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Rookies aim to build on first MLB hits in Padres-Giants finale
Two rookies who recorded their first major league hits less than 24 hours earlier hope to get a chance to pad their stats against struggling pitchers Wednesday afternoon when the San Diego Padres and host San Francisco Giants in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Sung-Mun Song, promoted from the minors on Tuesday, contributed two hits, two runs and two RBIs to a 14-hit assault that lifted the Padres to a 10-5 win in the rematch of a 3-2 Giants victory on Monday.
Having made his debut April 26 as a pinch runner, Song was thrust immediately into the action in his return to the majors, which was necessitated when regular second baseman Jake Cronenworth had to go on the seven-day concussion injured list.
The South Korea-born 29-year-old flied out to left field in his initial big-league at-bat off the Giants’ Logan Webb before launching a go-ahead, two-run double for a memorable first against the two-time All-Star.
“A dream-come-true moment for me,” Song said to an interpreter in a televised on-field interview after the win. “I think I showed what I can do on the field today overall.”
If Song gets an encore performance Wednesday, it would come against Giants right-hander Adrian Houser (0-3, 7.12 ERA), who pitched his best game of the season in a 7-1 loss at San Diego in the first week of the year, allowing just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings.
He has since been torched for 23 earned runs over 25 innings in five starts.
The 33-year-old has never beaten the Padres in nine career matchups (seven starts), going 0-2 with a 2.82 ERA.
Houser is scheduled to be opposed by San Diego righty Matt Waldron (0-1, 9.88), who has given up 22 hits and 15 runs over 13 2/3 innings in his three starts since having the start of his season delayed by hemorrhoid surgery.
The 29-year-old Waldron has pitched well in three outings (two starts) against San Francisco despite not getting a decision, posting a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.
Giants catcher Jesus Rodriguez went 0-for-3 in his big-league debut in Monday’s win. On Tuesday, he blooped a single to right field in his first trip to the plate against Walker Buehler in the second inning.
The 24-year-old Venezuelan later launched his first home run, but that came after the Padres had turned a 4-1 deficit into an 8-4 lead.
Giants manager Tony Vitello noted his guys got a lot more joy from the single than the home run.
“It wasn’t as pretty as the home run,” the rookie skipper said of the first hit to reporters after the game. “A wise man once told me there’s more hits on this part (the handle) of the bat than the barrel of the bat.
“It was good to get that first one out of the way. It was a lot of fun for everybody in the park, and certainly for everybody in the dugout.”
–Field Level Media
