Joe Musgrove made his first start of the season on Saturday night in Arizona. It would take something pretty special to keep that from being the lead when talking about this game.
Fernando Tatis Jr. going deep qualifies.
San Diego's superstar hit his first home run since September 30, 2021, a solo shot in the first inning of what turned into a 5-3 Padres win. The blast comes in just his 3rd game back from missing all of 2022 with injuries and a steroid suspension. Shoot, it took Manny Machado 14 games to hit his first dinger and he was the MVP runner-up last year. Tatis finished the game 1-for-4 with that homer and a walk that turned out to come at a very good time.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Musgrove finally made his 2023 debut after needing some time to heal from a broken toe. He wasn't super sharp. But he did what he always does, battling his way through and giving his team a chance to win. Joe tossed 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits but only three runs while striking out six. He had a lead before he even stepped on the field thanks to the Tatis Jr. bomb and an RBI double by Matt Carpenter in the 1st inning.
When he left the game he was in line for a loss but his offense hooked him up. With the bases loaded and two outs Ha-Seong Kim, mired in a 2-for-29 slump, bounced a single to left field that brought home Tatis Jr. (who had walked) and Juan Soto (who had singled) to put the Friars on top 4-3. From there, the bullpen was terrific.
Steven Wilson threw a perfect 6th inning then Ryan Weathers emerged from the bullpen. He'd made three starts and was really, really good in all of them. But, with Musgrove back someone had to take a turn as a reliever. Weathers did not pout about the role change. He tossed a scoreless 7th inning with one strikeout. He might be a guy who ends up as both a starter and a reliever, kind of like this season's version of Nick Martinez.
Local
Jake Cronenworth padded the lead with an RBI single in the 8th inning then, with Josh Hader on the mound to close it, paired with Xander Bogaerts to make a stellar defensive play. Evan Longoria bounced one between short and third. Bogaerts dove and picked it with his backhand, stood up and threw a tad wide and short to 1st base, where Cronenworth sprawled out to make a backhanded pick of his own while nearly laying on his stomach to complete the out.
One thing that has been overlooked as the Padres offense has struggled is the fact the Friars have been arguably the best defensive team in baseball in the early part of the year. They can win the series on Sunday afternoon when Yu Darvish gets the ball against Drey Jameson.
LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.
