On one of the Facebook pages dedicated to Padres fans, somebody put up a poll saying the over/under on the team's longest winning streak this season is 3 games (I’m looking at you, Will McCafferty on Friarhood!)
That may seem a bit low. But given this team’s history a lack of optimism is also not entirely unwarranted.
The Friars got a third of the way to that total on Friday night, taking the opener of their weekend series against the Cardinals 4-1 at Petco Park.
Wil Myers is on a fairly decent roll. It took the first baseman all of one pitch to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Myers drove the first offering he saw from St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright over the right-center field wall for a solo home run. Myers also doubled and went 3-for-3 with three RBI.
During his hitting streak Myers has raised his batting average from .211 to .304.
The beneficiary of his hotness was starting pitcher Andrew Cashner. The big right-hander from Texas made his best start of the season, allowing one run on three hits in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts. What’s most encouraging is Cashner, who has struggled to consistently find the strike zone this season, walked just one and only needed 94 pitches (62 strikes), much more efficient than he has been recently.
Padres closer Fernando Rodney worked a scoreless 9th inning to record his third save and still has not allowed an earned run in seven appearances.
The Padres can win their second straight series tomorrow in the Big League debut of 24-year-old Cesar Vargas. The native of Puebla Puebla, Mexico will take the mound against Michael Wacha.
