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Padres Press Clips Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Article Source Author Page

Padres get what they're paying for UT San Diego Acee 2

Dodgers, Kershaw turn up heat on youthful Padres UT San Diego Miller 5

Padres routed, 14-3, by Dodgers on opening day UT San Diego UT SD 7

San Antonio Missions set roster UT San Diego UT SD 9

Miguel Diaz a bright spot in opening-day drubbing UT San Diego Lin 11

Bethancourt roughed up to start new life as reliever UT San Diego UT SD 13

Friars strike first, but LA pulls away in opener MLB.com Cassavell/Gurnick 15

Growing pains for Bethancourt right off the bat MLB.com Cassavell 17

Green, Padres brush off outside expectations MLB.com Cassavell 19

Richard looks to keep Dodgers in the park MLB.com Cassavell 21

The 65-win Cubs?!? Tales from MLB's 2017 alternative timelines ESPN.com Miller 22

Pederson, Dodgers hit team-mark 4 HRs in opener, rout Padres Associated Press AP 23

Padres look to bounce back after tough opening loss STATS LLC STATS LLC 26

against Dodgers

Dodgers Demolish Padres on Opening Day NBC 7 Togerson 28

2017 MLB Season Predictions NBC 7 Togerson 29

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Padres get what they're paying for By Kevin Acee

Wil Myers reached second base when an errant throw got past baseball’s fourth-highest-paid first baseman and scored on a single up the middle off baseball’s highest-paid pitcher. The run by the Padres’ highest-paid player, who would have been the seventh-highest-paid Dodger on the field Monday, gave the Padres a fleeting lead on opening day.

Because he was asked, and because the manager of the 2017 Padres will have to find positives where he can, Andy Green praised the base running and contact made early against three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in what would end up being a 14-3 defeat.

Let’s face it, leads of any kind will be only slightly more frequent than actual victories in this season that still has 161 games remaining.

What occurred after that first inning is more what we expected and can expect.

The likelihood was beyond slim the Padres, whose starting nine in Monday’s game will make a combined $13.27 million this season, were going to beat a starting pitcher whose ’17 salary is $33 million.

Heck, the 13 pitchers on the Padres’ roster count a total of $15.69 million against the payroll this year. Assuming Kershaw makes 33 starts this season, he essentially earned more Monday than 16 of the players on the Padres’ 25-man roster will all year.

The Padres conceded nothing but knew what they were up against as they faced Kershaw and the Dodgers to start the season.

Before the team left San Diego this weekend, Myers spoke to the rest of the positon players and told them what he thought.

“We’re the underdog every game,” he told them. “It’s the 16-seed against the No.1 seed every night.”

Don’t hold reality against Myers or anyone else. There weren’t smiles in the visitors’ clubhouse postgame at Dodger Stadium. But neither could even the most intense competitor be too disheartened.

It was the team spending the most on its 25-man roster trounced the team spending the least.

“It is what it is,” Myers said afterward. “At some point you just have to be honest with yourself, because you start stacking yourself up against the Dodgers and the Giants, the odds are pretty long.”

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An examination of all 30 opening-day lineups reveals a great deal of perspective about just where the Padres are in relation to the rest of MLB.

No other team had as many players (four) with less than one year of major-league experience in its starting lineup Sunday or Monday. The Chicago White Sox were the only team with three such players.

The Yankees and Indians were the only teams with as many players (four) age 25 or younger in their opening-day lineup. Two others (Cubs and Indians) had five such players.

No other team’s top earner this season will make as little as Myers’ $4.5 million. Only the Milwaukee Brewers had just one opening-day starter making that much, and 25 teams had at least four players making more than that amount – just among their opening-day starting lineup, so not counting other pitchers.

All but three other teams had at least one player on the field to start opening day who will make more than the Padres’ entire starting nine combined. Five teams had two such players, six teams had three, and three teams had four players making more than $13.27 million the Padres’ starting nine count against the payroll this year.

The Padres’ $68.5 million total major-league payroll, counting money it is paying players no longer with the team, ranks 29th. Only the Brewers’ $60.8 million payroll is lower. But the Padres are paying a mere $29.6 million to the 25 players active to start this season, lowest by far among the 30 teams.

Among National League West opponents, the Dodgers’ opening-day lineup cost $90.7 million, the Giants’ $81.1 million, the Diamondbacks $62.9 million and the Rockies $55.4 million.

However and whatever you count, it adds up to the Padres “banking” for the future.

The term “tanking” is an insult to the players, coaches and manager who will do all they can every night. But there is also no doubt what the Padres are doing – stockpiling youth, which comes with inexperience and low salaries.

“It is what it is,” Myers said. “This year is for the experience for guys like (Austin) Hedges, (Manny) Margot and (Hunter) Renfroe. The more time these guys can get under their belt, the better we’re going to be in the future.”

So let’s go with “banking.” It’s less offensive yet still accurate.

“The 25 guys in here want to win,” left fielder Travis Jankowski said. “We’re going to do everything we can to win. We’re going to do everything we can to shock people. That being said, I do understand we’re young. We’re inexperienced. There are going to be mistakes.”

Yes, it is going to be a long season.

But one of the “mistakes” is not this roster.

The Padres are not being cheap. They are bad with a purpose.

This is what allowed the nearly $80 million investment in the international market and more than $14 million spent on the draft. This is what will allow for the Padres to invest in veteran

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pieces when they’re close. (Yes, if they’re ever close. But it’s opening day, so we’ll think positively.)

The franchise also spent money to expand its minor-league coaching staff and scouting department, additions that cost money.

This is how they must do it. There is no other way.

That won’t make this season any more pleasant to watch, unless we can keep the miniscule payroll and gargantuan odds in mind.

Jankowski – a guy in the majors because he gives all he has every pitch of every game – actually smiled when the subject of payroll disparity was broached. He shook his head at the mention of the Padres’ total in relation to Kershaw’s salary and that of so many other players around the league.

“I think it’s actually kind of cool,” he said. “I’m pretty sure we’re not going to lose 162 games, so we’re going to beat some guys who make more individually than we do as a whole. We have nothing to lose.”

They will play that way. We should watch that way.

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Dodgers, Kershaw turn up heat on youthful Padres Bryce Miller

It wasn’t so much trial by fire as trial by flame-thrower.

There stood the Padres, just 16 days shy of the Reds for the title of baseball’s youngest team entering 2017. Four of the top six hitters in the lineup on Monday at Dodger Stadium last experienced an opening day …. with 6,711 fans in Reno, Nev.

There stood the big-money Dodgers, the defending National League West champions who stiff-armed the Padres a bruising 23 games into the rearview mirror a season ago.

On the mound stalked Clayton Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young winner who’s being paid more this season ($33 million) than the whole Padres clubhouse — with $3 million and change to spare.

Welcome to the future, Manny Margot, Hunter Renfroe, Ryan Schimpf and Austin Hedges. Please make sure those safety belts are pulled low and tight across your laps.

Exhibit No. 1: Dodgers 14, Padres 3.

“Whether we’re up 14-0 or down 14-0,” the starting catcher Hedges reasoned, “it’s about staying in the moment.”

Rock-solid advice, especially after being rocked. Managing the highs and lows, though, can prove far stickier inside a clubhouse that’s longer on exuberance than experience.

The Padres are so young that they plugged three Rule 5 guys into the game before collecting their third hit. They’re so unscripted that manager Andy Green had to sort out where pitcher-catcher-outfielder Christian Bethancourt would sit during games (answer: bullpen).

The path is so uncharted that you already wonder, one game into life without veterans like Kemp, Shields, Ross, Norris, Upton and Jay, how all this youth will handle a bumpy road that’s certain to bend its share of axles.

Life amid the blur of a full-scale rebuild requires tough skin and short memories. Start by flushing Joc Pederson’s third-inning grand slam, which gave him five RBIs just two at-bats into the season. Erase Jhoulys Chacin’s bulging 24.30 earned run average at the top of the rotation.

Forget that Bethancourt uncorked two wild pitches a mere three throws into his season and later walked Kershaw. Ditto for the offense’s nine strikeouts without drawing a walk.

It’ll be wise, in a season begging for patience, to mine for silver linings.

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Here’s one: Any upcoming assignment is unlikely to bare sharper teeth than Game 1. Here’s another: The team avoided being swarmed by bees, which ranks as improvement over the team’s final spring training game last Thursday.

See? Perspective.

Green already has a handle on walking that messaging tightrope.

“That’s one baseball game,” Green said. “You’ve got to play 162 of them. … We’ve got work ahead of us. We’ve got to get better.”

The first inning offered a brief blueprint for what success could look like at times.

A throwing error by Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager allowed Wil Myers to reach base and scramble to second. He moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored when Yangervis Solarte lined a single past a drawn-in infield.

It was nowhere close to prom-pretty, but it produced a run. That formula — scratch, claw and hope the guys with the bigger checkbooks prove mortal from time to time — could open a door or three.

This team will thirst for plenty of stick-with-it-ness. More than two hours passed Monday before the Padres collected a second hit, on Schimpf’s solo home run in the seventh.

“The only thing we can do,” Hedges said, “is win each pitch.”

The Dodgers won a whole lot more pitches than the Padres. The lopsidedness seemed magnified against Kershaw, a singular talent who makes mistakes about as often as the rest of us file taxes.

Renfroe said he has visualized playing at Dodger Stadium against Kershaw since being drafted by the Padres in 2013. The reality came in the form of an 0-for-4 day.

“He’s pretty good, obviously,” Renfroe said.

The group of Margot, Hedges, Schimpf and Renfroe finished 3-for-15 (.200) with two of those hits courtesy of Schimpf. The Dodgers scored 14 despite astonishingly leaving another 14 on base.

“Other than the score, I think a lot of us a lot of fun,” Renfroe said.

If the young bunch can enjoy a day like Monday, there’s hope. This group will sink or swim on its ability to persevere, to bounce back, to shake off the dents and doubts. The ever-even Green seems the perfect caretaker, when things decide to fall short of perfect.

The warmth of the opening day spotlight will fade. The season will settle into a rhythm, as seasons always do. The highs will swap playing time with the lows.

For this group, how it finishes will matter far more than how it starts.

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Padres routed, 14-3, by Dodgers on opening day Jhoulys Chacin had barely returned to the dugout, finished after one of the worst starts of his career, when a 94 mph fastball missed Austin Hedges’ glove and ricocheted off the Dodger Stadium backstop.

Hedges went scrambling after the ball, Andrew Toles dashed down the third-base line and Christian Bethancourt charged off the mound. At home plate, they converged, Toles sliding feet first, Bethancourt applying the tag but not in time.

A moment later, Bethancourt, the Padres’ reliever-in-training, was writhing on the ground. His first pitch of the season had been wild. The result had been worse: a cleat to his right knee.

In a 14-3, opening-day rout, the Padres were dealt a series of harsh lessons, one of which was literally painful. Bethancourt, who stayed in the game and completed the next inning, had received the proverbial soft landing, inserted with the Dodgers leading by six runs in the fourth. Monday’s ugly entrance into a new season evoked memories of a year ago, when San Diego was shut out at home, 15-0, by the same opponent.

“It’s obviously,” manager Andy Green said, “not how you want to start off a baseball season.”

Unlike last year, though, there is no longer uncertainty about the Padres’ course. Four members of the starting lineup experienced their first opening day in the majors. Three other players marked their big-league debuts. The average age for the 25-man roster was 27 years and seven days, the second-youngest in baseball. Those in and around the organization have braced themselves for a season of harsh lessons.

The first game was full of them. A 1-0 lead, the byproduct of an error by Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, proved fleeting. After Yangervis Solarte singled through a drawn-in infield to score the opening run, Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw retired 19 consecutive batters.

Like so many other pitchers who have tried, Chacin could not keep pace. Joc Pederson delighted a crowd of 53,701 with a third-inning grand slam. The next batter, former Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal, followed with a solo shot.

Chacin, a veteran the Padres deemed most qualified to throw their first pitch of 2017, surrendered nine runs, a career worst, over 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander’s command, especially of his off-speed pitches, was largely nonexistent.

The Dodgers’ eruption in the fourth came after Chacin retired the first two batters.

“Not really good,” Chacin said, assessing his performance. “I didn’t make good pitches when I needed to.”

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Kershaw finished with seven innings of two-run ball, the main blemish a late home run by third baseman Ryan Schimpf.

The Dodgers’ offense finished with four home runs, a franchise record for a season opener. After clubbing the Padres with 17 hits a year ago, they collected 14.

It was under these conditions that Bethancourt, a full-time catcher until late last season, made his first non-emergency, big-league relief appearance. He wound up allowing three runs over 1 1/3 innings.

“Once you’re down 7-1 to Kershaw, to be honest, the odds of scratching back into the baseball game are small,” Green said. “So you’re looking for opportunities to get guys on the baseball field, give them the opportunity to get their feet underneath them.”

Similarly, all three of the Padres’ Rule 5 draft picks — right-hander Miguel Diaz, catcher Luis Torrens and infielder Allen Cordoba — made their first major league appearances after the score had turned lopsided.

In a quiet but not dispirited clubhouse, Green, as he did a year ago, preached the importance of not over-emphasizing a single afternoon.

“It’s one game out of 162 games,” Green said. “If you come out and you win 14-3 or you lose 14-3, it’s one game.”

A young team echoed the message.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s probably the most-watched game,” left fielder Travis Jankowski said, “but it’s just another loss.”

“It was good to get opening day out of the way,” first baseman Wil Myers said. “Everybody’s been looking forward to this, and it was a lot of these guys’ first opening day, so I hope they took it in and enjoyed it. Obviously, we would’ve liked the result to have been better for us.”

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San Antonio Missions set roster Of the Padres’ top-30 prospects according to MLB.com, infielder Luis Urias (No. 7), right-hander Enyel De Los Santos (No. 17) and infielder Jose Rondon (No. 23) are opening the season with Double-A San Antonio, which released its opening day roster Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Urias was the Cal League MVP after hitting .330 last year with the Storm and walking (40) more than he struck out (36).

De Los Santos is jumping to the Texas League after going 8-5 with a 3.72 ERA in 26 games last year for low Single-A Fort Wayne and high Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Meanwhile, Rondon is returning to the Missions after hitting .279 with five homers and 44 RBIs last year in the Texas League. Rondon also made his major league debut last year and end the season on the Chihuahuas’ Pacific Coast League playoff roster.

The newly-claimed Jake Esch has also been assigned to the Missions.

The Missions open the season Thursday. The entire roster is below.

2017 SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS OPENING DAY ROSTER

PITCHERS (13)

RHP Tyler Barnette (24) RHP Enyel De Los Santos (21) RHP Rafael De Paula (26) RHP Jake Esch (27) RHP Justin Hancock (26) RHP Michael Kelly (24) RHP Brett Kennedy (22) RHP Kyle Lloyd (26) LHP Kyle McGrath (24) RHP Chad Nading (29) LHP Brad Wieck (25) RHP Trey Wingenter (22) RHP Eric Yardley (26)

CATCHERS (2)

A.J. Kennedy (23) Stephen McGee (26)

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INFIELDERS (5)

Fernando Perez (23) Noah Perio (25) Jose Rondon (23) River Stevens (25) Luis Urias (19)

OUTFIELDERS (5)

Auston Bousfield (23) Alberth Martinez (26) Franmil Reyes (21) Nick Schulz (25) Nick Torres (23)

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Miguel Diaz a bright spot in opening-day drubbing Dennis Lin

Before Monday, Miguel Diaz had never been inside a major league stadium besides Petco Park, where he could become a familiar face, and Miller Park, which he visited in 2015.

The occasion was rather forgettable. Diaz was on a trip to Milwaukee to undergo surgery to repair an elbow fracture. The procedure slowed his development, limiting him to just 20 1/3 innings that season.

On Monday, Diaz took in the sights and sounds at Dodger Stadium, which hosted a raucous, sellout crowd. Awed as he was, he would not look out of place.

One of three Rule 5 draft picks who made their big-league debuts with the Padres on opening day, Diaz had the most memorable cameo. After taking the mound with two outs in the fifth, he yanked his first pitch, a fastball that whizzed by Adrian Gonzalez and went all the way to the backstop.

Then Diaz, who had never pitched above the Low Single-A level, proceeded to record four outs without allowing a hit. In a 14-3 defeat, the right-hander’s performance went down as a bright spot.

“In general, it is just really surprising,” Diaz, 22, said through an interpreter. “I didn’t think I’d ever be here at such a young age.”

The Padres, recognizing a precocious talent, selected Diaz first overall in the Rule 5 draft last December.

“From the first day we saw him throw a baseball, we knew our scouts had done a heck of a job grabbing him,” manager Andy Green said. “We’re very excited about his future.”

Against the Dodgers’ lefty-heavy lineup, Diaz showed glimpses of what he could be.

He recovered from his wild pitch to induce a groundout from Gonzalez.

In a perfect sixth inning, he threw a 98 mph two-seamer at Joc Pederson’s front hip. As the baseball neared the Dodgers slugger, it veered back across the plate. Pederson stared at strike three and walked back to the home dugout, dumbfounded.

“For me, the highlight of the day was Miguel Diaz on the mound,” Green said. “That stuff, it’s electric.”

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Diaz isn’t the first Rule 5 pitcher bidding to stick with the Padres. Last season, fellow Dominican Luis Perdomo went from overwhelmed rookie to one of the Padres’ most effective rotation arms.

“It’s a young kid with a lot of confidence after pitching in Low-A ball last year,” Green said of Diaz. “Still is going to have some bumps and bruises along the way, but it doesn’t take a visionary to see how good he is and how good he can be. … He was a starter last year, so you can easily take a Perdomo track with him at some point in time down the line. But right now, it’s just getting his feet underneath him at the major league level, and I thought it was a great showing for him today.”

Diaz seemed to take his career milestone in stride.

“I didn’t think I was going to necessarily get in this first game,” Diaz said. “I was just kind of hanging out, and then they said you can (start warming up), and I was a little bit surprised. But after that, I just went about my business, getting ready to pitch.”

Closing in

Padres reliever Carter Capps threw a simulated inning at Petco Park on Saturday and is scheduled for another Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Green said Capps, who underwent Tommy John surgery last March, likely would throw one more this weekend in San Diego before going out on a rehab assignment.

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Bethancourt roughed up to start new life as reliever On Day 1 of his new life as an official reliever, Christian Bethancourt got through a number of firsts.

Wild pitches? Two of them.

Walks, hits and a homer? Check, check and check.

The Padres’ hybrid catcher even got into a dust-up at the plate that left him limping as he left the clubhouse following Monday afternoon’s 14-3 opening-day loss to the Dodgers, his first appearance in the Padres’ attempt to convert the 25-year-old Bethancourt into a usable arm on the mound.

“I wasn’t nervous at all; I was just trying to do my job,” Bethancourt said after allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings. “Things didn’t go well, but that’s why we’re here. I’ve got to learn from that and move on. Tomorrow will be another day.”

The Padres hope it won’t be quite like Monday.

Couldn’t go much worse, really.

The Padres were already trailing Clayton Kershaw, 7-1, in the fourth inning with runners on second and third when second-year manager Andy Green signaled for Bethancourt to face the left-handed Adrian Gonzalez.

Then the converted catcher’s first pitch – humming at 94.1 mph – missed inside, barely missed Gonzalez and skipped all the way to the backstop.

Catcher Austin Hedges scrambled to recover the wild pitch. But his relay back to the plate was late as Andrew Toles slid spikes-first into Bethancourt’s right knee, leaving the Padres’ fourth catcher writhing in pain as trainers and Green converged at home around him.

Bethancourt escaped the collision with just cuts on both sides of the knee – no twisting.

“The knee hurts,” Bethancourt recalled. “But I just wanted to stay in the ballgame. I just wanted to keep pitching and help my team.”

After several moments and a handful of tosses under the trainer’s watch, he did.

It just wasn’t much help.

Bethancourt unleashed another wild pitch that plated a run before walking Gonzalez. He recorded the next two outs on deep fly balls, struck out on three pitches as a hitter the next

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inning and was in trouble again in the fifth when Yasiel Puig yanked an 80 mph change-up down the left-field line for a one-out double.

Then Kershaw – still cruising in his opening day gem – walked and Corey Seager drilled a three-run homer to center to open up a 12-1 lead.

Just like that, Bethancourt’s day was over after throwing just 18 of his 31 pitches for strikes.

“I thought he was amped up,” Green said afterward. “We've got guys in roles that have never been on a major league field doing other what he was doing last year in a mop-up role. I thought Christian after the first couple wild pitches settled in. I thought he settled in too much. When the Seager home run came, he was throwing 90, 92. He's got to bring it.

“He's a guy that has to throw it and throw it with intent and I think he was trying to pitch a little more.”

He certainly did at times, pushing his fastball up to 97 mph.

It’s that kind of heat that led the Padres to believe Bethancourt could be effective as a rare pitcher/catcher hybrid on a roster in transition. No player in major league history has ever caught five innings and pitched five innings in the same season, an endeavor that the Padres were eager to see through after Bethancourt allowed just two runs on four hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings this spring.

One forgettable outing won’t alter those plans.

“The guy’s got 100 (mph) in the tank,” Hedges said. “Any time you’ve got a guy throwing that hard he can go out and get anybody out. Fastballs above 95 mph are tough to hit. Trust me.”

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Friars strike first, but LA pulls away in

opener By Ken Gurnick and AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | April 3rd, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- With Joc Pederson's grand slam, two homers from Yasmani Grandal (one from each side of the plate) and a Corey Seager three-run shot providing a comfy cushion, Clayton Kershaw kept his Opening Day record perfect with a two-hitter for seven innings as the Dodgers overpowered the Padres on Monday, 14-3, to begin the post-Vin Scully era at Dodger Stadium.

"You saw today there wasn't any letup. Regardless of the score, our guys continued to press on," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Sometimes you lose your edge in lopsided games and give away at-bats to where you're not as focused, and today that didn't happen." Pederson had a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and MLB's first grand slam of the season in the third was followed by Grandal's homer off Jhoulys Chacin. It was the first Opening Day back-to-back homers in Dodgers history. Seager slugged his homer (exit velocity of 105.4 mph, according to Statcast™) in the fifth, and Justin Turner added two doubles. The Dodgers beat the Padres on Opening Day last year, 15-0.

Kershaw was charged with two runs (one earned), allowing a seventh-inning homer to Ryan Schimpf and an unearned run in the first inning after a Seager throwing error. Kershaw, who tied Don Sutton's Los Angeles record with a seventh consecutive Opening Day start, struck out eight (five called), and he improved to 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA on Opening Days.

Chacin, on the other hand, lasted just 3 1/3 frames and was tagged for a career-high nine runs -- the most by an Opening Day starter since Roberto Hernandez allowed 10 for Cleveland in 2011. Chacin's afternoon came unraveled after he recorded two quick outs on three pitches in the third. The Dodgers proceeded to score five two-out runs in the frame.

"Any loss is hard, but on Opening Day, it's tough," Chacin said. "We won't put our head down. We're going to keep working. I'm going to keep working for my next start, be prepared and put this game behind me." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED One strike away: Although it turned into a blowout, the key at-bat before the slam was Turner's two-out double on a 1-2 slider from Chacin with nobody on base in what turned into a five-run third inning. Turner's drive into the left-center gap just eluded the reach of left fielder Travis Jankowski. Exit velocity on Turner's double was 105 mph, according to Statcast™. Not quite ready: Seager's throwing error in the first inning contributed to the only San Diego run or Kershaw would have been cruising toward a shutout. The shortstop missed most of Spring Training with a strained oblique suffered on a throw, and he was tentative instead of cutting loose on Monday, bouncing his first two throws to first base.

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"My first ground ball of the year," said Seager, who rehabbed in spring Minor League games, but got more swings than ground balls. "It's a work in progress. Got closer on the second one, hopefully the third one will get there in the air." QUOTABLE "It's a tough lineup to navigate, and there was a purpose each time our guys stepped to the plate. It's a grind facing us." -- Roberts, on the Dodgers' offense SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Dodgers have won their last seven Opening Days. BETHANCOURT IS IN SESSION The Christian Bethancourt experiment got off to a bit of a rocky start. The Padres' pitcher/catcher hybrid saw his first pitch go to the backstop, prompting Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles to sprint home. Toles slid straight into the right leg of Bethancourt, who quickly clutched his knee as he writhed on the ground in pain.

But after being looked at by trainers, Bethancourt returned to the mound and pitched 1 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs -- all scoring on Seager's homer -- on three hits and two walks.

"I wasn't nervous or anything," said Bethancourt, who sustained a few cuts around his knee but nothing more. "I was just trying to throw strikes. Things didn't go well."

The Padres spent the spring converting Bethancourt, a lifelong catcher, into the sport's ultimate utility man. He's going to serve as a pitcher, outfielder, catcher and pinch-hitter in 2017. AFTER REVIEW Padres skipper Andy Green challenged Turner's fourth-inning double, believing the ball had landed foul just beyond the third-base bag. After a relatively quick review, Turner was indeed awarded second, and Kershaw scored on the play. WHAT'S NEXT Padres: No starting pitcher induced ground balls at a higher clip than Clayton Richard (63.9 percent) did during the second half of last season. The Padres brought back the veteran left-hander on a one-year deal, and he'll start Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers: Kenta Maeda, who pitched six scoreless innings against San Diego in his Major League debut last year, starts the second game of the season on Tuesday in a 7:10 p.m. game. Maeda was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA against the Padres last year.

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Growing pains for Bethancourt right off the

bat

Catcher-hurler's 1st pitch of MLB career results in wild

pitch, collision at plate

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | April 3rd, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- How's this for irony? Christian Bethancourt -- a lifelong catcher who spent Spring Training transitioning into a bullpen role -- found himself in a home-plate collision with his very first pitch of the 2017 season. The Bethancourt experiment got off to a bit of an ugly start during Monday's 14-3 loss at Dodger Stadium. The Padres right-hander bounced his first pitch to the backstop, and Dodgers leadoff man Andrew Toles slid directly into his knee on the ensuing play at the plate. After a few tense minutes, Bethancourt composed himself and returned to the mound, where he would pitch 1 1/3 innings. He threw one more wild pitch in the fourth, before surrendering a three-run homer to Corey Seager in the fifth.

"He was amped up," said Padres manager Andy Green. "We've got guys in roles they've never been on a Major League field. ... I thought Christian, after the first couple wild pitches, settled in a little bit. Then, I thought he settled in a little bit too much on the Seager home run."

It's an experimental season in several ways for the Padres, who boast the second youngest roster in the Majors. Those experiments were on full display Monday. The Friars are carrying three Rule 5 Draft picks, and all three -- Miguel Diaz, Allen Cordoba and Luis Torrens -- debuted. Diaz had only set foot in a Major League stadium once before (in Milwaukee when he was recovering from an injury). But he was arguably the most impressive Padre, tossing 1 1/3 perfect frames. He punctuated his outing with a nasty two-seamer to Joc Pederson for his first career strikeout.

"I've never really seen anything like that," Diaz said of the atmosphere. "It was crazy to look around a little bit. But after that, it was just normal."

Said Green: "From the first day we saw him throw a baseball, we knew the scouts did a good job grabbing him. We're very excited about his future." Speaking of the future, Green also opted to bat a pair of rookies in the leadoff and cleanup spots Monday. Top prospect Manuel Margot doubled home a run in the eighth. Hunter Renfroe went 0-for-4.

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"It is what it is: We've got a lot of inexperience, we're young, we don't have a huge payroll," said Wil Myers, the face of the Padres after receiving a six-year extension during the offseason. "This is a year for the future. This is a year where guys like Renfroe and [Austin] Hedges and Margot get that experience for when we turn the corner. ... It's going to be a year where we learn from the mistakes we make and get better for the future."

There were mistakes aplenty in San Diego's 11-run loss. Myers was quick to note there will be more. But he chalked them up as part of a steep learning curve for a young roster.

Count Bethancourt among the young and inexperienced. Sure, he's in his fifth big league season. But he threw just 16 2/3 innings -- between Panama and Spring Training -- in preparation for his role as a Major League reliever.

"I wasn't nervous or anything," said Bethancourt, who sustained a few cuts around his knee but nothing more. "I was just trying to throw strikes. Things didn't go well."

As for the collision, a fellow backstop could relate.

"He got treated like he was still a catcher," quipped Hedges.

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Green, Padres brush off outside

expectations By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | April 3rd, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Andy Green is aware of the external expectations for the Padres entering the 2017 season.

That doesn't mean the manager is giving those projections -- many of which have the Friars finishing toward the bottom of the National League -- a second thought. "I don't care one bit," Green said. "That's the honest-to-God truth. I won't care one bit when they look at us and say we're going to win the World Series either. If you are swayed by what other people think, you're not going to be resolute to accomplish what's out there in front of you. I frankly don't care one bit."

It's long been a goal of Green's to limit outside noise in his clubhouse. This spring, he's framed talk of low expectations in a positive light, by theorizing that ultimately his team will need to ignore championship expectations in the same way. All-Star first baseman Wil Myers -- at 26, a clubhouse leader on one of the youngest teams in baseball -- has bought in.

"Obviously, there's a lot of people out there counting us out," Myers said. "We're the underdog every single game. And we're going to go out there every single night, try to knock off the other team. ... I'm very excited about the players that we have. These young guys will be able to go out and get a full season under their belt. That is the most important thing for our future -- for these guys to get this experience, throw them right into the fire."

Green insisted there isn't a chip on the Padres' shoulder.

"We're OK with what the outside world thinks," he said. "But from an internal perspective, you want to be the team that goes out and surprises people. You want to be the team that has enough faith in what we have in the clubhouse to go out and win baseball games." Worth noting • Righty reliever Carter Capps is with the Padres in Los Angeles and will throw a simulated inning Tuesday. He'll likely throw another inning at Petco Park this weekend before he begins a rehab assignment. • Two days after being named to his first Opening Day roster, top prospect Manuel Margot batted leadoff for the Padres on Opening Day against Clayton Kershaw.

"He's a guy that isn't going to scare off, isn't going to shy away," Green said. "I'm sure there's butterflies in him -- there's butterflies in established veterans on Opening Day. But he's the kind of guy that's going to handle it and handle it well.

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• Pitcher/catcher hybrid Christian Bethancourt will watch games from the bullpen for the time being, Green said. But he'll still be available to pinch-hit.

"I couldn't figure out where to put him on the lineup card, much less where he's going to spend the game," Green joked. "I need to make a Bethancourt column all for himself."

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Richard looks to keep Dodgers in the park By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | April 3rd, 2017

Kenta Maeda is looking for an encore to an impressive rookie campaign. The Dodgers right-

hander wouldn't mind starting his 2017 season in the same fashion he opened the '16

campaign.

Maeda, who will start Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium against the Padres, also faced the

National League West rivals during last year's season-opening series. Making his big league

debut, the righty tossed six scoreless innings and chipped in offensively with his only homer off

the season, off Andrew Cashner.

Opposite Maeda on Tuesday will be Friars left-hander Clayton Richard. The veteran southpaw,

who also pitched for San Diego from 2009-13, signed with the club last August. He was

impressive enough -- posting a 2.52 ERA over 11 appearances -- for the Padres to re-sign him

to a one-year deal during the offseason.

Things to know about this game

• During the second half of last season, nobody induced ground balls at a higher clip than

Richard's 63.9 percent (minimum 50 innings). His 89-mph average exit velocity against during

the second half was also the lowest among Padres starters.

• Maeda tossed three perfect frames and struck out four Angels in his Spring Training finale on

Thursday. He needed just 29 pitches. In five spring starts, Maeda posted a 3.00 ERA and a .182

batting average against.

• Among pitchers who gave up at least 300 batted balls last season, Maeda led the way by

allowing just 28.2 percent to be hit with an exit velocity of 95 mph or harder. Teammate Clayton

Kershaw was fourth in that category, at 31.0 percent.

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The 65-win Cubs?!? Tales from MLB's 2017

alternative timelines Sam Miller ESPN.com

You probably saw Theo Epstein's quote after Fortune named him the world's greatest leader: "The whole thing is patently ridiculous. It's baseball -- a pastime involving a lot of chance. If Zobrist's

ball is three inches farther off the line, I'm on the hot seat for a failed five-year plan." Bless him for recognizing this. We have just begun a baseball season, singular -- one season, one set of outcomes, from which we'll draw one set of conclusions about the people who made it happen. But far more than one outcome is possible. How many? Well, that's where this gets interesting.

Every year, Baseball Prospectus runs thousands of simulations of the upcoming season in order to generate its playoff odds. Each simulation plays out all 2,430 games, matching the teams in each contest against each other based on how strong their rosters are. Some years the Chicago Cubs win the NL Central with 95 victories. Sometimes they finish second with 95. Sometimes they win it with 85. BP shared 5,000 individual simulations with us. There are extremely predictable seasons, like Simulation No. 16, in which the 10 playoff teams are the Indians, Red Sox, Mariners, Rangers, Rays, Cubs, Nationals, Dodgers, Giants and Mets. Pretty unsurprising. Then there are most of the rest, all of which are equally possible, all but one of which fail to happen not because they were wrong but because we insist on living in one timeline, playing only one 2017 season.

These are our favorite seasons that could actually come true.

Simulation No. 3,155: The Padres win 87 In the aggregate view, the Padres have no chance this year. The PECOTA projections that power these simulations say they're the worst team in baseball, with a .450 expected winning percentage. Even worse, they share a division with PECOTA's best team in baseball, the Dodgers.

But in Sim No. 3,155, the aggregate is irrelevant, and the Padres beat the Dodgers -- with one-

quarter the payroll -- by not one, not two, but 16 games. They obliterate the Dodgers. July rolls around, and the Dodgers are trading Adrian Gonzalez back home to the Padres for prospects. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gets fired and joins the Padres as a special assistant. The Chargers announce that, on second thought, they'll stay in San Diego. Everything Los Angeles ever had to make San Diego jealous is now forgotten. In fact, the Padres spend so much time backpedaling and taunting the Dodgers that they don't even notice until after the final game of the No. 3,155 season that they're a game behind the Giants, six games behind the Rockies, and in third place! They must beat Madison Bumgarner in a wild-card game to make it to a full playoff series. Famous last words.

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Pederson, Dodgers hit team-mark 4 HRs in

opener, rout Padres Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers didn't waste any time showing off their offensive depth on opening day, with every slot in the lineup accounting for a hit and a run.

The biggest drive came from Joc Pederson, who hit a grand slam as part of a franchise-record four home runs to start the season, leading Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles over the San Diego

Padres 14-3 Monday. Pederson drove in five runs, Yasmani Grandal homered twice and Corey Seager added a three-run shot. "We had Kersh going, got ahead early and didn't take our foot off the pedal," Pederson said. "Everyone raked. Anyone at any time can hurt you. It's awesome to be a part of."

Kershaw (1-0) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and two hits over 84 pitches and seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none in his seventh consecutive opening day start. He tied the team mark for most opening day starts in matching Don Sutton, who started seven straight openers from 1972-78, and Don Drysdale, whose seven weren't consecutive.

"If we keep scoring in double-digit runs, I think I'll have a good year," Kershaw said, smiling.

Kershaw's fifth opening day victory equaled Drysdale for most in franchise history.

"It's a huge honor to get to do that," he said.

Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) gave up a career-worst nine runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings in his Padres debut.

"I didn't make good pitches when I needed to, especially in the third inning," he said. "I started getting behind. (Pederson) was ready for the fastball in and hit it out. That's where the game got away from us."

The Dodgers' runs fell just short of their 15-0 victory over the Padres on opening day a year ago in San Diego.

"It was the quality of the bats one through nine, Kersh included," second-year manager Dave

Roberts said. "There was a purpose every time someone stepped in the batter's box."

Grandal followed Pederson's slam in the third inning with a solo homer into the same lower right-field seats. Both came with two outs and gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead.

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Pederson's slam was the team's first on opening day since Eric Karros had one in 2000 at Montreal. The center fielder's five-RBI performance, including a sacrifice fly in the second, was the first to open a Dodgers season since Raul Mondesi in 1999 against Arizona. Seager, last season's NL Rookie of the Year, homered with two outs in the fifth off catcher-turned-pitcher Christian Bethancourt, whose consecutive wild pitches in the fourth led to two of the three runs in the inning. Bethancourt, who will be used out of the bullpen and behind the plate this season, got tagged for three runs, three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings.

Kershaw, who had 46 hits last season, singled leading off the fourth and scored on Justin Turner's double. The Padres' runs came on Yangervis Solarte's RBI single in the first and Ryan Schimpf's homer in the seventh.

UNDEFEATED KERSH

Kershaw is 5-0 in seven opening-day starts with a 0.99 ERA, the second-lowest behind Rick Mahler's 0.92 mark. Kershaw again dominated the Padres, improving to 15-6 with a 2.03 ERA while limiting hitters to a .191 average in 29 career starts.

VIN'S VOICE

Vin Scully wasn't in the Dodgers booth for an opener for the first time since 1950, having retired last season at age 88. Scully's dulcet tones still resonated in the ballpark. He narrated a video about opening day shown before the game and then turned it over to his 29-year-old successor Joe Davis, who introduced Wally Moon and Tom Lasorda for ceremonial first pitches.

BETHANCOURT INJURED

On Bethancourt's first wild pitch in the fourth, he ran to cover the plate and appeared to have been spiked by Andrew Toles' slide. Bethancourt said he got cut inside his leg and on top of his kneecap. "I just wanted to stay in the ballgame and just wanted to keep pitching and helping my team," he said. "I was actually mad after I got cut. Not mad at the runner. That's part of the game. It happens. I'm a catcher, too. I've been in a lot of those (plays)."

STRUGGLING PADRES

San Diego lost its third straight opener, all to the Dodgers, and fell to 21-28 on opening day. The Padres are 1-6 in their last seven games at Dodger Stadium. The Padres, who have the second-youngest roster in the majors, haven't won an opener since they beat the Dodgers in San Diego in 2014.

TRAINER'S ROOM

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Padres: They have six players hurt to start the season, with LHP Robbie Erlin and Colin Rea on the 60-day DL. Dodgers: RHP Pedro Baez (right wrist bruise), one of six players starting the season on the DL, is expected to return next week after rehabbing at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

LHP Clayton Richard starts for the Padres against RHP Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers on Tuesday. Richard went 3-3 with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts for San Diego last season after the Cubs let him go in August. Maeda is 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in four career starts against the Padres.

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Padres look to bounce back after tough opening loss against Dodgers STATSApr 4, 2017 at 11:05a ET

LOS ANGELES — San Diego Padres manager Andy Green remained positive despite a bad day at the office on the first day of a new year.

Green, though, and his club are hoping the second day isn’t as bad as the first one.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hit a franchise Opening Day record four home runs and crushed the Padres 14-3 in the season opener for both clubs Monday at Dodger Stadium.

A grand slam by Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson, who drove in five runs, was the biggest blow as San Diego lost its third consecutive season opener to Los Angeles.

The Padres will try to regroup with left-hander Clayton Richard (3-4, 3.33 ERA last season) on the hill. Richard will oppose Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA) in the second game of the four-game series.

This season’s opener was similar to last year’s when the Dodgers hammered the Padres 15-0 at Petco Park. But Green refused to get hung up in a numbers game.

“It’s one game out of 162 games. If you come out and win 14-3 or you lose 14-3, it’s one game,” Green said. “You show up every series with intent to win the series, understanding that you got a game (Tuesday) against Maeda and you got two more games after that. It literally is one game out of 162 right now.”

Maeda is 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in four career starts against San Diego. In his last outing against the Padres, Maeda allowed three runs and three hits in four innings in a 7-1 loss by the Dodgers on Sept. 27. Maeda struck out five and walked one on 60 pitches.

Richard, who is in his second stint with the Padres, started last season with the Chicago Cubs as a reliever. He pitched in 25 games before the Cubs released him on Aug. 3 and signed as a free agent three days later with San Diego, where he compiled a 3-3 mark with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts.

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Richard is 6-4 with a 3.73 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) against the Dodgers. He has 51 strikeouts and 24 walks in 89 1/3 innings.

“Clayton’s been there for us, threw the ball really well for us last year and he’s a guy who relies heavily on the sinker and you know this is a team that honestly handles sinkers well, so he’s got a challenge in front of him,” Green said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Clayton. I feel good about him (Tuesday).”

The Dodgers will come into the game feeling on top of the world. In addition to Pederson, catcher Yasmani Grandal homered twice — from both sides of the plate — and shortstop Corey Seager hammered a three-run shot as the Dodgers pounded Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin for a career-high nine runs in 3 1/3 innings.

However, Pederson took the approach of Green, saying one game does not make a season.

“It’s just one game. Whether it was the first game, seventh game or 10th game, (Tuesday) is a new day,” Pederson said. “We’ve got to come out and a find a way to win a ballgame.”

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Dodgers Demolish Padres on Opening Day L.A. bats back strong start by Kershaw in lopsided win

By Derek Togerson

It was not as bad as Opening Day of 2016. But it was close.

A year after getting ripped 15-0 by the Dodgers at Petco Park the Padres opened up against

L.A. on the road and only lost 14-3. Let’s consider this an improvement.

Last year not only did the Dodgers get the shutout win; they won the next two games in

shutouts to outscore the Padres 25-0 in a 3-game sweep. At least this year the Padres won’t

have to wait until their 4th game to score a run.

In fact the Friars had a lead in this game. In the first inning Wil Myers reached on an error by

shortstop Corey Seager and moved to 3rd base on a wild pitch. For some reason Dodgers

manager Dave Roberts brought the infield in and Yangervis Solarte singled up the middle to

score Myers and put San Diego up 1-0.

Kershaw responded by retiring the next 19 Padres hitters in order while his offense went

bonkers.

Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin had all kinds of trouble with the Dodgers lineup. The thing

really went off the rails in the 3rd inning. With two outs Chacin allowed a double to Justin

Turner then intentionally walked Adrian Gonzalez and plunked Logan Forsythe with a pitch

to load the bases for Joc Pederson.

Chacin fell behind 3-1 and had to throw a fastball, which Pederson deposited in to the right

field seats for a grand slam and a 5-1 lead. The very next hitter was Yasmani Grandal, who

went back-to-back with Pederson on a solo shot to put L.A. up 6-1. Grandal finished with a

pair of home runs, one from each side of the plate. Chacin was pulled in the 4thinning after

giving up nine runs on eight hits.

The first reliever of the 2017 season for San Diego was Christian Bethancourt. The converted

catcher looked good off the mound in Cactus League play but uncorked a pair of wild pitches,

both allowing runners to come home from 3rd base, before serving up a 3-run home run to

Seager that put the Dodgers up 12-1.

The Padres offense finally snapped Kershaw’s streak when Ryan Schimpf smoked a solo

home run to right field off Kershaw. Manuel Margot added an RBI single in the 8th inning.

Game two of the series is Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

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2017 MLB Season Predictions The Padres will not be as bad as most people think

By Derek Togerson

As the old saying goes, hope springs eternal … and no time is that more true than on Opening

Day.

Monday is the first day of the 2017 Major League Baseball season. The real opening day, not

the 3-game appetizer MLB gave us on Sunday. The Padres are expected by many to be the

single worst team in the big leagues.

I understand the concerns of most national prognosticators. San Diego has six rookies on the

club, including three Rule 5 draftees. The Padres are the 2nd-youngest team in baseball at an

average of 27 years and seven days (16 days older than the Cincinnati Reds) but Jered Weaver

and Erick Aybar are busting the curve there.

The Padres have 14 players on their Opening Day roster age 26 and under. But all those guys

are extremely talented. Hunter Renfroe (25 years old) and Manuel Margot (22) should both

challenge for the NL Rookie of the Year award and Luis Perdomo (23) led the team in wins a

year ago. I’m thinking they’ll take their lumps this year but they won’t have the #1 overall

pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

So here is how I see the 2017 MLB season playing out, division-by-division, with the World

Series champs and major post-season award winners.

National League West 1) Los Angeles Dodgers

2) San Francisco Giants (Wild Card)

3) Colorado Rockies

4) Arizona Diamondbacks

5) San Diego Padres

The Dodgers and Giants might be interchangeable and I see both of them making the playoffs.

The Rockies could have the best lineup in baseball but their starting pitching rivals the Padres

in awfulness. The Diamondbacks have pieces but not enough and no hope on the horizon. The

Padres are looking to 2019.