Players like Kyle Higashioka, Donovan Solano, David Peralta and Jeremiah Estrada anchor group helping team survive injuries, uncertainty
Padres backups Donovan Solano, left, and David Peralta shown against Saturday against the Diamondbacks at Petco Park. As the Padres near the All-Star break, still above .500, still on pace to be a wild-card playoff qualifier, still fragile because of injuries and the uncertainty of the grind to come, the calculations pick up steam.Baseball revolves around big stars making big money, and it’s no different for the Padres.
Teams face injuries. Stars slump. In those cases, the differentiator becomes the role players leaned on to bridge the gaps. The supporting actors in this 162-game screenplay have outshined the group from a disappointing 2023. Pickup David Peralta homered to help win a game and, in turn, a series against the Rangers. He added two hits and drove in a run during Friday’s wild opener against the Diamondbacks.
“I remember in 2021 with San Francisco, we played like that,” Solano said of the 107-win Giants, who excelled with the contributions of Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Darin Ruf. “We had some injuries with big names, but guys produced. To go to the playoffs, you’ve got to produce like a championship team.It’s not about a single player being good or great for an extended period. It’s about the group being collectively dependable, passing the baton to find whatever’s needed.
Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada was honored for setting an expansion-era record with 13 consecutive strikeouts. “It’s huge,” Shildt said. “Unlike other sports, you can design a play to throw it to a certain person, you can ride a certain player … and he can take over a game. In our game, you never know who it’s going to be hit to necessarily and you don’t know who’s going two have to take that big at-bat or do something on the bases or make a key pitch.
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