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The San Diego Padres turned heads when they surpassed the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. However, Alexis Diaz helped the Dodgers pull back even. The second game of the series is Saturday night, but Padres manager Mike Shildt made some roster changes to prepare. Ron Marinaccio returned to the bullpen while Randy Vasquez is heading to the minor leagues.
Vasquez had a rough go of it against Los Angeles on Friday night. He pitched 3.2 innings, giving up three hits and two runs along the way. Outside of his struggles, San Diego's pitchers held the formidable Dodgers offense to just one run. His outing was the last straw for Shildt, who made a change less than 24 hours later.
According to the Padres' social media page, Vasquez and Marinaccio are trading spots in the bullpen. San Diego optioned the former to Triple-A El Paso while calling up his replacement. Vasquez has a chance to rejoin the team before the playoffs begin, but his odds are not great. Marinaccio, on the other hand, has not pitched in the majors since the end of July.
The former New York Yankee re-enters a bullpen that is still trying to figure things out. Shildt has yet to make a concrete decision on who is closer is. The result has been a confusing combination of pitchers who make the end of close games far more stressful than they need to be. However, Marinaccio figures to be another reliever who can step in when a starter struggles.
Padres fans hope that the roster moves help their team get back in front of the Dodgers. Los Angeles players had grim remarks after San Diego tied them in the standings. Shildt and his team has two opportunities to get wins and put some distance between them and their rivals in the win column.
