The San Diego Padres won their series opener against the Miami Marlins, 2-1, on Monday. Jackson Merrill returned from illness and scored the first run of the game in the top of the second inning. The Padres’ elite bullpen continued to dominate, shutting out the Marlins offense for 4.2 innings.
In trade deadline news, the Padres could opt to buy and sell at the trade deadline this season to avoid taking on large financial commitments, with an already high payroll. They could look to move some contracts to get a serviceable bat for the middle or bottom of their lineup come the end of July.
In other news, starting pitcher Yu Darvish revealed he was worried he would be forced to retire amid the injury struggles with his elbow this season.
“Yeah, that was possible,” Darvish said. “But I didn’t give up. I kept working hard and believing I could come back. So that worked.”
And finally, Stephen Kolek joined the Friars on the taxi squad Monday, and will officially be added to the team Tuesday to fill the hole in their rotation.