EXHIBITION OPENER LIKELY WASHED OUT
PEORIA, Ariz.
Jayce Tingler seemed severely disappointed he might have to wait a day for his first spring training game as a major league manager.
But that is almost certainly what is going to happen.
There is a flash flood warning in effect for the Phoenix area through tonight and a 100 percent chance of rain is forecast around the time the Padres are scheduled to play the Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex.
Tingler has made contingency plans. Should today’s game be rained out, the pitchers scheduled for today (at least Cal Quantrill, Michel Baez and Javy Guerra) will be cycled back into the rotation beginning Monday.
Tingler wanted to keep the pitchers scheduled for Sunday’s game against the Brewers in Maryvale (at least Zach Davies, Luis Perdomo, Jerad Eickhoff, Pierce Johnson and David Bednar) the same so as to not mess up their preparation.
Guerra needs every opportunity to pitch.
The 24-year-old righthander, who is out of minor league options and must make the team or be exposed to waivers, just began pitching at the end of spring training in 2019. To that point, he was a smoothfielding shortstop with a .237 batting average in seven minor league seasons.
Guerra debuted on the mound for Single-a Lake Elsinore in June and posted a 3.38 ERA in 211⁄3 innings between there and Double-a Amarillo.
He was a September call-up and in 82⁄3 innings with the Padres had a 5.91 ERA.
Guerra’s fastball routinely hit 99 mph and occasionally 100. But too many of those were balls (53.7 percent strike rate) and too many of his strikes were too comfortably in the zone.
So he arrived in spring with a clear mandate.
Said General Manager A.J. Preller: “He’s going to have to compete, be consistent, show us quality stuff, show us the ability to get outs, show us he’s an improved pitcher from last year. … He’s got a lot of ability.”
Tinglenator, it will be back
Players had no idea what it meant when they saw it on the day’s schedule.
At 11 a.m., something called “Tinglenators Rise of the Machines” was taking place.
By the time they loaded onto golf carts for the short drive to the back fields, they knew. Teams were chosen. Wagers were placed.
The entire area was cordoned off to keep fans and media from getting an up-close view and keep them out of earshot.
The idea was for players to be able to be themselves in what Tingler called a “teambuilding” opportunity.
The exercise was essentially a competitive batting practice off a high-velocity machine on one field and machines throwing dastardly curves (from the right and left side) on the other two.
Frequently throughout the nearly two hours it lasted, players could be heard laughing and yelling.
Tingler said there will likely be something like Tinglenator Rise of the Machines once a week.
Always on the move
On the third day, Jake Cronenworth played a third infield position.
He has so far in spring training practiced at second base, shortstop and first base, in addition to throwing two bullpen sessions.
“It’s the same thing, just a bigger glove,” Cronenworth said Friday morning, the day after adding a first baseman’s mitt to his collection and looking smooth in drills there working in a rotation with starter Eric Hosmer. “… They’re all different, and they’re all different challenges. I love the little ins and outs of each position and learning how to get better at each one.”
Cronenworth, 26, played all over the infield and pitched at the University of Michigan. He has also played every infield spot and pitched in the minors, including one game at first base in Double-a during the 2018 season. He resumed pitching a year ago and threw seven scoreless innings in Triple-a last season.
Cronenworth, acquired in the December trade that landed Tommy Pham, is expected to pitch once a week this season in either Triple-a or the majors.
“He’s a very good athlete,” Tingler said. “He’s got good feet, good hands. He’s sharp.”