In the spirit of Players’ Weekend, San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France brought out a bat Friday night that was half baguette, half French flag.
Like most of the bats France has used this year, it hit the ball well. He cracked a two-run homer and added a sacrifice fly to key his team’s 6-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins, continuing one of the best seasons of his major league career.
France and the Padres will try to win the three-game series on Saturday night when the teams meet in the middle contest in San Diego.
When he was signed to a minor league deal in mid-February, the Padres thought they were acquiring a good depth piece who could hit left-handers and play excellent defense. What they’ve gotten this season is 18 homers, 55 RBIs and a .293 average, which would be the highest average in his career for a 162-game season.
“Coming out of spring training, I don’t think anyone saw him hitting in the four-hole,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said of France’s impact.
While stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado have been raking since very slow starts, France has been the most consistent hitter on the team. His latest big game came at the expense of his former team.
“Any time you get a chance to play against a bunch of old teammates, your competitive spirit comes out,” he said.
Right-hander Casey Mize (5-7, 3.18) will make his fourth start with San Diego.
Mize earned his first win on Sunday, firing six shutout innings during a 5-0 triumph in Cleveland. He has struggled in his career against Minnesota, going 4-5 with a 5.34 ERA and allowing 12 homers in 60 2/3 innings.
Opposing Mize will be right-hander Dean Kremer (2-4, 5.40), who’s coming off a no-decision Sunday in a 7-5 loss to Philadelphia. Kremer permitted five hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out six. He’s pitched respectably in two starts against the Padres but lost both times despite an ERA of 3.00.
While San Diego maintained a one-game lead over Arizona for the National League’s last wild-card spot, Minnesota dropped a game behind Texas for the American League’s final wild-card position.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what went wrong Friday night. The Twins managed just two hits — both in the fourth inning — off Randy Vasquez and two relievers. They looked nothing like the top 10 offense they’ve been this year.
But veteran first baseman Josh Bell said this isn’t the time of year to dwell on an off-night with a playoff spot on the line.
“I think everybody in this room has played this game long enough to know that all it takes is a spark,” he said. “I don’t think the vibes in here have changed at all. I think we believe in ourselves.”
The only bright spot offensively was Kody Clemens’ two-run triple in the fourth. It was the latest big hit for Clemens, who now has a career-high 63 RBIs.
“I think he thrives on being in those situations,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said.
–Field Level Media
