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Padres Press Clips Thursday, June 29, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Padres pepper Bartolo Colon in win over Braves UT San Diego Lin 2

Petco Park ground rule to be clarified after Wil Myers' UT San Diego Lin 4

near-homer

Jacob Nix completes first career shutout for Storm UT San Diego Sanders 6

Padres' Nick Buss named to Triple-A All-Star Game UT San Diego Sanders 8

Padres jump on Colon early, hang on for win MLB.com Bowman/Cassavell 9

Asuaje makes case to stick with big league club MLB.com Cassavell 12

Lamet seeks third straight quality start MLB.com Ruiz 14

Richard makes kids' day at PLAY event MLB.com Ruiz 15

Padres, MLB clarify Petco rule on homers MLB.com Cassavell 17

Padres beat Braves 7-4 as Colon struggles again Associated Press AP 19

This Day in Padres History, 6/29 FriarWire Center 21

Padres on Deck: Kennedy, McDade allowed one run in FriarWire Center 22

26 2/3 innings last week

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Padres pepper Bartolo Colon in win over Braves Dennis Lin

A hallmark of the 2017 Padres has been their shortcoming in the most fundamental of departments. The rebuilding club entered Wednesday with a .293 on-base percentage, the lowest in the majors.

In a 7-4 victory over Atlanta, a matchup with Bartolo Colon provided a temporary panacea. The Padres accomplished plenty against the Braves starter before surviving a sixth-inning charge by the visitors.

Eleven of San Diego's 23 plate appearances against Colon resulted in a runner getting on base. In that span, four players reached multiple times.

The tone was set in the bottom of the first. Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe drew a pair of walks. With two outs, Cory Spangenberg dumped an opposite-field double in the left-field corner, scoring Margot and Renfroe.

“Me and (hitting coach Alan Zinter) have been working hard in the cage, just to have better pitch selection and trying to shrink my zone,” said Spangenberg, who is hitting .314 (22-for-70) with six extra-base hits in June. “I think it’s been translating to the field.”

In the bottom of the third, Margot led off with a single, his first hit since Tuesday’s return from the disabled list. He then stole second, stole third and scored on an infield single by Wil Myers. Carlos Asuaje’s two-out single later in the inning pushed the Padres' lead to 4-0.

“That’s just nice to have that real speed element at the top of the batting order,” manager Andy Green said of Margot. “But really, just about getting on base for him. He puts himself on base, he can do some great things.”

San Diego dealt Colon more two-out damage in the fourth, with Hunter Renfroe's first career triple driving in two more runs.

With Colon out of the game in the fifth, Asuaje singled for a third time, setting a career high in hits.

“I’m just here to help the team win,” said Asuaje, who was recalled from Triple-A El Paso last week. “Our manager and my teammates expect me to get on base often, and that’s what I’m trying to do, really. I’m just trying to have good at-bats, play good defense.”

Padres right-hander Luis Perdomo took a shutout bid into the sixth. It ended there, when former Padres outfielder Matt Kemp directed a two-run single up the middle.

On in relief, rookie Phil Maton hit a batter with the bases loaded and allowed a fielder’s choice. He ended the inning with a strikeout.

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Perdomo was tagged with four runs over 5 1/3 innings. He yielded seven hits and two walks, striking out four.

”You hate to see a guy that’s throwing the ball that well, that efficiently, run into that much trouble that quickly, because for 5 1/3 innings, he’s absolutely cruising, and then just a number of singles and then probably the pitch selection to Brandon Phillips, trying to go fastball away,” Green said. “...Baseball’s tough that way because that guy’s right on the brink of dominating an entire baseball game, and then that inning got away from him.”

In the seventh, the Padres scored an insurance run on a fielder’s choice.

The home team finished with five walks and a dozen hits, three apiece by Asuaje and Erick Aybar. The seven runs were the Padres’ most this season in a game in which they did not homer.

“We had some quality, especially the first four innings of the game, quality two-out at-bats that we got a number of RBIs in those situations, which we haven’t done that for the most part this year,” Green said. “I felt in the fifth, 6-0 game, as a manager, you always want more runs. ... You’ve got to keep adding on. You keep adding on, you keep teams down emotionally, and we weren’t able to do it that inning.”

Padres relievers Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer each threw a perfect inning of relief, sealing the victory.

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Petco Park ground rule to be clarified after Wil Myers' near-homer Dennis Lin

An odd bounce Tuesday at Petco Park resulted in confusion. Frustration ensued. Wednesday brought clarification, if not restitution.

Major League Baseball and the Padres had rewritten the ground rule that drew scrutiny when an apparent home run by first baseman Wil Myers was deemed a double. The language in the new rule was in the process of being approved, albeit already in effect.

“If another ball lands just like that,” Padres manager Andy Green said before Wednesday’s game, “it’s a home run.”

In the bottom of the first inning Tuesday, much to San Diego’s dismay, it was not. Myers had launched a drive to the right-center-field wall, where the ball touched down atop the padding and rebounded onto the field. The original call, a double, was upheld after a review by Major League Baseball’s instant-replay command center in New York. The Padres went on to lose a 3-0 shutout to the Atlanta Braves.

After the game, Green did not hide his annoyance over what the Padres perceived to be a robbery. As written in Petco Park’s current ground rules, the result of a “batted ball in flight striking the top of the right field wall above/beyond the padding or scoreboard” is a home run.

On Wednesday morning, Green spoke with Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, and Matt McKendry, senior director of umpire operations. The manager had been correct to question Tuesday night’s ruling.

“They misinterpreted our ground rule in New York last night and took responsibility for misinterpreting it,” Green said. “...I was certain what the ground rule was yesterday. Talked to them about what recourse is. There’s really no recourse at this point in time. When that happened yesterday, it’s unfortunate. I think they recognize it’s unfortunate.

“I take culpability because you can stand up there and explain every single ground rule to perfection. That’s a ball I’ve never seen before. To give some defense to the umpire in New York, (I have) never seen a ball land on that padding there and bounce back into play. I’ve never seen it in batting practice, seen it in a game. It’s one of those rare eventualities that did occur.”

MLB works with all 30 major league clubs on ballpark ground rules, which are unique to each venue. A league official told the Union-Tribune that the umpires on the field and replay officials in New York interpreted the rule “differently than how the Padres intended.”

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According to Green, the confusion stemmed from the “above/beyond” portion of the rule: “They re-wrote it entirely, to say the same thing in effect, that a ball that is batted and lands on top of the wall is a home run.”

Based on his conversation with Torre, Green said, neither side felt it necessary to add a yellow home-run line to the right-field wall.

“I can’t imagine that particular rule being an issue again,” Green said. “The difficult part is, if it hits on the front (edge), the facing of the wall, it’s technically still in play.”

Green added that, in meeting with umpiring crews before each home series, he plans to be particularly thorough in explaining Petco Park’s ground rules.

“It feels like overkill, because sitting in New York are our ground rules, should anything arise,” Green said. “You hope they get it right. I don't know what they could miss going forward. But I’ll do my best to make sure nothing’s missed like that again. Because I do take it personally. I was thinking about it all night. It’s a home run for Wil, it’s a run for us, that’s an opportunity for us to get ahead in the baseball game.”

Rehab outing Right-hander Trevor Cahill (right shoulder strain) made his second rehab appearance Wednesday, allowing two runs over three innings for Triple-A El Paso. Cahill, who went on the disabled list in mid-May, yielded four hits and a walk, striking out four. He threw 61 pitches, 36 for strikes.

Green has said Cahill may need at least another rehab outing before returning from the disabled list.

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Jacob Nix completes first career shutout for Storm Jeff Sanders

Lake Elsinore’s rotation will lose a few arms to promotions before too long. The Storm still figure to be in good hands with Jacob Nix.

So long as he’s still in the California League, that is.

The 21-year-old right-hander struck out a career-high 11 batters and scattered just two hits in completing the first shutout of his career in Lake Elsinore’s 2-0 win over visiting Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday afternoon.

Nix (2-1) retired the first 17 batters before Victor Roache singled to with two outs in the sixth inning for Rancho Cucamonga’s first hit. Catcher Kyle Overstreet erased him with a caught stealing at second base.

The only other hit allowed was D.J. Peters’ double to left field to open the eighth. Right fielder Edwin Moreno erased him on a double play at third base after Peters attempt to tag up on a flyball.

Nix threw 75 of his 108 pitches for strikes in lowering his ERA to 2.84 through his first six appearances (five starts) in the high Single-A California League.

Slowed in camp by a groin injury, he has struck out 36, walked just four and allowed a .253 opponent average through 38 innings.

Shortstop Javier Guerra (.216) doubled and scored a run in three at-bats, Josh Naylor (.296) tripled in four at-bats and Moreno (.272) and Carlos Belen (.204) each singled in a run.

The Storm are 38-39 overall and 3-4 in the second half.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (38-41)

Sacramento 11, Chihuahuas 3: RHP Christian Bethancourt (12.05) allowed four runs on three hits and a walk in the fifth inning after RHP Trevor Cahill allowed two runs in three innings (4 H, 1 BB, 4 K) in his second PCL rehab start. RHP Cesar Vargas (8.38) allowed three runs in two innings. 2B Diego Goris (.295) went 3-for-4 and SS Jose Rondon (.296) and 3B Ryan Schimpf (.246) both doubled in runs.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (6-1, 32-45)

TinCaps 7, South Bend 2: 1B Brad Zunica (.264) hit his 12th and 13th homers and drove in four runs, CF Buddy Reed (.252) went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored and 2B Nate

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Easley (.213) tripled in a pair of runs. RHP Adrian De Horta (1-0, 4.15) struck out six and allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings and RHP Hansel Rodriguez (5.40) saved his first game with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (10-4)

Spokane 6, Dust Devils 1: LHP Adrian Morejon (0-1, 4.15) struck out five and allowed two runs on four hits and no walks in five innings in his third pro start. RF Luis Asuncion (.327) went 2-for-4 with a double, 2B Felipe Blanco (.100) went 0-for-2 with two walks and an RBI and C Jalen Washington (.278) doubled in four at-bats.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 1 (1-3)

Royals 7, Padres 5: LHP Adrian Martinez, a Tommy John patient, allowed four runs on five hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings in his first appearance since 2015. C Blake Hunt (.273) went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored and 2B Matthew Batten (.438) went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 2 (2-2)

Rangers 16, Padres 6: RHP Jaimito Lebron, also a Tommy John patient, allowed six runs on four hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning in his first appearance since 2015. RHP Jake Esch (0-1, 4.50) struck out seven and allowed two runs in four innings in a rehab start. CF Mason Hosue (.429) went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, 2B Eguy Rosario (.385) went 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs and C Luis Campusano (.429) went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

ROOKIE DSL PADRES (8-12)

Giants 5, Padres 0: LHP Carlos Valenzuela (0-2, 3.70) allowed five runs – three earned – on six hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. RF Danny Tovar (.245) went 2-for-4 with a triple and CF Adrian Antunez (.167) collected two hits in four at-bats.

Also

El Paso OF Nick Buss was invited to the Triple-A All-Star Game.

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Padres' Nick Buss named to Triple-A All-Star Game Jeff Sanders

Nick Buss has turned a career year at Paso into a second Triple-A All-Star Game invitation. This one comes four years after his first, when he was a standout in the Dodgers organization.

The 30-year-old Buss is hitting a Padres-system-best .380, which would qualify for the PCL lead if he had more at-bats. As it stands, Buss has 163 in 55 games in a crowded outfield picture that has included – at different points of the season – current Padres Jose Pirela and Franchy Cordero, Jabari Blash and Manuel Margot’s recent minor league rehab assignment.

Buss would need another 47at-bats to qualify for a batting title race currently being led by Colorado Springs’ Ivan De Jesus Jr. (.363).

Still, Buss has done well with what he’s got.

He’s struck out just 25 times, posted a .443 on-base percentage and is slugging .564 thanks to 11 doubles, two triples and five homers. He has driven in 25 runs.

A minor league signee, Buss was last an All-Star in 2013, when he hit .303/.363/.525 with 17 homers, 100 RBIs and 21 steals for Triple-A Albuquerque.

The 30th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will take place in Tacoma on July 12.

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Padres jump on Colon early, hang on for

win By Mark Bowman and AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | 2:11 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Manuel Margot was two years old when Bartolo Colon first set foot on a big league

mound in April 1997. The Padres center fielder was the spark plug behind Colon's demise on Wednesday

night.

Margot ignited a trio of two-run rallies as the Padres made their early cushion hold up in a 7-4 victory that

snapped their nine-game losing streak against Atlanta. In his second game since returning from the

disabled list, Margot walked in the first and singled in the third and fourth, scoring three times and adding

a pair of stolen bases. Carlos Asuaje and Erick Aybar also chipped in three hits apiece, as the Padres

built an early 6-0 lead on the strength of five two-out RBIs.

"We had continuous momentum going in and out of innings," Asuaje said. "We had good plays on

defense, good pitching, and offensively we were stringing at-bats together well tonight. It felt like we

were dominating, even though it was a closer game."

Those three rallies were enough to chase Colon after four innings, as he allowed at least six runs for the

fourth consecutive start. In that time, Colon's ERA has skyrocketed to 8.14, the highest in baseball,

leaving his future with the Braves in question.

"He had pretty good command overall," Braves catcher Tyler Flowers said. "He had a couple of untimely

misses. There really weren't too many at-em balls. They found the holes."

On the flip side, the Padres feel as though Luis Perdomo has a very bright future. But the 24-year-old

right-hander is still experiencing some growing pains when he's working through the order a third time.

Perdomo pitched five scoreless frames and retired a batter in the sixth -- before allowing five straight hits

and four runs once the lineup turned over again.

"You hate to see a guy that's throwing the ball that well, that efficiently run into that much trouble that

quickly," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Because for 5 1/3, he was absolutely cruising."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Maton on a roll: After Perdomo's sixth-inning struggles, the Padres called on rookie right-hander Phil

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Maton with the tying run at the plate and the bases loaded. He plunked Flowers in the left forearm

(and Flowers exited as a result). But Maton retired the next two hitters to escape the threat, punctuating

the inning with a strikeout of Johan Camargo. He became the 13th Padres pitcher to open his career with

nine straight scoreless outings. (The franchise record is 12 straight, set most recently by Ernesto Frieri.)

Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer followed Maton by retiring all nine hitters they faced,

ending the game without a hint of a late Braves rally.

"Outside of [the hit-by-pitch], Maton was great," Green said. "Buchter, Hand, Maurer were lights out

tonight. That was a very efficient job by the three of them."

Streaking Spangenberg: The Padres drew two walks in the top of the first inning, and Cory

Spangenberg made certain Colon would pay. He smacked a liner out of the reach of Matt Kemp into the

left-field corner. Both runs scored, giving the Padres an early advantage. In 21 games this month,

Spangenberg is batting .314 with six extra-base hits.

Spangenberg's double came immediately after plate umpire Mike Winters ruled Hunter Renfroe checked

his swing on a 3-2 pitch that could have resulted in Colon's third strikeout in what would have been a

scoreless first inning.

"I thought he went to be honest," Colon said. "But you can't focus on that and the reality is I've been

getting hit hard. That's the truth and you can't just dance around it."

QUOTABLE

"We put ourselves in position there. They don't stop and we were a hit away. We did climb back in it. It

just didn't happen tonight." -- Braves manager Brian Snitker

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

With his sixth-inning single, Brandon Phillips -- who turned 36 on Wednesday -- has now hit safely on

his birthday in 11 consecutive games, dating back to 2006.

REPLAY REVIEW

The Braves unsuccessfully challenged Matt Szczur violated the slide rule when he attempted to break up

a double play after Allen Cordoba hit a one-out grounder to shortstop Camargo in the seventh inning.

The call was confirmed, allowing the Padres to keep the run tallied when Aybar scored on Cordoba's

fielder's choice.

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WHAT'S NEXT

Braves: Jaime Garcia will start the finale of this three-games set, which is scheduled to start Thursday at

9:05 p.m. ET. Garcia allowed four earned runs or fewer in his first 12 starts, but he has been charged with

six earned runs in each of his past two outings. .

Padres: Dinelson Lamet starts Thursday night, when the Padres and Braves wrap up their three-game set

at 6:10 p.m. PT. It's the seventh start for Lamet, who has posted consecutive quality outings after two

previous outings in which he allowed seven runs.

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Asuaje makes case to stick with big league

club

Rookie second baseman has first career three-hit game vs.

Braves

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 1:22 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- This time, Carlos Asuaje hopes he's here to stay.

The Padres second baseman received another big league callup Friday -- the third of his young career, but

the first in which there's no clear end in sight. Asuaje has raked since, recording his first career three-hit

game on Wednesday night, as the Padres rolled to a 7-4 victory over the Braves.

"I'm just trying to make the most of it while I'm here," Asuaje said. "Obviously I don't know how long I'll

be here, but I'm trying to make the most of it, when it comes to that."

Thus far, he's taken his opportunity and run with it. In five games, Asuaje is 7-for-18 with a pair of walks.

The fact that he's finally getting a serious opportunity certainly helps. Asuaje was a late-September callup

last season, but played only sporadically. Earlier this year he was recalled for just two days when the

Padres had a roster opening before they needed a fifth starter.

In that instance, Asuaje received only two pinch-hit plate appearances. This time around, the club's No. 9

prospect has started all five games, compiling critical big league at-bats.

"It's all experience-based for me," Asuaje said. "From an offensive standpoint, the more pitches you can

see, the tendencies you see from pitchers and clubs, you learn a little bit about yourself."

The Padres acquired Asuaje from Boston in the Craig Kimbrel deal in November 2015. He tore through

Triple-A in his first season in the organization, batting .321/.378/.473 en route to being named Pacific

Coast League Rookie of the Year.

At 25, Asuaje appeared ready for a crack at the big leagues in 2017. But with a logjam at second base, the

opportunity simply wasn't there early in the year.

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Then, the Minor League season began, and Asuaje got off to a sluggish start, batting just .221 at the time

of his first callup.

In his last month at Triple-A, however, Asuaje batted .308, while posting a .905 OPS in June. And

when Yangervis Solarte went down with an oblique strain, it was Asuaje's name that got called.

"Early in the season, I was definitely searching for hits instead of searching for quality at-bats," Asuaje

said. "That's not something I was accustomed to doing. Once you start searching for hits, you start

swinging for pitches that you shouldn't be swinging at, and you get frustrated a lot easier when you make

outs.

"When you're struggling, it's not easy to sit back and say, 'I'm trusting the process, it'll come.' But it's

something you've got to maintain. You have to maintain your routines and stick through it really."

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Lamet seeks third straight quality start By Nathan Ruiz / MLB.com | June 28th, 2017

Dinelson Lamet is trying to find some consistency.

The Padres' rookie right-hander began his career with two five-inning, eight-strikeout starts, but he

followed those with a pair of outings in which he allowed seven earned runs. He has since posted back-to-

back quality starts. Manager Andy Green is hoping Lamet (2-2, 6.60) can stop alternating pairs of good

and bad starts and have a third consecutive strong appearances when he faces the Braves on Thursday

night at Petco Park in the series finale.

"I suspect in his journey there's going to be ups and downs early on," Green said. "The reality of who he is

right now, I couldn't look you in the face and tell you which version we're getting, but the ceiling on him -

- I have great confidence in saying it's incredibly high."

Lamet will oppose left-hander Jaime Garcia, who's been roughed up in June after a dominant May. Garcia

(2-5, 4.03) has a 6.20 ERA and .302 batting average against this month.

Things to know about this game

• If Garcia can get into the late innings, he's a ground-ball machine. Since the start of last season, he has

73.8 ground-ball rate after the sixth inning, tops among qualified starters.

• Over the past 30 days, right-handers have missed on 40.7 percent of their swings against Lamet, the

third-best mark among qualified starters during that period. However, in that same span, left-handers have

slugged .804 off Lamet, the third-worst among qualified starters.

• In his last start against the Giants, Garcia allowed three barrels -- batted balls with a combination of exit

velocity and launch angle ideal for hitters -- for the first time this season and the third time since Statcast

was introduced in 2015. He had allowed a total of two barrels over his previous seven outings.

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Richard makes kids' day at PLAY event

Petco plays host to event promoting healthy lifestyle

By Nathan Ruiz / MLB.com | June 28th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Thanks to his parents' support, Clayton Richard said he never faced the temptation of

using performance-enhancing drugs, but the Padres' left-hander knows other children aren't as fortunate as

he was.

That's why he was happy to take part in the PLAY campaign event Wednesday morning at Petco Park,

where he participated in a Q&A session, signed autographs and told the 50 or so children in attendance

about the dangers of steroid usage.

"You can do it the right way," Richard said. "You don't need help from substances. Sometimes, that can

be a difficult decision, but when you believe in yourself and you put in the hard work, anything's really a

possibility."

PLAY stands for Providing a Lifetime of Activity for Youth and is a national public awareness campaign

of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society in conjunction with MLB Charities and the Taylor

Hooton Foundation. The PLAY campaign will host events in all 30 Major League ballparks in 2017.

Richard is the Padres' representative on the Taylor Hooton Foundation's All Me League advisory board.

The foundation is named after a Texas high school baseball player who took his own life at 17 after using

anabolic steroids. Taylor Hooton's brother, Don Hooton Jr., is the president of the foundation and was at

Petco Park on Wednesday to share his brother's story.

The event placed an emphasis on having an active and healthy lifestyle. The children broke into groups

for fielding, batting and agility drills in the outfield grass with members of the Padres' training staff.

"Your classroom doesn't get any better," Hooton said. "What better way to educate these kids than putting

them on the same field that their role models, their idols, get to play on every single day?

"These lessons will stick for a lifetime."

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Volunteers from the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation were in the visitors' bullpen, teaching the

children the fundamentals of CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators.

"It gives them a certain power and knowledge on how to handle that and possibly save a life," Padres head

trainer Mark Rogow said. "It doesn't get any better than that. It's something that we can empower these

kids with."

The participants rotated among the stations for an hour before Richard came out in full uniform to speak

with them. He started by emphasizing how he reached the level he did without PEDs, before allowing the

attendees to ask questions. He discussed playing catch with his father in the backyard, how he grips

different pitches and his one career home run.

One child asked whether he knew Babe Ruth.

"How old do you think I am?" Richard responded with a laugh.

Both Hooton and Rogow pointed out that Wednesday was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" for many of

the participants. Richard signed hats, cards, jerseys and balls after his Q&A, asking each of the children

whether they had fun. Many of them walked away in shock they had just met a professional baseball

player.

Richard hoped the children remembered the lessons of the day as much as the experience.

"It's special to be able to come out on this field, no matter what the situation or circumstances of it,"

Richard said. "To have them get this opportunity to play baseball in a big league field at Petco Park, that's

a special day.

"It's good that we can share that message and make sure that kids understand that there's a right way to do

things. … I'm fortunate to be able to be a part of it."

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Padres, MLB clarify Petco rule on homers

Controversial interpretation on Myers' at-bat prompts

tweaks

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | June 28th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- A day after the Padres lost a run because of a controverstial interpretation of the Petco

Park ground rules, the club has worked with Major League Baseball to reword the rule in question.

In the Padres' 3-0 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday night, Wil Myers' first inning blast hit the padding on top of

the right-field wall and caromed back into the field of play. It was ruled a double.

The original ground rule stated that any "batted ball in flight striking the top of the right-field wall

above/beyond the padding" is a home run. According to the Padres, the rule was intended to specify that

any ball hitting on top of the wall be ruled a home run.

Padres manager Andy Green spoke with representatives from Major League Baseball on Wednesday, and

he said they acknowledged the rule was not interpreted correctly. A day later, the wording was already in

the process of being changed -- though the rule's objective remains the same.

"They rewrote it entirely -- to say the same thing, in effect," Green said. "A ball that is batted and lands on

top of the wall is a home run. ... I can't imagine that particular rule being an issue again."

The new language has not yet been made official, and the wording of the new rule is not yet available.

"Nothing has changed," Green said. "It's just been rewritten for clarity's sake."

Green fumed after the game and said Tuesday's ruling was "probably something I should get tossed for."

Afterward, he was informed by umpires that he couldn't protest the decision because it had already been

reviewed via replay.

The league later informed Green that, in fact, he could have filed a protest. But the ruling was unlikely to

be overturned anyway, because the rule was misinterpreted rather than misapplied.

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Green was also quick to note his own responsibility to run through the specifics of every ground rule

before every game.

"It feels like overkill, because sitting in New York are our ground rules, should anything arise," Green

said. "You hope they get it right. I don't know what they could miss, going forward. But I'll do my best to

make sure nothing's missed like that again, because I do take it personally. I was thinking about it all

night. It's a home run for Wil, it's a run for us, that's an opportunity for us to get ahead in the baseball

game."

Added Myers: "If it hits the top of the wall, it's a home run. And it clearly hit the top of the wall. There's

nothing that can be done about it now. Yeah, I'd like to have had my 16th home run with an RBI and a run

yesterday. But I didn't. So I'll just come out and play today."

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Padres beat Braves 7-4 as Colon struggles

again

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Luis Perdomo is making up for the odd beginning to his season. Perdomo pitched five scoreless innings and Hunter Renfroe and Cory Spangenberg contributed two RBI apiece to help the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 on Wednesday night. San Diego's Carlos Asuaje and Erick Aybar had three hits each.

Perdomo (3-4), winless after his first 10 starts, won for the third time in his last four outings. The right-hander went 5 1/3 innings and was charged with four runs and seven hits. He struck out four and walked two.

"I was a lot more focused and that was the biggest difference," Perdomo said through a translator. "It was just more mental tonight. I tried to think about how to execute my game plan and that was what I was focused on."

The Braves, who had won five straight over the Padres, chased Perdomo in the sixth when they scored four times. Earlier Perdomo was aided by two double-play balls as Atlanta lost for just the third time in 11 games.

Brandon Maurer worked a perfect ninth for his 15th save as Perdomo went to 3-1 at Petco Park. The Padres' bullpen no-hit the Braves over the final 3 2/3 innings.

"For 5 1/3 innings (Perdomo) was absolutely cruising," Padres manager Andy Green said. Veteran Bartolo Colon (2-8) turned in another disappointing start, pitching for the first time since going on the disabled list with a strained left oblique on June 6. Colon, 44, surrendered six runs, eight hits and three walks over four innings. The four-time All-Star struck out two in losing for the sixth time in his last eight starts as he failed to reach the fifth inning for the third consecutive outing.

"I felt good, I just feel like I've kind of hit a rough streak to be honest and it's tough to just snap out of it," Colon said through a translator. "The reality is that I've been getting hit hard and that's the truth and you can't dance around it."

Braves manager Brain Snitker wasn't promising Colon another start.

"I'm going to process tonight and then kind of see what's going on," he said.

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The Braves batted around and pulled to 6-4 in the sixth on former Padre Matt Kemp's two-run single, Tyler Flowers getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and pinch-hitter Lane Adams' fielder's choice. Renfroe sliced his first career triple the opposite way to right field in the fourth, bringing around Manuel Margot and Wil Myers in extending the Padres' lead to 6-0. In the third San Diego padded its lead to 4-0 on Myers' RBI infield single and Asuaje's run-scoring hit. Margot stole two bases and Myers advanced on a wild pitch in the inning as Colon struggled to restrict the Padres' running game.

"You can find a lot of positives with our offensive game," said Green, after the team scored its most runs of the season without the benefit of a homer. "I thought the quality of our two-out, (run-scoring) at-bats was something we haven't seen a ton of this year."

The Padres struck quickly, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. They converted walks from Colon to Margot and Renfroe as they scored on Spangenberg's double down the left-field line.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: INF Freddie Freeman, who has been out since mid-May with a wrist injury, took batting practice on Wednesday. He could be sent out for rehab games this weekend. ... C Tyler Flowers was struck by a pitch on his left forearm. The Braves didn't think it was serious but Flowers could miss Thursday's series-finale. Padres: RHP Trevor Cahill (sore right shoulder) had a minor-league rehab start for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. He threw scoreless ball in three of his four innings.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Jaime Garcia (2-5, 4.03 ERA) allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings, but got a no-decision when facing the Padres in the season's opening week. Garcia seeks his first win since beating the Giants on May 26. Padres: RHP Dinelson Lamet (2-4, 6.60 ERA) has dropped his last two decisions over his previous four outings. Despite not getting a decision in his last two starts, he went at least six innings in both

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This Day in Padres History, 6/29

1979: Rebirth of “The Chicken;” 1979: Finley has 2

HRs, 5 RBIs

By Bill Center

June 29, 1979 — Renamed the San Diego Chicken, Ted Giannoulas makes his Padres return in a “re-hatching” during a 4–1 loss to the Astros before a crowd of 41,822 at San Diego Stadium.

June 29, 1987 — Taking over after Storm Davis leaves after the first inning, right-hander Jimmy Jones allows two hits and two walks with two strikeouts over eight innings to complete a shutout as the Padres defeat the Dodgers 3–0 at Dodger Stadium.

June 29, 1995 — Center fielder Steve Finley drives in five runs with a pair of homers in the Padres 7–6 win at San Francisco.

June 29, 2003 — Left fielder Rondell White hits a grand slam homer to cap a six-run ninth as the Padres rally to defeat the Mariners 8–6 in an interleague game in Seattle.

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Padres on Deck: Kennedy, McDade

allowed one run in 26 2/3 innings

last week By Bill Center

Two catchers who finished last week on five-game hitting streaks and two right-handed pitchers who were sharp in a pair of starts the list of the Padres Minor League Players of the Week.

The pitchers are Brett Kennedy of Double-A San Antonio and Jim McDade of short-season Single-A Tri-City. The catchers are Tony Cruz of Triple-A El Paso and Austin Allen of Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Also honored are first baseman Brad Zunica of Single-A Fort Wayne and shortstop Bryan Torres of the Dominican Summer League Padres.

A look at the six Players of the Week:

Triple-A El Paso — Catcher Tony Cruz:

The Chihuahuas’ backup catcher was 7-for-13 for the week and 9-for-24 with three homers, six RBIs and six runs scored during a five-game hitting streak that includes a four-hit game on June 20. Signed by the Padres as a minor league free agent last Feb. 7, the 30-year-old Cruz is hitting .344 on the season with seven doubles and three homers for 16 RBIs in 90 at-bats.

Double-A San Antonio — Right-handed starter Brett Kennedy:

The 22-year-old, 11th-round pick in the 2015 draft was 1–0 in two starts last week while allowing one run on five hits and a walk with 13 strikeouts over 13 innings. He had a 0.46 WHIP and .114 opponents’ batting average for the week which ended with a seven-inning, one-hit shutout. He is 7–3 on the season with a 3.42 earned run average with 79 strikeouts in 78 innings.

Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore — Catcher Austin Allen:

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The Padres’ fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, was named to the MLB.com prospects team of the Week for homering in four straight games. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder ended the week going 6-for-20 in an active five-game hitting streak. Allen is hitting .252 on the season with 16 doubles, eight homers and 33 RBIs in 214 at-bats. He has a .439 slugging percentage and .783 OPS.

Single-A Fort Wayne — First baseman Brad Zunica:

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound, 15th-round pick in the 2015 draft was 6-for-11 last week with a double and two home runs for four home runs and three runs scored. Since June 7, Zunica has hit .409 (18-for-44) with five doubles, four homers, nine RBIs, nine runs scored and six walks for a 1.286 OPS that leads the Midwest League and ranks sixth in all of minor league baseball.

Short-Season Single-A Tri-City — Right-handed starter Jim McDade:

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound McDade signed with the Padres in 2016 after being undrafted out of the University of Pennsylvania (Millersville). He was 1–0 in two starts last week and didn’t allow a run or a walk while giving up 10 hits (a .200 average) with 14 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. Earlier this season, McDade had a 2.45 ERA in five games (one start) with Fort Wayne.

Dominican Summer League — Shortstop Bryan Torres:

The 17-year-old Venezuelan signed with the Padres last July. He leads the DSL Padres with a .313 batting average and a .876 OPS and has scored 16 runs in the season’s first 17 games. Last week, Torres went 6-for-19 (.316) with six walks (a .480 on-base percentage) and eight runs scored. He has a .423 on-base percentage on the season.