Whenever the Padres and Giants get together at Petco Park, there’s going to be a big crowd. This was the first time in recent memory it was hard to hear the San Francisco fans.
A sellout crowd of 45,150 people stuffed the Padres' jewel of a downtown ballpark to see the new-look Friars play the defending World Series champions in San Diego’s home opener, and what transpired was one of the most exciting low-scoring games you’ll see, although it ended with a sour taste for the home crowd.
The Giants got the only run of the game in the 12th inning to win 1-0.
Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy had to leave in the 3rd inning with a left hamstring injury. Kennedy delivered a pitch in the third inning and immediately called the training staff out to the mound. Ian might not be back for a while.
"This could be a possible disabled list (trip)," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It's a mild hamstring strain, and those are tricky."
Kennedy says he felt completely healthy coming out of Spring Training but first felt the hamstring grab when he struck out Juan Arias in the second inning. He tried to loosen it up before going out for the third, but it wasn't meant to be.
"It was almost like a cramp feeling," said Kennedy. "I've never had a pulled hammy or anything before."
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Leaving the fourth game of the season was the prudent course of action.
"I'm not going to hurt my arm," said Kennedy, "trying to change my mechanics. It's still pretty tight right now so we'll see how I feel tomorrow."
If Kennedy's evaluation on Friday does, indeed, put him on the DL, the man who replaced him in the game will also replace him in the starting rotation.
"I'll say it on record: if Ian doesn't make that start (next Tuesday the 14th against the Diamondbacks at home), Despaigne will."
Odrisamer Despaigne, who was a starter for Spring Training and is used to a heavy workload, came in and threw a great game, going 4.2 innings without allowing a run.
But, the Padres could not get anything going offensively against Giants starter Tim Hudson and the San Francisco bullpen. Padres hitters grounded in to four inning-ending double plays, two of them by second baseman Jedd Gyorko.
In the top of the 9th inning, Padres manager Bud Black called on closer Craig Kimbrel to make his Petco Park debut. It didn’t take him long to ingratiate himself to Padres fans. Giants outfielder Angel Pagan led off and got in a heated jawing session with Padres catcher Derek Norris. On the very next pitch, Kimbrel ran a 98-MPH fastball up under Pagan’s chin.
It was a clear sign to the Giants, and the rest of the National League West: These are not the old Padres you used to kick around anymore.
Pagan would triple, then Buster Posey walked. But, Kimbrel got a pop up and a double play ball to get out of the inning with no harm done and walked off the field celebrating while looking in to the Giants’ dugout.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Wil Myers reached on an error and Derek Norris singled to left. So, up came Matt Kemp in the precise situation the Padres got him for … runner in scoring position, one out, chance to win a ballgame.
Kemp hit a bullet that McGehee got a glove on to save a run and even got an out at second. So, with runners at the corners and two outs, up came Justin Upton in the precise situation the Padres got him for. Upton popped out to right field. So, off to the 11th inning we went!
Then to the 12th inning we went!
Then one of the Padres’ major concerns burned them. With the addition of all the offense, the outfield defense seemed like it was going to suffer. In the top of the 12th, Nick Vincent got Brandon Crawford to pop up to shallow left. Justin Upton and Clint Barmes couldn’t get together, the ball fell in for a 2-base error, and it was the opening the Giants needed.
Crawford scored on a 2-out single by Justin Maxwell and the Padres went in order to finish a 1-0 San Francisco win. But, not without a few more theatrics. Will Venable was called out a check-swing by the home plate umpire and voiced his displeasure with the call. That got Venable a quick ejection.
Black came out to plead his case and was also tossed. So, was it frustration from 12 shutout innings that led to the hook?
"No," said Black, "that's probably vocabulary more than anything."
The Padres try to get their first home win of the year on Friday night when RHP Brandon Morrow makes his San Diego debut.
