San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
ERROR-FREE START MAKES HISTORY
The number on its own is amazing, as history tends to be.
The Padres made it through Saturday’s game having yet to commit an error this season. At 16 games, it is the longest any team has gone at the beginning of a season without an error in the modern area (since 1901).
But even needs context.
Sports Info Solutions determined that as of the start of this series against the Dodgers, the Padres had converted 87 percent of the ground balls and bunts hit against them into at least one out. After turning 11 of the 14 grounders the Dodgers put in play into outs on Friday, the Padres had converted 127 of 148 grounders and bunts into at least one out.
According to SIS, the league average is 76 percent. That means the Padres have converted 14 more grounders into outs than the average team.
“That’s pretty good,” second baseman Jake Cronenworth said matter-of-factly.
Even better: The Padres have converted 103 of the 116 grounders hit against them when in a shift, through Friday. perfection
That’s 89 percent, which means it is not just the players doing their job exceedingly well.
Credit also goes to the “guys upstairs,” as the players often refer to the analytics department, and third base coach Matt Williams, who positions infielders during games. (The focus here is on infield, as 86 percent of errors committed across MLB this season have occurred in the infield.)
“You can have a group of elite defenders,” Cronenworth said, “but if they’re not positioned correctly, they won’t be as effective.”
Williams makes his positional adjustments based on myriad factors.
“Using the data and using the analytics and also watching and trying to feel what might happen,” he said.
Of the players, Williams said, “They’re willing participants. That’s big. They’re anticipating, they’re moving with the pitch, they’re understanding what pitch is coming. They’re wanting the ball hit to them.”
Voit sidelined
Luke Voit could be available off the bench. He could be headed to the injured list.
That is the range of outcomes as the Padres’ designated hitter awaits the results of imaging of a right biceps issue that has hampered him the last four to five days.
Voit took grounders at first base in pregame work but did not hit on the field.
“It’s been bothering me for a while now,” Voit said Saturday afternoon. “I just haven’t been able to get that extension that I want through the zone. I think I need to take a little bit of time. I don’t know. I’m getting it all figured out this afternoon.”
Voit is walking at an 18.5 percent rate, a career high, but is hitting just .143 and slugging .167 to start his stay with the Padres. Those numbers include just one extrabase hit, a double, and infield pop-ups in a staggeringly high 30 percent of his plate appearances.
He is unsure how he injured his biceps.
Voit led the majors with 22 homers in the Covid-19shortened 2020 season but played through various injuries last year after knee surgery delayed the start of his 2021 season.
Voit’s OPS dropped from .948 in 2020 to .764 in ’21.
Through 13 games in San Diego, Voit’s OPS is sitting at .481.
“I feel like I’m a waste of an at-bat right now,” Voit said.
“I’m not doing the team any good. I played through injuries last year and it’s really hard. I want to get back to being healthy. I need to provide for this team. I haven’t done a lot for this team and our lineup needs me, but they need me when I’m healthy.”
Injury updates
Fernando Tatis Jr.
(wrist) is taking grounders virtually every day at shortstop, but it is not known when he will be able to swing a bat. Tatis had hoped to begin doing so by next week. Said manager Bob Melvin:
“He continues to get bone scans that show how much the bone has healed. We’re not there yet. I think we’re still looking at potential timetable of mid-june to late June or something like that. I don’t think anything’s been altered off of that.”
Left-hander Blake Snell
(adductor/groin) threw 37 pitches in live batting practice before Saturday’s game. He’ll throw a bullpen session while traveling with the team this week and make his first rehab start at high Single-a Fort Wayne on Thursday. Said Melvin: “He threw really well. He averaged 95 mph, threw all his pitches, felt great.”
kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com
How they scored