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Padres Press Clips Thursday, July 6, 2017 Article Source Author Page Padres take down Indians again UT San Diego Lin 2 Padres scratch Austin Hedges due to neck stiffness UT San Diego Lin 4 Joey Lucchesi a winner in Double-A debut UT San Diego Sanders 6 Cuban Michel Baez pitches Fort Wayne to win UT San Diego Sanders 8 Spangenberg, Pirela lead Padres' attack in win MLB.com Koslieski/Bastian 10 Perdomo bruised but not beaten by Indians MLB.com Koslieski 13 Lamet, Padres go for the sweep vs. Indians MLB.com Koslieski 14 Hedges out of lineup with neck stiffness MLB.com Kosileski 16 The Padres All-Star you've never heard of is trade ESPN.com Schoenfield 17 deadline's most important name Padres down Indians 6-2 as Francona remains in hospital Associated Press AP 19 This Day in Padres History, 7/6 FriarWire Center 21

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Padres take down Indians again Dennis Lin

Consecutive comebackers had Luis Perdomo teetering on the brink at Progressive Field. The first

grounder ricocheted off his right foot, resulting in an RBI double to shallow right field. The second

caught him on his right forearm. The ball dribbled away as the batter legged out a single. Pitching

coach Darren Balsley paid a visit to the mound.

Perdomo mustered a deft response. He completed the bottom of the fifth with a double play, preserving a

narrow lead. Then the Padres offense created a wider berth.

A two-run, seventh-inning homer by third baseman Cory Spangenberg punctuated Wednesday’s 6-2

victory over Cleveland. Perdomo dealt with an elevated pitch count and some buzzard luck, but a barrage

buoyed the young right-hander. The Padres were outhit 14 to 13, but one night after they managed a 1-0

shutout win, they again edged the Indiansin timely offense.

“Through the order, we had big hits from a number of spots,” manager Andy Green said. “It was a good

team effort from an offensive perspective.”

Neither starting pitcher was at his best. Perdomo allowed two runs, one earned, on nine hits. He required

90 pitches to record 15 outs. Trevor Bauer also went five innings. The Indians righty yielded four runs,

three earned, on eights and and two walks.

Had it not been for emphatic conclusions to each inning, the damage against Perdomo could have been

worse. He ended the first and second frames with a strikeout. A double play shut the door on the third.

Perdomo struck out another batter for the final out of the fourth. With two outs and the corners occupied

in the fifth, Edwin Encarnacion sent a routine grounder to Spangenberg.

“It’s always good to get those strikeouts in big moments like that,” Perdomo said through an interpreter.

“But at the same time, I really like the ground ball. I probably like it a little more, because with one pitch,

with one play, you can get out of it with a double play.”

While Perdomo and the bullpen kept the Indians lineup from breaking out, the Padres had an answer for

each run by the home team.

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After Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the third, San Diego tied the score in the fourth. After the Padres took a

3-1 lead in the fifth, the Indians plated a run in the bottom of the inning. The visitors came back with

another score in the sixth and two more, on Spangenberg’s opposite-field blast, in the seventh.

Eight of the Padres’ nine starters collected at least one hit. Carlos Asuaje, Jose Pirela and Aybar all

finished with multiple knocks.

For the second night in a row, the Padres bullpen prevented the Indians from crossing the plate. Rookie

Phil Maton inherited a pair of runners and recorded a career-high five outs. In the bottom of the

eighth, Hunter Renfroe saved a run by cutting down Jose Ramirez at home. The rookie’s seven outfield

assists are the most among major league right fielders this season.

In claiming the series, the Padres opened a road trip with back-to-back wins for the first time in 2017.

After lurching to an 18-33 start, they have gone 18-15 over their last 33 games.

“It’s probably the first time a lot of us have really played together,” Renfroe said. “Some of us played

together in Triple-A, but as a whole, it’s the first year. And obviously, we had some growing pains at first.

Everybody’s starting to figure it out a little bit, starting to hit the ball a little bit better, and kind of

clicking a little bit. The pitching staff’s doing really, really well. When they’re throwing zeroes up there,

it’s kind of easy for us.”

Indians manager Terry Francona missed a second consecutive game as he continued to undergo tests to

determine why he has experienced an increased heart rate and lightheadedness. Chris Antonetti,

Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, told reporters Francona likely will not be present for

Thursday’s series finale, either. Bench coach Brad Mills has led the Indians in Francona’s absence.

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Padres scratch Austin Hedges due to

neck stiffness Dennis Lin

About two hours before Wednesday’s game at Progressive Field, the Padres scratched catcher Austin

Hedges from their lineup due to neck stiffness. Manager Andy Green described the ailment as minor in

nature.

“I don’t think it’s anything serious long-term,” Green said. “At least it doesn’t appear that way at all. He

was taking some swings in the cage earlier today and felt a lot of stiffness in his neck and just couldn’t get

loose.”

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Rookie Luis Torrens replaced Hedges behind the plate and in the order, batting ninth.

Green said he previously had intended to rest Hedges during Thursday’s series finale.

“We’ll just give him the day off today, see how he rebounds, and if he’s able to catch (Thursday), he will,”

Green said. “If not, just give him a couple days. Based on how he feels right now, I don’t anticipate

anything being long-term.”

Hedges, 24, had started 63 of the Padres’ first 83 games. He is batting just .214 with a .258 on-base

percentage and 11 home runs, but has drawn consistent praise for his defense and handling of the

pitching staff.

Capps out with twisted ankle

On Tuesday, Green spoke hopefully of right-hander Carter Capps becoming “a big part” of the Padres’

bullpen at some point this season.

It does not appear that will happen anytime soon.

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Green’s words were delivered shortly before Capps, currently with Triple-A El Paso, was placed on the

seven-day minor league disabled list Tuesday night. The reliever had suffered another setback, a twisted

ankle, in his return from Tommy John surgery.

“From my understanding, he was doing some conditioning exercises and twisted his ankle and twisted it

pretty good,” Green said. “I don’t know how long that is, but I heard it was not minor.”

Capps, who underwent elbow reconstruction in March 2016, began a rehab assignment April 11. The

Padres pulled him from that assignment in early May, sending him to their spring-training facility to

work on his command and controversial, hop-stepping delivery.

Capps resumed pitching for El Paso in early June, and has posted a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings with the

affiliate. On June 25, he was called for two illegal pitches, a source of frustration for Capps and the

Padres, who believed a rule clarification had addressed legality questions concerning Capps’ delivery.

Rival scouts who have watched Capps recently say he remains a ways from recapturing his form in 2015,

when he was among the majors’ most dominant relievers.

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Joey Lucchesi a winner in Double-A

debut Jeff Sanders

Joey Lucchesi was a winner in his Double-A debut. He also left himself plenty of room to improve.

The 24-year-old left-hander allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in San Antonio’s 5-3 winover Northwest

Arkansas on Monday.

Luchessi (1-0, 5.06) struck out three, walked one and allowed nine hits, including his 10thhome run

allowed this season.

Lucchesi is tied with Michael Kelly for the organization with 98 strikeouts in 84 innings.

Right fielder Nick Schulz (.257) went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored and catcher

Stephen McGee (.264) went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

The Missions are 49-32 overall and 7-3 in the second half.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (40-44)

• Chihuahuas 6, Reno 5 (10): CF Franchy Cordero (.314) went 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI,

including an infield single for the walk-off win. RF Jabari Blash (.283) went 3-for-4 with his

16th homer and three RBIs. RHP Jose Valdez (2-3, 5.63) allowed a run over the final two innings

for the win, while RHP Matt Magill (4.02) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in the start.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (5-7, 40-42)

• Storm 9, Inland Empire 6: SS Javier Guerra (.232) went 3-for-4 with his fifth homer, a triple and

four RBIs. CF Michael Gettys (.254) drove in two runs on his 10th homer and RF Taylor Kohlwey

(.222) drove in two on his first. 2B Boomer White (.219) went 3-for-4 with a double. RHP Jake

Esch (1-0, 3.60) allowed two runs on six hits and three walks in five innings in a rehab start.

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LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (7-5, 33-49)

• Dayton 4, TinCaps 2: RHP Mason Thompson (1-3, 6.00) resumed action with two runs allowed in

two innings. He struck out four. RHP Ronald Bolanos (4.04) allowed two runs in five innings. 3B

Hudson Potts (.219) hit his eighth homer and SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.274) went 3-for-3 with a

walk, his 15th steal and a run scored.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (11-8)

• Salem-Keizer 3, Dust Devils 2 (10): RHP Evan Miller (2-2, 2.31) struck out four and allowed an

unearned run over the final three innings. LF Josh Magee (.208) and RF Luis Asuncion (.294)

collected Tri-City’s lone hits, both singles.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES DOUBLEHEADER

• Padres1 8, Padres2 4: RHP Jose Guzman (0-1, 3.60) struck out six and allowed a run in six

innings in the loss, while RHP Nick Margeviciuis (1.50) struck out six over four shutout innings in

a no-decision for Padres 1. 2B Eguy Rosario (.433) doubled in two runs, while 3B Jason Pineda

(.273) and RF Angel Santos (.308) both drove in two runs.

ROOKIE DSL PADRES (8-16)

• Reds 5, Padres 3: LHP Gabriel Morales (1-3, 4.24) allowed two runs – one earned – on six hits

and a walk in four innings in taking the loss. SS Bryan Torres (.297) went 2-for-5 with a run

scored and 3B Luis Guzman (.19) went 1-for-2 with an RBI and three walks.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• SS Fernando Tatis Jr. was named a Midwest League Player of the Week for a second time. He

went 10-for-25 with two doubles, three homers, six RBIs, six walks, nine runs and a steal last

week. Tatis is the first TinCap to win the award twice in one season since Rymer Liriano in

2011.

• INF Christian Villanueva was the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week. He hit six homers,

went 11-for-27 and collected 32 total bases, nine RBIs and nine runs scored.

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Cuban Michel Baez pitches Fort Wayne

to win

Jeff Sanders

Michel Baez struck out nine batters and scattered two hits over five shutout innings in low Single-A Fort

Wayne’s 4-0 win on Tuesday, continuing a strong start to his pro career.

Baez’s start comes after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in five innings in the Arizona Rookie

League. The 6-foot-8 right-hander struck out seven in that game and has 16 strikeouts against two walks

in 10 innings since signing for $3 million out of Cuba during the 2016-2017 international free agent class.

Left-hander Will Headean (5.19) struck out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings and right-hander Wilmer

Torres (2.89) recorded the final five outs.

Cuban outfielder Jorge Ona (.280) went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and a run scored, first baseman

Brad Zunica went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and second baseman Reinaldo Ilarraza (.218)

went 2-for-4 with his 15th steal.

The TinCaps are 8-5 in the second half and 34-49 overall.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (41-44)

• Chihuahuas 5, Las Vegas 1: RHP Adam Cimber (2-0, 3.90) struck out four and allowed a run in 6

2/3 innings in his third career start. He also tripled in three plate appearances. RF Jabari Blash

(.284) drove in two runs on his 17th homer. 1B Christian Villanueva (.297) and 3B Ryan Schimpf

(.276) each doubled in a run.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (8-4, 49-33)

• NW Arkansas 6, Missions 3: RHP Chris Huffman (3-2, 2.98) allowed four runs on eight hits and a

walk in six innings in the loss. RF Nick Schulz (.262) went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two

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RBIs, C Stephen McGee (.277) went 3-for-4 with a double and CF Auston Bousfield (.255) went 2-

for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (40-43)

• Lancaster 10, Storm 9: RHP Jacob Nix (3.61) allowed eight runs – five earned – on 10 hits and a

walk in 4 1/3 innings. He didn’t strike out anyone. RHP Jose Ruiz (1-2, 4.66) allowed two runs

over two innings to take the loss. DH Austin Allen (.254) went 3-for-4 with his ninth homer and

four RBIs and 3B Carlos Belen (.206) hit his fourth homer. 1B Josh Naylor (.297), LF Taylor

Kohlwey (.228), CF Michael Gettys (.259), RF Edwin Moreno (.286) and C Kyle Overstreet (.241)

each had two hits.

SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (12-8)

• Dust Devils 8, Everett 4: LHP Adrian Morejon (1-1, 3.79) struck out five and allowed two runs on

seven hits and a walk in six innings for his first pro win. 1B Chris Mattison (.171) went 2-for-2

with his second homer and three RBIs, SS Luis Almanzar (.254) hit his first homer and LF

Aldemar Burgos (.244) went 3-for-4 with a double, his second homer and two RBIs.

ROOKIE AZL PADRES 2 (4-5)

• Padres 9, Cubs 7: DH Nick Feight (.067) drove in two runs on his first homer, 1B Justin Paulsen

(.400) went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple and LF Robbie Podorsky (.370) went SS Kelvin

Alarcon (.222) both drove in two runs. CF Mason House (.364) went 2-for-4 with a triple and an

RBI and 2B Eguy Rosario (.412) 1-for-4 with a double, two walks and two steals. RHP Starlin

Cordero (1-0, 7.71) turned in two scoreless innings in relief for the win and LHP Buddy Baumann

(6.75) struck out a batter in a scoreless inning to continue his rehab assignment.

ROOKIE DSL PADRES (8-17)

• Blue Jays 7, Padres 5: LHP Carlos Valenzuela (0-3, 4.61) allowed four runs in three innings in the

start. C Gilberto Vizcarra (.172) and CF Adrian Antunez (.167) each drove in two runs.

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Transactions

• To make room for Baez, RHP Adrian De Horta was transferred from Fort Wayne to Lake

Elsinore.

• RHP Trevor Frank was transferred from Lake Elsinore to El Paso.

• RHP Carter Capps was placed on El Paso’s seven-day DL with an undisclosed injury.

Spangenberg, Pirela lead Padres' attack in win By Jordan Bastian and William Kosileski / MLB.com CLEVELAND -- Cory Spangenberg launched a two-run home run, and eight Padres found the hit column in a 6-2 win over the Indians on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. The 13-hit attack helped back an effective outing from Luis Perdomo and notched a series win for San Diego.

"Kind of through the order, we had big hits from a number of spots," Padres manager Andy Green said. " ... It was a good team effort from an offensive perspective." Full Game Coverage Spangenberg's shot off Tribe reliever Zach McAllister in the seventh inning offered some breathing room for the Padres' bullpen, which held the Tribe in check to seal the win. Perdomo picked up his fourth win of the season by holding the American League Central-leading Indians to two runs (one earned) over five innings of work.

"Yeah, I battled," Perdomo said. "I definitely had to battle up there. I did until I was able to do the job, do what I needed to do. For that, I feel pretty good about the start." San Diego's offense was helped by a three-hit showing apiece from Jose Pirela (one RBI) and Carlos Asuaje (two RBIs). The bulk of the damage came against Indians starter Trevor Bauer, who was charged with four runs (three earned) on eight hits over five innings, in which he struck out seven and walked two.

The Indians had ample opportunities to break through, but ended the night 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Francisco Lindor had two RBIs and three hits, including a pair of doubles, but the Tribe could not make the most of its 14 hits. A prime example came in the eighth, when Jose Ramirez doubled, but was later thrown out at the plate by right fielder Hunter Renfroe on a two-out single by Yan Gomes.

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"It took a real good throw to get him and Hunter made a real nice throw," said Indians bench coach Brad Mills, who managed in place of Terry Francona. "When you're not scoring runs, you're not getting those hits ... you try to press the envelope a little bit more. And the envelope kind of bit us a little bit there." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Crash into three: Bradley Zimmer has made a habit of highlight-reel catches in center, but the ball that shot off Pirela's bat in the fifth proved too difficult. Zimmer chased down the shot to deep center, leaping and crashing into the fence as the ball ricocheted to the grass. Per Statcast™, the play had a catch probability of 16 percent, and Zimmer nearly completed the grab. Instead, Pirela raced for an RBI triple, and then scored on a missed catch by Lindor at shortstop to put the Padres up, 3-1.

"[Zimmer] thought he had it," Mills said. "He hit the wall so hard, and I think it hit it in his glove the way it looked. He had it and it fell out. The effort, the distance he had to run to get there in the first place, and then to be able to make the effort to almost catch that thing is pretty special."

"Would've been the best catch I've ever seen in my life if Bradley Zimmer caught that ball in right-center field," Green said. "[He] covered more ground than I think I've ever seen. That's a phenomenal athlete out there." A bruising escape: Perdomo became an unintentional target in the fifth inning, when Cleveland sent two sharp grounders off the pitcher for hits. Lindor's 102-mph chopper struck Perdomo's right shin and shot into right field for an unlikely RBI double. Michael Brantleyfollowed with a 105-mph comeback that struck the starter in the right forearm and bounced away for an infield single. That painful stretch ended when Perdomo induced an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play from Edwin Encarnacion to escape further damage. "I thought he was in 'battle' mode most of the day," Green said of Perdomo. "The fifth inning, it was good to see him get into traffic, guys on bases, and work his way out with a key double play to Encarnacion there. That's a pitch or at-bat that's eluded him. [Pitching coach Darren Balsley] went out to the mound and did a nice job, kind of settling him and talking him through how to get the ground ball."

QUOTABLE "Maybe some guys possibly could be putting a little pressure on themselves, or they want to be the one to break out of it and start getting those hits with runners in scoring position. And so they kind of expand the zone. I think we saw that a little bit tonight. --Mills, on the Indians' struggles with runners in scoring position "We're going to try to turn it around. We're still in first place, but we're not satisfied with how we're doing right now." --Lindor, on dropping the first two games to the Padres

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SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Indians are 18-23 at home, compared to 26-16 on the road this season. Only the Giants (17) and Phillies (15) have fewer home wins this year.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Renfroe recorded his seventh outfield assist of the season when he threw out Ramirez trying to score from second on a single to right from Gomes. Going into Wednesday's game, Renfroe's six outfield assists ranked tied for first among all rookie outfielders, and tied for fourth among all Major League outfielders. "It's a great throw, and a lot of teams won't throw to home plate right there just because of the lead," Green said. "I've always been of the persuasion that if you've got a tool, use it, and he's got a tool and he can flat throw the baseball. It was a great throw, and great job by [catcher] Luis Torrens. He did a great job behind the dish again." Statcast: Renfroe's strong throw WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Rookie right-hander Dinelson Lamet (3-2, 5.35 ERA) will take the ball in Thursday's series finale against the Indians at 4:10 p.m. PT at Progressive Field. Lamet is coming off his strongest start of his career, where he went seven shutout innings and allowed four hits while striking out eight against the Braves on Thursday. Indians: Right-hander Josh Tomlin (4-9, 6.17 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Indians in Thursday's 7:10 p.m. ET clash with the Padres. Tomlin has a 7.88 ERA in three Interleague outings this season, but has never faced San Diego in his career. Tomlin's rate of 1.2 walks per nine innings is the lowest mark in the American League.

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Perdomo bruised but not beaten by Indians Right-hander escapes jam after being hit by two line drives

By William Kosileski / MLB.com CLEVELAND -- In the fifth inning of Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Indians at Progressive Field, Padres starter Luis Perdomo was roughed up by the Indians -- literally. In the inning, the right-hander allowed one run on three hits, two of which actually hit him. With the Padres leading 3-1 and a runner on second, back-to-back hard grounders off the bats of Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley both deflected off Perdomo, resulting in an RBI double and an infield single, respectively. But Perdomo escaped the inning with more bruises than runs allowed, as he got the next batter, Edwin Encarnacion, to ground into an inning-ending double play to maintain the lead. Full Game Coverage "I just stayed calm," Perdomo said. "I stayed relaxed. I think those are things that happen in the game. You just have to go on, move on and try to make pitches. I was happy that I was in the zone and got a big ground ball out after that." Lindor's RBI double The ball off Lindor's bat hit Perdomo in the right shin and ricocheted into right field for an RBI two-bagger. Brantley's single deflected off Perdomo's right forearm and rolled over to the left side of the infield. Per Statcast™, Lindor's grounder had an exit velocity of 102 mph, while Brantley's came off the bat at 105 mph. Following Brantley's hit, pitching coach Darren Balsley went out to check on Perdomo before the righty induced the 5-4-3 twin-killer.

"I thought he was in 'battle' mode most of the day," Padres manager Andy Green said of Perdomo. "The fifth inning, it was good to see him get into traffic, guys on bases, and work his way out with a key double play to Encarnacion there. That's a pitch or at-bat that's eluded him. Balsley went out to the mound and did a nice job, kind of settling him and talking him through how to get the ground ball." Perdomo had to work his way through plenty of traffic throughout his outing, as he also escaped jams with runners in scoring position in the first, second and fourth innings. He allowed an unearned run to cross the plate in the third -- an RBI single from Lindor -- after an error from third baseman Cory Spangenberg, but got Brantley to ground into a double play to escape further damage.

In all, he stranded five runners in his five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on nine hits. He did not issue a walk and struck out four to pick up his third straight win and fourth overall.Indi

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"I thought, overall, it was a good day for him," Green said. "I think he's got more in him than he had."

A big key to Perdomo's success on the evening came from using his two-seam fastball and slider effectively. According to Statcast™, 44 of his 90 pitches were two-seamers, and 27 were sliders. He recorded 12 called strikes and one swinging strike with the fastball, and eight strikes (four swinging, four looking) with the slider.

"I'm feeling more comfortable," Perdomo said. "I know I didn't get the calls on some of those pitches, but I'm feeling good. I'm feeling happy about it because I know I have better command."

After the victory, Perdomo has now gone 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his last five starts.

"Yeah, I battled," Perdomo said of his start. "I definitely had to battle up there. I did until I was able to do the job, do what I needed to do. For that, I feel pretty good about the start."

Lamet, Padres go for the sweep vs. Indians L By William Kosileski / MLB.com The series finale between the Padres, who are going for the sweep, and the Indians will feature a rookie-vs.-veteran pitching matchup when San Diego's Dinelson Lamet and Cleveland's Josh Tomlin take the mound Thursday at Progressive Field.

Lamet is coming off his best outing of his young career. Against the Braves last Thursday, the 24-year-old right-hander went seven shutout innings and allowed four hits, issued one walk and struck out eight for his third win of the season. Full Game Coverage Although he is 3-2 with a 5.35 ERA in seven starts this season, Lamet has delivered three consecutive quality starts. In those three outings (19 innings), he is 1-0 with a 2.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts against two walks. In that stretch, opponents are only hitting .159/.183/.304 against Lamet.

Tomlin will make his 17th start of the season looking to bounce back after allowing four runs on eight hits -- two homers -- and two walks in a no-decision against the Tigers on Saturday.

In fact, Tomlin has struggled throughout most of the season, especially in his last six turns. In those outings, Tomlin has gone 1-3 with a 6.90 ERA. In 30 innings across those starts, the Indians right-hander

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has allowed 24 runs (23 earned), 48 hits, nine homers and an opponents' batting average of .361. Tomlin has allowed four or more runs in nine of his 16 starts this season. Three things to know about this game

• Tomlin will make his first career start against the Padres, who drafted him in the 11th round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He didn't sign with San Diego and was drafted by Cleveland a year later. This will be his 18th start in Interleague Play, where he has gone 8-5 with a 4.65 ERA.

• Only two Padres hitters -- Erick Aybar and Wil Myers -- have faced Tomlin in their careers, but neither has had success against the Tribe hurler. Aybar has gone 1-for-15 with a double and a strikeout vs. Tomlin, and Myers has gone 0-for-3.

• One of Lamet's strongest pitches this season has been his slider. Per Statcast, opponents are hitting .123 with a .231 slugging percentage against the pitch. Lamet has thrown it 212 times and has generated 52 whiffs and 23 called strikes with the pitch. He's struck out 31 batters with his slider: 27 swinging and four looking.

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Hedges out of lineup with neck stiffness By William Kosileski / MLB.com CLEVELAND -- Prior to their game against the Indians at Progressive Field on Wednesday, the Padres scratched catcher Austin Hedges from the lineup. Hedges -- who was expected to have Thursday off for the series finale -- experienced neck stiffness in his pregame warmup, and Padres manager Andy Green opted to give him Wednesday off. Hedges was scheduled to hit ninth, but Luis Torrens replaced him in the lineup and behind the dish. Full Game Coverage "He started taking some swings and was immediately stiff," Green said before the game. "He started feeling it in his neck and just had a hard time getting loose. So he went to the training room, and they've been working on him since."

While the neck stiffness was enough to keep Hedges out of the lineup on Wednesday, Green said that he was not too concerned about the injury going forward.

"I don't think it is anything serious or long term, at least it doesn't appear that way at all," Green said. "... [We'll] see how he rebounds. If he is able to catch tomorrow, he will. If not, we'll just give him a couple of days. But I don't, based on how he feels right now, anticipate anything being long term."

In 72 games this season, Hedges is hitting .214 with 11 homers, nine doubles, 36 RBIs and 13 walks. He is in the midst of a 5-for-30 stretch, where he has doubled, driven in two, walked twice and struck out 10 times. Capps lands on Minor League DL Reliever Carter Capps was placed on the seven-day DL for Triple-A El Paso with an ankle injury, Green said.

"From my understanding, he was doing some conditioning exercises and twisted his ankle," Green said. "He twisted it pretty good. I don't know how long that is, but I heard it was not minor. So we'll see how long that puts him out for."

Capps is in the Minor Leagues working his way back from Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the entire 2016 season. The right-hander was traded from the Marlins to the Padres in late June last season.

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The Padres All-Star you've never heard of is trade deadline's most important name David Schoenfield

The player who might be most in demand at the trade deadline is a 2017 All-Star, but he could be the most obscure one. San Diego Padres reliever Brad Hand is a 27-year-old left-hander with four career saves, but every playoff contender looking for a bullpen upgrade -- which is pretty much every playoff contender -- will be calling the Padres. Over the past two seasons, Hand is tied with Chris Devenski for most innings pitched among relievers. He’s third in strikeouts and eighth in WAR. Among relievers with at least 80 innings pitched, he ranks in the top 20 in strikeout rate, OPS allowed and weighted on-base average (wOBA) allowed. He has been effective against righties and lefties. Given his workload, he has been one of the top-10 relievers in the game -- sort of an Andrew Miller lite.

Amazingly, the Padres claimed him off waivers in April 2016 from the Marlins, who grew frustrated with Hand’s inability to develop into a starter. Still, it’s hard to believe an organization as talent-starved as the Marlins would give up on a former top prospect without giving him a longer run as a reliever. The Padres immediately put Hand in the bullpen. Like Miller, he became primarily a fastball/slider pitcher. His fastball still sits around 92-94 mph, and the slider is his wipeout pitch, with batters hitting .114 against it with a 50 percent strikeout rate.

As with Miller, it's Hand's abilities to retire batters from both sides of the plate and go more than three outs at a time that make him so desirable to playoff teams. He has gone four or more outs in 11 of his 39 appearances this year and is on pace to pitch in 78 games, the kind of durability managers will want in October.

Remember how Joe Maddon and Terry Francona managed their pitching staffs in October: quick hooks on their starters and then riding Aroldis Chapman and Miller, respectively, for more than three outs. Cubs starters pitched seven innings just three times in 17 postseason games and went fewer than five innings five times even though the starters didn't give up more than three runs in those games. Indians starters went seven innings just one time and fewer than five eight times in 15 games. Given that offense is up across the majors this year, teams are likely to demand even more from their bullpens this postseason. Why would the Padres trade Hand, who isn’t a free agent until after 2019? Simple: A rebuilding team should always cash in on a reliever when it can. The Padres might not be good until 2019, about when Hand will be ready to leave the team as a free agent. He could get hurt or lose effectiveness before then, too, and San Diego also has two other decent southpaws in Ryan Buchter and rookie Jose Torres. Here’s a quick look at the leading playoff contenders, ranked in order of most likely to acquire Hand:

Washington Nationals: Of course. They have an MLB-worst 5.19 bullpen ERA, and Hand would immediately become their best reliever, whether as a potential closer or setup guy. Really, the Nationals should acquire at least two relievers. Hand and a closer such as David Robertson would certainly help Dusty Baker’s heart. While you’ll hear that teams will hold the Nationals hostage in trade talks, that’s not necessarily true: The Nationals just have to make a better offer than anybody else.

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Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers absolutely should be buyers, and the biggest need they have is upgrading the bullpen. All-Star Corey Knebel has locked down the ninth inning since taking over as closer, but the pen still ranks 16th in ERA. The Brewers have a deep farm system to make a deal, and having team control over Hand for two more seasons means he still fits into their long-term plans. Plus, Hand has more value to a division winner than to a wild-card team that could be one-and-done. Los Angeles Dodgers: They have the second-best bullpen ERA behind the Indians, but the two lefties are Luis Avilan and Grant Dayton, and neither is extremely trustworthy. Pedro Baez has been the eighth-inning guy, and he has a 1.26 ERA but hasn’t really been as dominant as the ERA suggests, with 15 walks in 35⅔ innings -- including a 10/9 SO/BB ratio versus left-handed batters. You don’t really want him facing a string of lefties with the game on the line. Remember, Dave Roberts had problems last October bridging the gap from the starters to Kenley Jansen. Hand would give him much more versatility in that area. Boston Red Sox: As with the Dodgers, the bullpen has been solid, ranking third in the majors in ERA. Joe Kelly is currently riding a 23-game scoreless streak to emerge as a key weapon behind Craig Kimbrel. As with the Dodgers, however, there isn’t a dominant lefty in the pen, and you can never have too much depth. Plus, we know Dave Dombrowski has tried to upgrade his bullpen since taking over the front office, acquiring Kimbrel, Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg. Smith and Thornburg immediately got injured, so Hand could fill the role they originally expected from Thornburg. New York Yankees: Chapman and Dellin Betances have had a couple of hiccups lately, but they should be fine. Chad Green has supplanted Tyler Clippard as the No. 3 guy, but given that Yankees starters don’t go very deep into games, adding Hand would allow Joe Girardi to have even quicker hooks with his starters. Arizona Diamondbacks/Colorado Rockies: The Arizona bullpen ranks a surprising fifth in ERA, and the Colorado pen has faded of late, other than closer Greg Holland. With the Dodgers a heavy favorite to win that division, however, it seems unlikely either would be the high bidder. If the Rockies do swing a major trade, it’s more likely to be for a starting pitcher (although it’s really the offense that needs some help). Houston Astros: They’re only 13th in bullpen ERA, and their top guys are all right-handed (Tony Sipp is the one lefty), but all indications are that they’d prefer to add a starter over a reliever. Cleveland Indians: They still have Miller, closer Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, and Zach McAllister is having a strong season. Given the steep price they paid to get Miller last season, though, and given their bullpen's MLB-best 2.80 ERA, they probably won’t be dealing prospects again for bullpen help.

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Padres down Indians 6-2 as Francona remains in hospital Associated Press CLEVELAND -- While the Indians remain concerned about manager Terry Francona's health, the defending AL champions have plenty of smaller worries. They aren't stringing hits together. They aren't winning at home. They aren't beating National League teams.

Cory Spangenberg hit a two-run homer, Luis Perdomo won his third straight start and the San Diego Padres got another rare road win, beating Cleveland 6-2 on Wednesday night as the Indians were again without Francona, who remains in a Cleveland hospital. Despite getting 14 hits, the Indians scored twice, their smallest output in a nine-inning game with that many hits since 1949.

"It's tough," said All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. "I guarantee we're trying. That might be why we're not scoring. We might be trying a little too hard. It's just our pitching staff is doing their job and all us hitters are not doing it. "We're going to try to turn it around. We're still in first place, but we're not satisfied with how we're doing right now."

Perdomo (4-4) allowed one earned run in five innings and continued his turnaround after a rough start this season. The right-hander didn't get his first win until his 11th start and is 4-1 since June 12.

Carlos Asuaje drove in two runs and the Padres did just enough against starter Trevor Bauer (7-7) to improve to 14-26 on the road. With the Padres leading 4-2 in the seventh, Spangenberg connected for his fifth homer, a shot to left off reliever Zach McAllister. The four-run deficit was too much to overcome for the Indians, who have been blanked over 8 2/3 innings by San Diego's relievers so far in the three-game series.

Cleveland is 4 for 25 with runners in scoring position in the past two games.

Lindor had three hits and two RBI for the Indians, who dropped their second straight to the Padres, fell to 18-23 at home and are 2-11 in interleague play.

Cleveland is one of just three AL teams with losing home records.

Francona missed his second straight game as he remains at the Cleveland Clinic. Francona, who was hospitalized twice last month, has been undergoing tests to determine what has been causing light-headedness and increasing his heart rate recently.

Team president Chris Antonetti said Francona will be away at least "a couple more days" and it's possible he'll miss the remainder of the team's homestand before the break.

The 58-year-old Francona is scheduled to manage at the All-Star Game next week in Miami, but those plans are on hold.

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Bench coach Brad Mills, who is filling in for Francona, said the situation could be affecting Cleveland's players. "There's no doubt that everyone was kind of thinking about that a little bit," he said. "To be able to put your finger on how much or whatever is really hard. Like I said, it kind of goes back, we got the 14 hits tonight with only the two runs. I would like to think that if he was here, we would have been able to get some of those with runners in scoring position.

"At the same time, there's no doubt everybody's thinking about it."

Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte went 3 for 4 in his first game since being place on the disabled list on May 15 with a strained right biceps. AMAZING EFFORT

Indians rookie center fielder Bradley Zimmer nearly made an incredible catch, racing into the gap and just missing Jose Pirela's drive before crashing into the padded wall at full speed. "It would have been the best catch I've ever seen in my life," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He covered more ground than I think I've even seen. He's a phenomenal athlete out there." Mills, too, was impressed by Zimmer's effort.

"It was unbelievable," he said. "He thought he had it. He hit the wall so hard and I think it hit it in his glove the way it looked. He had it and it fell out. The effort, the distance he had to run to get there in the first place. And then to be able to make the effort to almost catch that thing is pretty special."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: C Austin Hedges was a late scratch with neck stiffness. He tried but couldn't get loose while hitting in the indoor cages. Indians: Kipnis came in as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and struck out with two runners on.

UP NEXT

Padres: Rookie RHP Dinelson Lamet pitched a career-high seven innings in his previous start against Atlanta. He's limited right-handers to a .114 average. Indians: RHP Josh Tomlin has been struggling, going 2-8 in his last 10 starts. He's 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA against NL teams this season.

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This Day in Padres History, 7/6 1969: Kelley throws Padres’ first 1-hitter; 1999: Owens 18-game hitting streak By Bill Center

July 6, 1872 — The first local baseball boxscore is published in The San Diego Union newspaper.

July 6, 1969 — Left-hander Dick Kelley throws the first one-hitter in Padres history in the second game of a doubleheader at San Diego Stadium. The only hit is a second-inning single by Houston’s Denis Menke. Kelley allows the one hit with five walks and four strikeouts in a complete-game 1–0 shutout win.

July 6, 1999 — Outfielder Eric Owens goes 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 straight games in a 10–9 loss to the Giants at Qualcomm Stadium.

July 6, 2016 — Third baseman Yangervis Solarte homers and drives in a career-high five runs and second baseman Ryan Schimpf hits two homers in the Padres’ 13–6 win at Arizona.