Vargas impressive in debut; Pads' pen implodes in 11-2 loss
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Cesar Vargas threw three straight balls to leadoff batter Kolten Wong, and it looked like it was going to be a rough major league debut for the San Diego Padres right-hander.
Just like that, though, Vargas rebounded and struck out Wong.
Although the Padres were routed 11-2 Saturday night, with the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the final three innings, Vargas had an impressive debut. He allowed just one run and five hits in five-plus innings, with three strikeouts and three walks.
"I was a little upset in the overall results of the game," he said through an interpreter. "Personally, at the end of the day I'm happy. I was a little inconsistent in my pitches but I went out there and did my work. I'm happy."
He said he was nervous on his first pitch to Wong.
"After the next two I was speeding up a little bit. After that I tried to make an adjustment."
Getting his first strikeout was "an incredible experience," he said. "It's something I'll never forget."
Manager Andy Green was happy with the rookie.
"I thought he was really good," he said. "As he went deeper into the game he kind of settled in better and better for the fourth and fifth innings. For the first inning he was a little jumpy first few pitches. After that he kind of settled right down. Couldn't ask for more from him, coming up and doing that."
He was called up from Double-A San Antonio to start in place of Robbie Erlin, who's on the disabled list with a strained left elbow.
"We couldn't feel better than we do about how he threw the ball today," Green said. "He did a real good job."
His only mistake was hanging a curveball that Stephen Piscotty drove into the seats in left field for his third homer to tie the game at 1 leading off the sixth.
Rookie Aledmys Diaz had his first five-hit game and Jedd Gyorko and Jeremy Hazelbaker hit three-run homers.
Diaz had a two-run double in the ninth, while Gyorko homered against his old team and Hazelbaker snapped an 0-for-17 slump. Gyorko and Piscotty each had three hits.
Gyorko and Hazelbaker homered off Carlos Villanueva, who pitched for the Cardinals last year before signing with the Padres as a free agent.
Michael Wacha (2-0) and three relievers combined on a four-hitter.
Gyorko, traded to the Cardinals for outfielder Jon Jay on Dec. 8, reached the second deck in left field with a 436-foot shot, his third, with one out in the eighth.
Hazelbaker homered to right-center with one out in the seventh to snap a 2-2 tie.
Kevin Quackenbush (1-1) allowed two runs and one hit in 1 1/3 innings for the loss. He allowed a walk and a single in the seventh before Brad Hand came on and allowed pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter's RBI single. Villanueva then allowed Hazelbaker's homer.
Wacha allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, walked four and struck out none.
San Diego's Melvin Upton Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the first. After Piscotty homered, the Padres tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a sac fly by Alexei Ramirez.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: To make room for Vargas, INF-OF Alexi Amarista was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, retroactive to Wednesday
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (0-2, 5.71), who went to Fallbrook High in northern San Diego County, is scheduled to start the series finale.
Padres: RHP Colin Rea (1-1, 5.51) is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season.