A sigh of relief is in order as Padres starter Dylan Cease provided a much-needed boost for a starting rotation that desperately needed a quality outing.
Cease regains his dominance on the mound
He dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ strong lineup, throwing seven shutout innings. Cease gave up only three hits and struck out 11 batters. It was the second time he recorded double-digit strikeouts this season. The only blemish was walking five Dodger hitters.
More importantly, it was a bounce-back performance by Cease, who was 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA in his last six starts. He was struggling with no clue how to get back on track. It squashed the narrative that Cease was going to be the top prize in next winter’s free agent market.
The Friar Faithful was frustrated with Cease’s performance, but everyone was hoping it was just a bad stretch and better days were ahead. Despite all the speculation, Cease was confident he would get back to his former self on the mound. His level of competitiveness never faltered, as he knew making a couple of adjustments could turn around his lackluster season. His dominance came through with a must-win victory over the Dodgers.
Padres bats show signs of life
Although the Padres lost the series, it was encouraging to see Cease get back on track. Another positive sign is the offense having its biggest offensive output in June.
The Padres scored 11 runs in the contest. Aside from Tyler Wade, every Padre in the lineup collected at least one hit. Manny Machado had a monster night with three hits and five RBIs. Luis Arraez contributed with three hits and scored four runs.
It provided a sense of relief for the Friar Faithful, as production of this nature could become the standard moving forward. Despite the tough series defeat to the Dodgers, the Friars should feel some momentum is heading back in their direction.
Perhaps this start will serve as a reset for Cease’s 2025 campaign. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope success continues. He’ll take the mound in their series at Dodger Stadium next week.
