San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
First Padres-dodgers spring game maintains mystery
Call it the first passive salvo in the newly shaped NL West’s Cold War.
It’s rare to break down a game between burgeoning rivals by starting with a list of those who didn’t play. That’s impossible to ignore, though, when Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are missing for the world champion Dodgers.
Ditto for the Padres, when the lineup card lacks Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers.
At Camelback Ranch on Saturday, it was grab-a-roster day to figure out the baseball path — or name, number and anything at all — about Neuse and Outman, Tanielu and O’grady. This was Padres-dodgers in name only, even though it became a game to circle on the calendar despite the lineup f lightiness of spring.
This was the first time the teams stood on the same field since the Padres added pieces and investments galore and shoulder-blocked their way into the national conversation.
Instead, nearly $133.4 million worth of firepower focused on avoiding bench splinters.
The Padres won, 2-1. Not that it mattered. “To be the best, got to beat the best,” said Padres starter Chris Paddack, whose unique history with the Dodgers was brushed aside as he chalked up his second solid outing of the spring. “(Betts, Bellinger Seager), those guys are studs. Especially seeing Dodger blue, it’s always a privilege to pitch to those guys.
“It was a little different today.”
On the Dodgers side of things, manager Dave Roberts was asked if the lineups indicated a bit of muted gamesmanship.
“I don’t know as far as how those guys have been playing,” Roberts said. “But honestly, I kind of just mapped out the days of playing for players, on-off, on-off, and staggering guys and didn’t really look at the opponent. I think it just played out as such.”
Then again, that’s the first rule of espionage and subterfuge. Misdirect and muddy
the facts and conversation. Tip the wrong hand. Wink and nod and wait to slip real intel with microfilm in matchbooks.
The unpredictability of spring notwithstanding, it felt like hustling into a theater with a giant tub of popcorn to see the newest “Star Wars” release and suffering through “Ishtar” instead.
Paddack acknowledged the names on the jerseys matter, however.
“Something I noticed was a couple pitches I got ahead of myself,” he said. “I kind of let the adrenaline take over a little bit versus that first start of the spring. The previous champs, in our division, it’s always a little extra adrenaline you’re going to get facing the Dodgers.”
The name in ink that in no way felt like tradecraft was $102 million pitching pickup Trevor Bauer not only starting for the Dodgers, but throwing three innings.
The Padres f lashed the same plate discipline that elevated them into the playoffs a season ago for the first time in 14 years. Jurickson Profar began with a nine-pitch trip before stroking a leadoff single to right. Tommy Pham followed with a seven-pitch walk.
Five of the first six Padres sat on first-pitch balls against Bauer.
As the top of the first inning ended with Profar and Pham stranded, the former beelined to Bauer and offered what appeared to be a good-natured comment. Bauer playfully smacked his glove off Profar’s chest.
Maybe we caught the smallest of glimpses, after all.
“That was awesome,” Paddack said of lining up against Bauer, no matter the circumstances. “That was the first time I got to face Bauer. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to do that during the season. He’s fun to watch. He enjoys himself out there. He’s a character. It’s going to be a fun year.”
When asked about whether the matchup gains real roots and could become
something like the Red Sox and Yankees, Roberts tapped the brakes.
“I just think that’s a ways down the road,” said Roberts, spoken like someone who just won the World Series.
“When you’re talking about those types of rivalries, that’s more generational and have withstood the test of time. But right now, I think there’s more to a rivalry than just geography.”
Whether those embers create real and lasting fire between the teams will wait for another day … and another day after that … and many, many days after that.
On a cloudless spring day, fans were left with peeking into the future rather than reveling in the rowdy present.
In the category of “find a place for this guy,” Padres infield prospect CJ Abrams continued to push himself onto the radar. One of the fastest players in the game launched a third-inning rocket so hard off Bauer that it easily made it through — despite being hit into the teeth of a shift.
Abrams showed the wheels again when he tagged up and glided into second on a f lyout to center.
Rancho Bernardo High School’s Gosuke Katoh, another storyline blossoming in the spring, drove in both of the Padres runs with a f lared two-out single to left.
Beyond that, the crowd of 2,339 — a sellout in our wacky pandemic days — spent 2 hours, 17 minutes soaking up sunshine and checking out about the time Bauer did. Rather than learn something substantive about what 19 regularseason games between the teams might bring, they cheered a final-inning comeback bid from some guys in blue against some other guys in brown.
Roberts promised things will change before we know it.
“As we get closer to the season, into the season, obviously we’re going to see these guys a lot,” he said. “They’re a very talented team. Done a nice job. It’s gonna be fun to compete against those guys all year. I know fans are excited about it. I’m sure our players are, too.”
The Cold War will warm right up, come summer.
For now, enjoy Ishtar.
bryce.miller@sduniontribune.com