San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SNELL ALMOST HAPPY WITH OUTING
What Blake Snell did Saturday, in his final start of spring training, is what he knows he has to do in the regular season to be the pitcher he wants to be.
“It’s exactly what you wanted to see,” manager Jayce Tingler said after Snell threw just 72 pitches in shutting out the Los Angeles Angels over five innings.
Snell did not allow a run in 141⁄3 innings against Cactus League opponents. The hit he allowed Saturday brought his spring total to five. But he had been frustrated to some extent after every start for the pitches he wasted.
Saturday, he got six outs in three pitches or fewer, including three three-pitch strikeouts. Snell allowed a bloop double to Justin Upton in the first inning, hit Brandon Marsh in the second and didn’t allow another baserunner until he walked Marsh to start the fifth inning.
It was the kind of efficiency he has talked about achieving and the Padres believe is necessary to have him go longer in games — save for a fifth inning in which Snell’s pitch count rose significantly. To that point, it had seemed possible he would breeze through the entire seven-inning game.
As is consistent with each of his self-critical postgame news conferences, Snell was mostly focused on that ending.
“It started very good,” Snell said. “… I was pretty upset with the 26-pitch fifth inning. Some sloppy at-bats to left-handers, gotta be more aggressive. I’m happy with it, but there’s a lot to work on. Just getting behind. Gotta be ahead in the count, gotta be in control of at-bats and put them away when I want to put them away.”
Snell won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 and ranks sixth in the majors with a 2.85 ERA since then. But he also has averaged just more than five innings per start in that span. His career high, in 108 starts
Padres 2, Angels 0
Batter’s box: Jurickson Profar was 1-for-2 with a walk and has three hits in his past 10 at-bats after starting the spring with one hit in his first 30 at-bats. … Jorge Mateo was 1-for-3 with his team-leading sixth double. He is batting .340 with a .431 on-base percentage in a team-high 65 plate appearances. … Brian O’grady’s fourth-inning single broke a stretch of six hitless at-bats. For much of the spring, Mateo and O’grady have staged a battle for what is likely one available bench spot. … Ha-seong Kim singled. His three hits in his past 11 at-bats have raised his average to .135 for the spring.
Balls and strikes: Blake Snell was about as efficient as possible in throwing five shutout innings in his final start of the spring. He allowed one hit and two other baserunners while striking out six. He threw 72 pitches. … Craig Stammen threw a perfect sixth inning. … Keone Kela allowed a single in a scoreless seventh.
Extra bases: With most of the Padres’ usual starters having played three or four days in a row, Saturday’s lineup was headlined by Luis Campusano, Profar and Kim. The Angels had three starters in their lineup. … The game lasted just seven innings.
On deck: Joe Musgrove will make his fifth start of the spring, 1:05 p.m. against the Indians in Goodyear, Ariz. Mackenzie Gore is scheduled to follow. since his big-league debut in 2016, is 71⁄3 innings.
Grisham, Nola to wait?
The Padres appear set to be cautious with both center fielder Trent Grisham and catcher Austin Nola, as Tingler indicated Saturday it will be something of a surprise if either is ready for opening day.
There had been signs Grisham, who left a game March 11 with a left hamstring strain, was trending toward playing in games here and being ready for Thursday’s season opener.
“Even though he’s feeling really good, he still hasn’t taken at-bats and ran full speed in a game,” Tingler said. “Even though he’s running, we probably have to line up a little more game time where everyone feels 100 percent confident.”
Nola, who fractured the middle finger of his left (catching) hand on March 12, had for several days seemed unlikely to be playing early in the season. Tingler said “it’s probably doubtful” Nola plays in either of the Padres’ final two spring training games, which makes it improbable he can be built up staminawise to catch nine innings by the end of the week.
“It would be pretty difficult,” Tingler acknowledged.
Both players could stay at the Peoria Sports Complex to play both intrasquad games and in games against players at other teams’ alternate sites.
Campy catching on
Luis Campusano caught perhaps his finest game of the spring Saturday, and he caught all seven innings.
“There is significance,” Tingler said. “We wanted him with Snell. The whole goal is we have been trying to get him as much experience as possible.”
Campusano stayed in after Snell, who will start the season’s second game, departed in order to catch Craig Stammen and Keone Kela in the final two innings.
“We wanted him to continue to develop and have the experience of catching those guys,” Tingler said.
Campusano, who is 22 years old, has never caught a game above Single-a.
No battle?
It would seem that, at least as long as it takes for Grisham to return, both Jorge Mateo and Brian O’grady will be on the roster.
Let the record show that Mateo likely would have been the winner of what had appeared to be one available bench spot.
O’grady and Mateo were for a time essentially matching each other every day at the plate, but while O’grady faltered recently, Mateo kept hitting.
He went 1-for-3 Saturday with his team-leading sixth double. Mateo is batting .340/.431/.491 in a team-high 65 plate appearances while playing at every position except third base and catcher.
“He’s been extremely disciplined the work he’s done,” Tingler said. “Long story short, he’s really worked on flattening out his bat path so he could handle pitches at the top of the zone.”
Alluding to Mateo being a topic of conversation in the Padres’ extensive meetings on roster construction the past several days, Tingler said, “Coaches, scouts, everyone has seen him. A lot of credit to him how he’s made improvement in several parts of his game.”
kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com