Padlo in S.F.’s lineup after 3-HR game with Sacramento
April 26.
Padlo said an adjustment that Sacramento hitting coach Dave Brundage spotted helped him immediately, and predated the three-homer game.
“We kind of clicked and meshed right away,” Padlo said, noting that Brundage had watched some previous videos of his at-bats and “we kind of just tweaked a few things and just like that, it made me feel better. I love the great communication. I loved the honesty so far and I’m looking forward to building on that.”
Padlo didn’t know many folks in the big-league clubhouse except bullpen coach Craig Albernaz, who had worked in the Tampa Bay system, but he was once traded for Jake McGee. “He came up to me and introduced himself because we had never officially met, and he said, ‘Yeah, we got traded for each other a long time ago,’ ” Padlo said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I remember that,’ ”
Padlo, who is from Murietta (Riverside County), was playing at Dodger Stadium for the first time and had his immediate family and some friends in attendance.
The Giants wanted an additional right-handed-hitting infielder against lefty Julio Urias on Tuesday; Mike Ford, called up during the Nationals series, was optioned back to Sacramento.
The Dodgers have not yet announced a starter for Wednesday, so Padlo or righthanded-hitting Luke Williams might be heading back down if a right-hander is on the mound. The team could activate outfielders Mike Yastrzemski (COVID-19 IL) and LaMonte Wade Jr.(knee) on
Wednesday. Brandon Belt, Zach Littell and Dominic Leone remain on the COVID list.
Manager Gabe Kapler said Wade is physically ready to come off the IL, but the team wants him to be fully confident playing back-to-back nine-inning games on his knee and, he said, “I don’t think we needed to force him into his first start back against one of the tougher left-handed pitchers in baseball.”
Austin Slater (knee) was back atop the lineup Tuesday, and lefty-hitting Joc Pederson (groin) was available off the bench, Kapler said.
Evan Longoria (finger) and Tommy La Stella (Achilles) began rehab assignments at Sacramento on Tuesday.
Briefly: The Giants are listing TBA for all four games of the St. Louis series in order to see how the bullpen comes out of the two games at Los Angeles, Kapler said. One of the games against the Cardinals is likely to be a bullpen game, and the team also would like to get some of the regular starters extra rest if possible . ... Kapler said Alex Cobb came out of his 40-pitch start Sunday well; Cobb, just off the IL in that game, recorded only two outs but an error by Jason Vosler at third extended things.