based off of what kind of jump he gets off the bat, and that line drive was struck well and came

right up to the guy and he had to make a perfect throw.

“Glenn is one of the best third base coaches around. … I stand by him 100 percent.”

Yonder Alonso then bounced out to second to end the seventh, the last inning in which the

Padres moved a runner past first base until Alonso’s two-out single off closer Ken Giles in the

12th moved runners to first and second.

The successor to Jonathan Papelbon, Giles rebounded with a strikeout of Jedd Gyorko to cap

six shutout innings from the Phillies’ bullpen.

“We’re still playing good baseball,” said Melvin Upton, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

“The Brewers series didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We would have liked a promising road

trip, but losing some one-run ballgames, you look back at the Pittsburgh series and the St. Louis

series, we played them tight and lost some tough ballgames.

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“We’re not necessarily playing bad baseball, but some things aren’t going our way and we just

have to keep going and find a way to get it done.”

Notable

Poway High grad Alex Dickerson singled with two outs in the 11th in the pinch for his first

major league hit.

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Injuries, trades have thinned out rotation depth Morrow's likely season-ending surgery latest obstacle for Padres rotation

By Jeff Sanders | 8:01 p.m. Aug. 7, 2015

A year ago, the Padres had answers waiting in the wings when injuries began to mount, as they

tend to do over the course of 162 games: Cuban defector Odrisamer Despaigne had already

folded seamlessly into the rotation, Matt Wisler and Joe Ross were on the come and a deep

farm system had waves of arms developing beyond those two top prospects.

Twelve months and a handful of trades later, readily available plug-ins aren’t exactly in

abundance as the Padres prepare to move off the idea that Brandon Morrow can take valuable

turns in the rotation. While the 30-year-old right-hander had yet to officially elect season-ending

surgery as the team returned from a 10-game road trip, Assistant General Manager Josh Stein

acknowledged Friday that a best-case scenario left Morrow chasing relief innings if he chose to

rehab his shoulder impingement.

With Josh Johnson and Cory Luebke relegated to relief duty when – if – they return from

revision Tommy John procedures, last year’s most electric prospects pitching for other

organizations and Despaigne again battling consistency, the next man up isn’t so obvious.

“I don't think we're as deep,” Stein admitted Friday afternoon. “You always want more options,

especially in the upper levels, but we've got a couple guys at Double-A and Triple-A, whether it's

prospects on the way up or insurance type options who’ve made starts in the past who we'd feel

comfortable bringing up and having the ability to make a start or two or be part of something

longer term.”

Left-hander Robbie Erlin would figure to top the Padres’ list of choices if he hadn’t contended

with bouts of shoulder fatigue at Triple-A, where his 6.14 earned-run average is nearly three

runs higher than his career minor league mark. Casey Kelly, too, has made slow progress on his

return from a 2013 Tommy John procedure, topping out at five innings in his starts at Double-A

San Antonio (4.35 ERA).

With the likes of Wisler and Ross making their major league debuts for other organizations, that

leaves the 25-year-old Colin Rea as the top choice for a look in the rotation should a need arise

over the final eight weeks of the season.

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At the very least, the soon-to-be-Rule V-eligible Rea should get a taste of the majors when

rosters expand in September despite struggles to replicate his success as a Double-A All-Star

(1.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) at Triple-A El Paso (4.39 ERA, 1.54 WHIP).

“I think there's definitely a chance,” Stein said. “Given when he was drafted (2011) and how it

relates to roster protection, this is the year where we'd be making a decision at the end of the

year to protect him and typically those types of players are the ones you're looking at if an

opportunity arises. I would say there's a chance we see him.”

The chances of seeing Morrow again appear slimmer by the day.

Signed to an incentive-laden $2.5 million deal to deepen the Padres’ rotation options, he made

five starts to the tune of a 2.73 ERA before shoulder inflammation sidelined him in early May.

The early thinking: Morrow would miss just a handful of starts before folding back into the

rotation.

Two halted rehab assignments and more than three months later, Morrow – no stranger to the

DL in his career – appeared to be leaning toward season-ending surgery Friday afternoon as he

discussed a mostly frustrating season in San Diego.

“The way things are going it's probably the best course of action – to have the cleanup done and

just get it so it's feeling good in the future,” Morrow said before meeting with team physician

Heinz Hoenecke.

He added: “I'd like to be able to pitch (this year), obviously, but it's nice to think you wouldn't

have any recurring incidents and going forward shouldn't have to worry about the same thing

happening again.”

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Still no timetables for Spangenberg, Myers Padres' Spangenberg progressing at Double-A, while Myers could swing this weekend

By Jeff Sanders | 6:28 p.m. Aug. 7, 2015

Though Wil Myers and Cory Spangenberg continue to make progress in their rehab work,

neither have a definitive time table for a return to the Padres.

After taking Thursday off, Spangenberg was back in Double-A San Antonio’s lineup as the

starting third baseman and leadoff hitter Friday night. Still pain-free, Spangenberg entered the

game with two hits in his first 11 at-bats as he looks to regain timing after landing on the

disabled list in late June with a bone bruise in his left knee.

“He’s progressing well,” Assistant General Manager Josh Stein said. “Now it’s a matter of

getting comfortable and continuing to get at-bats. … There’s not a specific date for a return –

just take it as Cory feels, and he’s moving well. He hasn’t felt it.”

Myers, too, is progressing enough to believe he’ll resume swinging a bat by the end of the

weekend.

He had surgery to remove a bone spur in his left wrist in mid-June and had progressed enough

to begin swinging a light bat off a tee in late July when general soreness halted that progression.

Myers stayed back in San Diego during the recent road trip to continue to his rehab work.

“We feel good with where he’s at, the treatment, the resistance (work) and his range of motion,”

Stein said. “The next step is the bat. Once you get to the bat, once you get him on a rehab

assignment, we’ll have a much clearer focus on when he’ll be back and playing.”

A Hall of Fame weekend

Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg, recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2015 Ford C. Frick

Award, was recognized before Friday’s game as the 39th winner of the award. On Saturday,

former catcher Benito Santiago and former shortstop Garry Templeton will be inducted into the

Padres’ Hall of Fame before the game.

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The NL Rookie of the Year in 1987 and a four-time All-Star in San Diego, Santiago is the first

catcher to enter the Padres Hall of Fame. Templeton is also the first shortstop to enter the

Padres Hall of Fame and the owner of the best fielding percentage (.965) for a shortstop in

franchise history.

All fans in attendance Saturday will receive a Santiago or Templeton replica throw-back jersey.

What’s that?

The Padres have installed a 17-foot tall, 56-foot wide, navy blue scrim above the National

University sign in left center to help reduce night-time glare coming off the windows of the

Sempra Energy building.

Team officials first noticed a need during monster truck exhibitions at Petco Park over the

offseason. Until this weekend, the building had boards placed in the lower windows but that’s no

longer a solution now that tenants have moved in.

Team officials and the building developer will continue to work toward a permanent solution this

offseason.

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Padres will explore August trades After holding at non-waiver trade deadline, Padres still could make a deal in August

By Dennis Lin | 4 p.m. Aug. 7, 2015

Nearly six years have passed since the Padres made their last notable August trade, a type of

transaction that can be completed only under a particular set of circumstances. Each season, a

number of deals are struck this month, but once the July 31 non-waiver deadline passes, the

process instantly becomes more difficult.

After a disappointing four months, A.J. Preller surprised all of baseball by holding tight at this

year's deadline. The Padres general manager, in fact, moved to address a need, swapping

outfielder Abraham for lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, while retaining every player who had

been the subject of incessant rumors.

The speculation is not completely over. The Padres’ last notable August deal was in 2009, when

they sent Chad Gaudin to the Yankees in exchange for cash, but Preller himself has said trades

this months aren't impossible.

As the Padres’ playoff hopes verge on flatlining, here is a look at how trades can be made

during the waiver period:

First, a disclaimer: Each August, the majority of players on 40-man rosters are placed on

revocable waivers. There is no risk in doing so, and in most cases, a team has no actual

intentions of trading a player.

If a player passes through waivers without being claimed by a team in either league, he can be

traded anywhere before the end of the month.

If a player is claimed by only one team, he can be traded only to that team. The two sides have

48 1/2 hours to work out a trade.

If a player is claimed by more than one team, priority is determined by worst record to best

record in that player’s league, followed by worst to best in the other league.

If a trade can’t be worked out or the waiving team doesn’t want to trade the player, he can be

pulled back off waivers, but only once in August. If a player is placed on waivers a second time,

those waivers will be non-revocable.

Finally, if a team wants to shed a player’s salary, it can simply allow the claiming team to take

the player, along with the remainder of his contract.

Teams sometimes claim players to block them from being traded to an opponent with a better

record, but in doing so, they run the risk of being stuck with an unwanted player.

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The above guidelines illustrate why August trades are more difficult, and less common, than

those made before the non-waiver deadline. That said, it is a route the Padres may well pursue

if they soon determine they are completely out of playoff contention.

Already, right-hander James Shields and right fielder Matt Kemp, the Padres’ two most

expensive players for 2016, reportedly have passed through waivers, allowing the team to

spend the rest of the month exploring potential trades.

Shields is the more realistic candidate to be dealt, perhaps to a contender that didn’t add

starting pitching or to a team that suffers an unforeseen injury. Still, what’s left on his contract - a

guaranteed $65 million over the next three years - is a looming obstacle.

Meanwhile, another Padres starter, Ian Kennedy, also is an August trade possibility. An

impending free agent, Kennedy is making $9.85 million this season, and while he didn’t draw

significant interest before the non-waiver deadline, the Padres may consider recouping what

they can instead of letting him walk for nothing. Setup man Joaquin Benoit, who has an $8

million team option but recently turned 38, could be a candidate, too.

It's worth noting that Kennedy is represented by Scott Boras, seemingly an unlikely choice to

advise any client to be the first player to accept a qualifying offer (projected to be close to $16

million this winter).

For the rest of the healthy roster - a mix of soon-to-be free agents and controllable talent - the

Padres face the likelihood of an immediate waiver claim. That would zap any negotiating

leverage for a trade, and ultimately, Preller and his front office could decide the offseason, not

August, is the time to make the largest changes to a roster that hasn’t delivered.

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Minors: Justin Hancock strong in victory Recapping the latest action from around the Padres' farm system

By Jeff Sanders | 8 a.m. Aug. 8, 2015

Right-hander Justin Hancock spun six strong innings in Double-A San Antonio's 5-1 win over

host Frisco on Friday night.

Hancock struck out four and allowed one run on two hits and three walks. He improved to 7-6

and lowered his ERA to 3.59 with the Missions (48-64).

Alberth Martinez (.278) hit his seventh homer and drove in two runs on three hits and Yeison

Asencio (.293) went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (58-55)

Albuquerque 3, Chihuahuas 2 (12): RHP Chris Smith (3.54) struck out eight and allowed two

runs in seven innings in a no-decision and RHP Tayron Guerrero (0.00) turned in two scoreless

innings in his Triple-A debut. RF Rymer Liriano (.277) hit his 10th homer.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (42-69)

Storm 2, San Jose 1 (13): RHP Kyle Lloyd (4.67) struck out seven and allowed only a run in 8

1/3 innings in a no-decision. DH Marcus Davis (.253) went 3-for-6 with an RBI and 2B Felipe

Blanco (.268) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (56-53)

Peoria 2, TinCaps 0: RHP Dinelson Lamet (3-6, 3.36) allowed an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings,

surrendering four hits and four walks. He struck out seven. 2B Luis Urias (.357) and LF Franchy

Cordero (.236) each had two hits.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (27-20)

Everett 3, Dust Devils 2 (10): LHP Jose DH Justin Pacchioli (.238) collected a pair of hits and

SS Peter Van Gansen (.304) went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a run scored.

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ROOKIE DSL PADRES (26-33)

Padres 11, Reds 10: 3B Felix Suarez (.210) drove in four runs on two hits, including a triple, and

CF Dayon Olmo (.259) and RF Jose Sotillo (.261) each had two hits. RHP Adrian Martinez

(8.59) allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES (16-21)

Royals 5, Padres 2: Returning from broken fibula, DH Josh VanMeter went 2-for-4 with two

doubles and a run scored. He had been out of action since April.

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Q&A: Padres reliever Marc Rzepczynski Left-hander is literally the new guy in town after last week's trade

By Jeff Sanders | 7 a.m. Aug. 8, 2015

Acquired during the road trip ahead of the trading deadline, left-hander Marc Rzepczynski is

literally the new guy in town. As such, the 29-year-old reliever dished a little bit about his favorite

nicknames (because he knows we’ll need them), playing close to home and his life as a trade

piece.

Question: Let’s just get this out of the way. Do you have a favorite nickname that’s been

bestowed upon you?

Answer: Everyone mostly calls me “Zep.” That’s the one that sticks the most and it’s the one

I’ve had since high school. I’ve had everything from “Eye Chart” to “Alphabet” to “Scrabble.” My

college coach called me “Alphabet” and “Eye Chart” because you put those letters together and

they always seem to be on an eye chart. That’s how he explained it to me.

Q: You played college ball up the road at UC Riverside and high school ball in Anaheim. Are

you expecting a lot of visitors this weekend?

A: I had a buddy coming (Saturday) and my parents were there (Friday). Besides that, from

being down here before and playing (against the Angels in Anaheim), everybody knows not to

bother me. And being traded before, everybody knows not to bother me that first weekend I’m

home.

Q: You’ve been traded three times before right before the deadline. Do you get a little anxious

now at the end of July?

A: For some reason, the second year with a team I have a track record of getting traded. I just

look at it as a new opportunity at a new place and being left-handed definitely helps.

Q: So it’s old hat, now?

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A: It’s different every time. When I was with Toronto, I was a young kid and went to St. Louis. I

had no idea I was going to get traded. It was my first year relieving. In St. Louis, I was down in

Triple-A for most of the year so I was looking for an opportunity to get back to the big leagues,

whether it was with St. Louis or someone else. In Cleveland, it was different because I loved

playing for Tito (Terry Francona) and I didn’t see it coming. The trade deadline had passed

when I found out. I was in San Francisco riding BART, going to Oakland and I was underneath

the bay and I didn’t have service. So I didn’t find out until I got to the ballpark. So it was a little

bit different, but I’m accustomed to it now. I told the guys before the (All-Star) break that if I was

to get traded, I hoped it was going to be a California team. Luckily enough, it was.

31

Phillies-Padres Preview 11 hours ago AP - Sports

No pitcher in the majors issues more walks than the San Diego Padres' Tyson Ross.

No NL club has more trouble drawing walks than thePhiladelphia Phillies.

One of those trends won't hold up Saturday night when Ross tries to win three straight starts for the

first time this season as he faces the visiting Phillies in the middle game of this series.

Ross (8-8, 3.37 ERA) has walked 63 hitters with a major league-worst ratio of 4.24 per nine innings.

He has pitched effectively his last two times out, yielding four runs over 11 innings in victories

though he has issued six walks.

Philadelphia's lack of plate discipline may prove to be his biggest asset Saturday. The Phillies (43-

67) have walked 250 times.

Ross is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in four appearances - two starts - against Philadelphia. Chase Utley is 1

for 5 against him, Carlos Ruiz is 2 for 4 and Domonic Brown is hitless in four at-bats.

The right-hander, 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA in nine home starts, has seen his lack of control be an asset

at times. Batters swing and miss at 30.8 percent of his pitches for one of baseball's best marks.

Ross has received 20 runs of support in his last two outings. That's seven more than the Padres

(52-58) gave him in his six prior.

"It's huge any time you get guys swinging like that," Ross said. "It motivates you to get quick outs

and pitch deep into the game."

Backup Austin Hedges, a .176 hitter, could be his batterymate since he has caught Ross eight times

- more than any other starter.

The Phillies welcomed the return Friday of Utley, who went 1 for 5 in his first action since June 22

after being out due to right ankle inflammation. Cesar Hernandez had been playing second base in

his absence, batting .387 in a seven-game hitting streak that ended when he struck out in his only

official at-bat in a 4-3, 12-inning win.

Cameron Rupp's homer in the 12th was the difference for Philadelphia, which is a major league-best

14-5 since the All-Star break. Brown, Ryan Howard and Cody Asche also went deep for the Phillies,

who rallied from a 3-0 deficit.

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''We're being aggressive,'' Rupp said. ''We're having good at-bats. When pitchers make mistakes,

we're ready for them.''

Brown has homered in consecutive games, with four homers and 11 RBIs in his last eight. He is

hitting .345 with three home runs in his last seven games at Petco Park.

San Diego has totaled 10 runs and batted .210 while losing four straight. Matt Kemp is 2 for 15 in

that stretch, Yonder Alonso is 2 for 13 and Jedd Gyorko is 1 for 13.

The Padres have a 13-10 record when they face left-handed starters as they get their first look at

Phillies rookie Adam Morgan (2-3, 4.46), who was charged with four runs over five innings in

Sunday's 6-2 loss to Atlanta. Philadelphia had captured his previous three outings.

Morgan is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA in three road starts.