The Padres starting pitching rotation is very talented. But it is not very deep. So, with Michael Wacha working through a shoulder issue the Friars had to dip into their minor league system to find another arm.
Not many folks realized how far they would dip.
San Diego called up Jackson Wolf, a 6'7" lefty who's been fantastic at Double A San Antonio, to make his Major League debut on Saturday in Detroit. He was drafted just two years ago out of West Virginia University. It's not common for a pitcher to bypass the highest level of the minors. It's also not common for a pitcher to come back into a game after sitting through nearly an hour and a half rain delay.
Wolf did both, and with some help from a potent Padres offense, won his maiden big league voyage in a 14-3 blowout that gave the Friars a second straight series win.
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Wolf got through the 1st inning on a mere four pitches but struggled through the 2nd. Jake Rogers drove in a run with a double to make it 1-0 Tigers and the skies opened up, starting an 84 minute rain delay. When play resumed Wolf was right back on the mound. It took him a bit of time to get back on track.
The rookie allowed three runs on four straight hits in the inning. But, he settled back in and didn't allow another run in 5.0 innings of work. He got plenty of congratulatory hugs in the San Diego dugout then watched his bats go bonkers.
In the 3rd inning Juan Soto doubled home a run then scored on a 3-run homer by Manny Machado, who is on a hot streak even by his lofty standards. After hitting just nine home runs in the first three months of the season Manny has ripped 10 dingers in July alone.
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In the 4th inning Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled home another run to make it 5-3 Padres, but the Friars really opened it up in the next frame. They scored five runs on six hits, two walks, and a sacrifice fly to pump the lead up to 10-3. In the 7th inning Ha-Seong Kim unloaded on a solo home run. Kim had three hits and would have had a case for player of the game honors if Luis Campusano wasn't in the lineup.
The catcher destroyed a 3-run homer in the 8th inning to make it 14-3 Padres. Campy went 4-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored, the biggest contributor to an 18-hit attack. The Padres can sweep the series on Sunday morning behind Joe Musgrove and when I say morning, I mean morning. The game starts at 9:00 am San Diego time and can be seen exclusively on Peacock, NBC's streaming service.
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