Being the longest-lived player in San Diego, Wil Myers is frequently asked about the strong differences between the current edition of Padres and the other teams he has played for since his arrival in December 2014.
In general, Myers’ answers are insightful and complicated. He spoke in depth about organizational culture and the transition to a winning mindset. But Myers asked it best on the eve of the regular season, when he was asked this question for the eleventh time. What is the difference, exactly?
“We have very, very good players,” Myers said.
Simple. The 2021 Padres – starting 8-3 and winning four in a row to start the journey – have very, very good players.
Myers among them, of course. The Padres right-hander won 3-5 with a homer and five RBIs, while opening a four-game series in Pittsburgh with a 6-2 victory.
And Yu Darvish. The right-handed veteran delivered exactly what his parents needed after asking him for six exemptions to cover 8 1/3 innings in Texas on Sunday. Darvish saved a San Diego bullpen assassination with seven innings of a single run. He was efficient and effective, eliminating six and allowing only three shots.
“Not only yesterday, but we have a lot of consecutive games,” said Darvish, aware that the Padres are in the early stages of a 17-game stretch in 17 days. “Indeed, the goal for me tonight was to stay in the game as long as possible.”
At the beginning of the game, Darvish said he got in touch, looking to induce quick exits. Sure enough, he expired with experience through four innings on just 52 pitches, although he recorded only two shots in that period. As the game continued, Darvish began to expand a little more, looking for pursuits. And he took them.
“It was remarkable,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “Yes, you get the victory. But it also resets some boys in the boxing, which is huge. … He did exactly what I needed tonight. ”
It was just the kind of exit Padres were making for Darvish when they acquired it in December. He has now worked at least seven innings in seven of his last 13 starts. It lasted at least six of those 12 outings (except for an early outing on opening day this season, when it was on a pitch number).
Padres players combined to post an ERA 1.80 – the lowest score in 11 games in franchise history. And don’t go after Darvish. San Diego’s other two off-season acquisitions – Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove – receive the ball in the next two nights.
“It’s a lot of fun to play in the back,” Myers said of the parents’ invigorated rotation. “It’s pretty wild to see these guys, their ugly pitches. I’m glad I don’t have to face them. “
Musgrove, fresh out of his historic game on Friday night, was named the winner of the National Player of the Week on Monday afternoon – a week after Eric Hosmer took home the awards. Dating from last season, five of the last 10 players in NL week have been Padres – more than the franchise has seen in the last six years combined.
As Myers said: good players. And through 11 games this season, they also played different players on different nights.
“That only shows you the team we have,” Myers said. “Every guy we have in this line has the ability to take over a game, and when you fill a line with such guys, every night you will find a guy who will be hot. That makes a great team. ”
The hosts look just like the full team Myers envisioned before the season. Sure, they played eight of their 11 games against the last-place teams in 2020 – but they win those games and win them convincingly (though not necessarily flawlessly).
“You will participate in a lot of games when you play it and you will play well [defense]”And I like where we are offensively,” Tingler said. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, which is also interesting.”