The Padres righted themselves, won a season-high five straight games and got to a season-high five games above .500 before yesterday.A loss that happens in a long season. A loss that felt more like what happens sometimes to a good team than like so many of the wasted opportunities that pocked the first two months of their season. Just a loss.The overwhelming theme from manager Mike Shildt since spring training started has been about improvement.
It sure seems Dylan Cease will move up a day to start Tuesday. He last pitched Wednesday in San Diego and threw his between-starts bullpen on Saturday. He would be moving up a spot but still going on five days’ rest. Randy Vásquez said he felt fine after playing catch yesterday, two days after leaving his start when he was hit in the forearm by a line drive. His next scheduled start is Thursday.Outfielder David Peralta probably has to hit better than .207/.303/.241 to stick with the Padres the entire season.Maybe you have noticed the 36-year-old Peralta is the first person on the top step to congratulate a teammate and greet players returning to the dugout after a half-inning playing defense.
“Baseball is a kid’s game,” he said. “And I play it and enjoy it as a kid. There is one thing that I’ve learned over and over in the years in baseball — today that you are here but you don’t know where you’re gonna be tomorrow. What I went through, I say, ‘Yesterday I was playing independent ball grinding to be here, today I’m in the big leagues, I don’t know where I’m gonna be tomorrow.’ So I’m gonna make sure today I’m gonna enjoy the game, I’m gonna give my 150 percent.