SAN DIEGO --
Tatis went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and his second-inning homer made him the fastest player in Padres history to reach 50 home runs. He took only 171 games to do so while also becoming the fastest shortstop in Major League history to reach the 50 mark.\n\nThe Padres already led by three runs when Tatis came to the plate with two men aboard in the second inning. Chris Flexen tried to sneak a cutter by Tatis on the outside corner. Tatis was having none of it. Among the many patently ridiculous Fernando Tatis Jr. traits, his opposite-field power ranks near the top. He sent a no-doubter to right field, a projected 393 feet, off his bat at 105.8 mph, per Statcast.\n\n“He hits those balls to right-center and to right field, it feels like they come off \\[the bat\\] like a left-handed pull hitter with power,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “It’s just short movements, nice and easy. He’s not trying to grab the power. He’s getting barrel to it, and then his natural ability plays.”
Tatis punctuated the home run with his usual bat-flipping flair. (Even by Tatis’ lofty bat-flipping standards, this was a good one -- he took a few steps toward first, turned the bat over in his hand and flipped from the barrel.)\n\nIndeed, Tatis made certain to celebrate No. 50 with style. He’s tied with Ryan Braun for the fifth fastest to reach 50 homers, in terms of number of games. Only Pete Alonso (152 games), Rudy York (153), Gary Sánchez (161) and Mark McGwire (161) got there faster.
Tatis' home run set the tone for a laugher on Friday night. The Padres cruised behind six innings of one-run ball from
The Padres gave Paddack plenty of run support. Grisham started the night with his fourth career leadoff homer, and the Padres plated three more in the first. The second inning was another four-run frame for the Friars, who chased Flexen after 1 2/3 innings. It's a distinctly different San Diego offense from the one that opened the season in a rut, with question marks about where all the home runs had gone. \n\n“I think we were due,” Tingler said. “It starts with a group of talented players. … You’re not going to keep a group of talented, very good hitters down for very long.”
The Padres were without slugging third baseman