San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
CRONENWORTH STILL CONTRIBUTING
Jake Cronenworth is doing a lot with less than he would like.
“I mean, it stinks (when) I didn’t get a hit,” Cronenworth said Saturday afternoon. “You want to try to get at least one hit a game. But to find a way, even when you don’t get a hit, to somehow score a run or drive in a run, create some type of offense, you’re still producing when you’re not producing. You’re finding a way to get it done. Even though you maybe didn’t get the result you wanted, you still had a quality at-bat.”
In a season in which he entered Saturday’s game batting 31 points lower than he did in his first two major league seasons, Cronenworth still ranks second on the Padres with 70 runs (four fewer than Manny Machado) and second with 59 RBIS (second to Machado by eight).
Cronenworth is 13th in the major leagues in runs scored and tied for 30th in RBIS while ranking 112th in batting average (.239). Part of that owes to his .341 on-base percentage, which ranks 55th. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber is the only player with a lower batting average than Cronenworth to have scored more runs — and he has one more while hitting 23 more home runs.
Cronenworth’s batting average and on-base percentage are significantly higher with runners in scoring position, runners in scoring position with two outs and in late and close situations. He also has at least one run in 15 games in which he doesn’t have a hit and has an RBI in six games in which he doesn’t have a hit.
“Just a tough guy that comes up big in big situations, and I still think there’s more there for him,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We saw one stretch we got really hot. I would not put it past him that another one of those is coming here.”
Alfaro on track
Jorge Alfaro and Melvin said the catcher’s pregame workouts the past two days have gone well and he is expected to be behind the plate today.
Alfaro has not played since leaving Monday’s game after seven innings because of a recurrence of the right knee inflammation that caused him to miss four games earlier this summer. Austin Nola on Saturday started his fourth straight game and sixth in the past seven.
No problem
Melvin talked to Wil Myers Friday afternoon about his role going forward.
“He made it easy on me,” Melvin said. “… I did not need to explain it to him. As soon as I went into it, he knew what the drill was, and he was great about it.”
Myers began the season as the Padres’ everyday right fielder and earlier this month started (at first base and center field) in his seven of his first nine games off the injured list. But he sat for a fourth straight game Saturday.
His role has been reduced, for now, to pinch-hitting against left-handed relievers and getting starts in center field (or elsewhere) against lefties.
“I’m not swinging the bat super well,” Myers said, “(Trent Grisham) is swinging the bat well, a lot of guys are swinging well. So it is what it is. When I get to swinging it, maybe I’ll get some more bats. But all good.”
Myers has been practicing in left field and could get into games at first base or right field. Jurickson Profar has started the past 25 games in left field. Soto has started all 10 games in right since joining the Padres.
“We’ve been running the same lineup out …” Melvin said. “I think someone will need a day off at some point.”
Drury sticking
One of the guys keeping Myers on the bench is Brandon Drury.
Both are right-handed hitters and play multiple positions, and Melvin said he initially envisioned Drury getting most of his playing time against lefties after the Padres acquired him in an Aug. 2 trade with Cincinnati. But Drury has started every game since arriving and isn’t coming out of the lineup if he keeps hitting as he was entering Saturday (.258/.333/.613 with two doubles and three homers in nine games).
“I’m surprised he’s only hitting fifth right now with as productive as he’s been,” Melvin said.
Melvin actually likes Drury in the No. 5 spot. It allows the Padres to alternate handedness throughout the lineup against right-handers with the switch-hitting Josh Bell batting fourth and Cronenworth, who bats left-handed, in the No. 6 spot.