For a brief time Friday night, it looked like Mason Miller might get a save chance against his first MLB team.
But the San Diego Padres gave him a second straight game off by scoring three eighth-inning runs to end a potential save situation on their way to a 7-3 win over the visiting Athletics.
Miller might get an opportunity to see some of his old teammates Saturday night when San Diego aims to capture a win of the three-game season series.
His acquisition by the Padres at last year’s trading deadline was a stunner. They gave up their top prospect, shortstop Leo De Vries, in a package to obtain Miller’s 104 mph fastball, shape-shifting slider and four years of club control.
De Vries, a 19-year-old ranked as the No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, could become a star but Miller already is one. He’s 15 of 15 in save chances this season and has allowed only two runs while setting the San Diego record for most consecutive scoreless innings with 34 2/3.
No pitcher has struck out a higher percentage of the hitters he’s faced than Miller’s 51.7 %.
“He’s definitely lived up to the billing and been everything that we’ve wanted and needed,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said.
Even without Miller’s presence, the San Diego bullpen was dominant on Friday night. Adrian Morejon picked up his 17th win since the start of last season by retiring the four batters he faced, including Colby Thomas on a strikeout to strand the bases loaded in the sixth.
“An ace in the hole,” Stammen said of Morejon.
Lucas Giolito (1-0, 5.40 ERA) will try to win his home debut for the Padres. He earned an 8-3 victory in his San Diego debut on Sunday in Seattle, firing a one-hitter through five innings. He was pulled after walking the first three batters in the sixth, all of whom scored without the benefit of a hit.
Giolito is 1-1 with a 5.01 earned run in four career starts against the Athletics.
While Giolito shoots for a second victory, J.T. Ginn (2-2, 2.98) aims to duplicate what he did for the first eight innings on Monday night at the Los Angeles Angels. Ginn took a no-hitter into the ninth before losing it on Adam Frazier’s single. Then, he lost the game 2-1 on Zach Neto’s walkoff homer.
“Gut-wrenching,” catcher Shea Langeliers said of the outcome.
Ginn struck out 10 and walked one in a 105-pitch masterpiece, the second time this month he’s worked eight innings. This will be his first career outing against San Diego.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said his team didn’t take advantage of its opportunities on Friday night. The A’s stranded seven runners, including the bases loaded in the sixth, but had two runners caught stealing in the first four innings.
One that irked Kotsay was when Tyler Soderstrom drew a two-out walk in the first against Walker Buehler and then was nailed trying to swipe second.
“Running into an out to end the first wasn’t great,” Kotsay said. “We definitely could have done better.”
One bright spot was the continuing on-base streak of first baseman Nick Kurtz, who doubled and walked in his first two plate appearances to make it 45 straight games in which he’s reached base at least once.
It is the longest such streak for an Athletics player since Mark McGwire reached base in 48 consecutive games in 1996.
–Field Level Media
