Though the trading deadline passed on Aug. 3, the San Diego Padres aren’t done making moves.
The latest acquisition paid immediate dividends Sunday night when newly signed outfielder Austin Hays homered in his first at-bat for San Diego to put the finishing touches on a 7-2 home win over Houston in the rubber game of the teams’ weekend series.
Hays and the Padres look to keep their recent run going on Monday night when they start a three-game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Released by the Chicago White Sox on Friday after playing in just 12 games because of multiple leg injuries, Hays, 31, signed with San Diego earlier Sunday. Hours later, he lived up to his billing as a right-handed hitter who mashes lefties, drilling a two-run shot off Bryan King to seal the outcome.
“Whatever they need me for, I’m ready for,” said Hays, in his ninth major league season. “Looking forward to the next month and a half to two months.”
Especially if the Padres keep raking as they did Sunday night. They cracked four homers, including a three-run shot by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning that put them ahead to stay.
It was the 12th win in 16 games for San Diego, which stayed a game behind Arizona and Philadelphia for the last two wild-card spots in the National League.
“That’s why we play baseball,” Tatis said. “To give ourselves a chance to go for everything.”
Casey Mize (4-7, 3.40 ERA) will try to improve over a dreadful debut with San Diego after being acquired last Monday from Detroit. The right-hander allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 10-4 loss Wednesday night at Arizona.
Mize, who made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2020, is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in two prior starts against the Brewers. He earned the decision in a 5-2 home win over Milwaukee on April 22 this season.
The Brewers counter with fellow right-hander Logan Henderson (6-1, 2.70), who’s coming off a 4-2 win Tuesday night over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. He fanned eight in six good innings, yielding four hits, two runs and a walk. This will be his first career outing against the Padres.
Milwaukee arrives in town with the majors’ top record at 74-44 after edging Minnesota 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday on Jake Bauers’ one-out RBI single that scored Bryce Turang. The Brewers have won six of seven series since the All-Star break to reach 30 games over .500 for the first time.
“This was the best team win in a long, long time,” said Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said Sunday.
The Brewers are in the middle of a stretch where they are playing 17 straight days. Monday is the start of a seven-game road trip that finishes with four at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Add a spate of injuries to the busy schedule and the demands being heaped on this team are mounting.
Yet they find ways. Bauers is enjoying a career-best season with a .271 batting average, 21 homers and 67 RBIs. Turang has added 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 16 stolen bases to go along with excellent defense at second base.
Milwaukee is second in the majors in ERA and fifth in runs, reflections of a well-balanced team.
“Everybody here’s a professional,” Bauers said. “Everybody here understands what you have to do for the team.”
The Brewers took two of three at home from San Diego in mid-May.
–Field Level Media
