The prevailing theory in the days leading up to the Major League Baseball trade deadline was the Padres would be trading Tyson Ross. The veteran right-hander was certainly getting attention but as July 31st ended Ross was still in San Diego.
So this is a little curious.
On Sunday, Ross was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. This is not an uncommon thing. At one point or another most players are placed on waivers. If another team claims him there are a few options:
- A trade is worked out between the teams.
- The original team pulls the player off waivers.
- The original team lets the player walk away for no compensation.
The Padres went with the last one. So Tyson Ross is now a Cardinal and St. Louis has to give the Friars nothing in return. Ditto Jordan Lyles, who was claimed by the Brewers and allowed to leave scot-free. The moves are likely a way to start pushing some of the younger arms in the system.
Trey Wingenter and Brett Kennedy will get their first big league call-ups. Wingenter is a reliever with a fast ball that’s touched 100 MPH while Kennedy was a Pacific Coast League All-Star, going 10-0 with a sub-3.00 ERA for Triple-A El Paso. Kennedy will start Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee.
Both were selected by the Padres in the 2015 MLB Draft (A.J. Preller’s first as a general manager). Kennedy was an 11th-round pick from Fordham while Wingenter was added in the 17th round out of Auburn (War Eagle).
Oh by the way, there was also a ball game played on Sunday and the Padres actually won it!
San Diego used a trio of home runs to beat the Cubs 10-6 on a blustery day at Wrigley Field. Shortstop Freddy Galvis, usually not known for his pop, took Jon Lester deep on what was undoubtedly a wind-aided home run. Rookie outfielder Franmil Reyes, absolutely known for his pop, also left the yard off Lester but this one was an estimated 477-foot missile.
Hunter Renfroe added the final dinger, a 2-run shot in the 9th inning that helped seal the win.
Rookie lefty Joey Lucchesi started for the Padres despite suffering from a stomach flu and was really good. Lucchesi struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs in 5.2 innings.
So the team with the worst record in the National League splits a 4-game series on the road against the team with the best record in the National League. Monday is an off day then the Friars start a 3-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
