SAN DIEGO -- The Padres -- six games over .500 and tied for the most wins in the National League with 23 -- have pieced together a solid first quarter of their 2021 season. Even if they've spent a chunk of it wondering \"what if?\" about their offense.\n\nWhat if they could just get the bats going? What if this lineup started to function like the relentlessly deep offense the Padres felt they’d built this winter? What if guys like
The Padres rolled to a 13-3 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night. Pham went deep in the first inning, Kim followed in the second and Nola blasted a three-run shot in the third, as the offense erupted for 17 hits -- the most for the Padres at Petco Park in five years.
“What can you say?” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “A lot of guys contributed in a lot of different aspects.”\n\nThat trio of Pham, Kim and Nola entered Saturday with just a single homer among them -- none at Petco Park -- and all three were hitting below .200. The Padres insisted they were due for an offensive breakout. It happened simultaneously.\n\nPham’s homer was a no-doubter, and he tacked on a walk before exiting the game as part of a double switch. Kim homered and continued his steady defensive run at short. Meanwhile, Nola’s offensive breakout was the most pronounced, as he went 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs.\n\n“I was just following up on my teammates,” Nola said. “... When your teammates are hitting, you can’t help but get on board.”
All season, the biggest concern with the San Diego offense has been its stunning lack of power. The Padres entered play with a .319 on-base percentage that ranked eighth in the Majors. But their .359 slugging percentage ranked 27th. In simpler terms: The Padres were putting men on base, but they weren’t driving them in with any regularity -- mainly because they weren’t slugging.\n\nCue Saturday’s surprise onslaught, which took place with half of the Padres regular lineup -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar -- on the injured list because of COVID-19 issues. The Padres again had no trouble working their way on base, drawing six walks. But they also made Cardinals pitchers pay with five extra-base hits.\n\n“We know we’ve got a very good offense,” Tingler said. “We know that our [best] baseball is in front of us. … We just want to keep the momentum going.”\n
The positive developments weren’t limited to the offense on Saturday night.
Of course, the last time Paddack faced St. Louis, he surrendered six runs across 2 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series last fall. That start, he said, was heavy on his mind entering this one.\n\n“I guess you could say it was a little redemption,” Paddack said. “I tried to make it personal tonight. It’s good to see that my hard work’s paying off.”\n\nBy the time Paddack left, the Padres had a five-run lead, and they tacked on relentlessly.