7/18-7/21, four game home-stand with the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tucson Padres scored 23 runs in their four games with the Seattle Mariners triple-A affiliate. Unfortunately for the T-Pads pitching staff, 15 of those runs came on one night.

Starting pitcher John Van Benschoten made his first appearance with the Tucson Padres on 7/18. Van Benschoten spent last season in the New York Yankees organization and was made an eighth overall draft pick in by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001.

Van Benschoten started the game against Tacoma’s Mauricio Robles. SP Van Benschoten pitched five innings with five strikeouts and allowed two runs (one earned).  Robles pitched six shutout innings with four strikeouts.

Catcher Guillermo Quiroz had two hits and a run batted in while Matt Clark had two hits and two RBI in the 5-6 loss to Tacoma.

Tuesday 7/19 was a wet and offensive game to say the least. SP Jeremy Hefner took the mound for Tucson against opposing starter Chris Seddon. The earned run averages of these starters inflated as SP Hefner allowed seven runs in five innings and SP Seddon allowed six runs in six innings including three Tucson homeruns.

Relief pitcher Evan Scribner got the win in the 15-14 victory. Tacoma had 21 hits on Tuesday while Tucson had 20 hits. Tucson had four homeruns on the night including a two-run homerun by 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir and a solo shot by SS Steve Tolleson.

The player of the night was LF Clark as he had four hits including two homeruns and eight RBI in the game.

Staff ace Wade LeBlanc started game three on 7/20 but rain only allowed him to pitch one scoreless inning with one strikeout. The game was finished on Thursday 7/21.

Thursday 7/21 the teams finished game three and game four of the series. C Quiroz and 3B Tolleson had the T-Pads only RBI in the near double header. Tucson lost game three of the series 2-9 and lost game four of the series 1-8.

Tucson won one of the four games with Tacoma as both teams battled the rain all series. Clark was the bright spot for Tucson with two homeruns and 10 RBI in the series.

7/22-7/25, four game road-series with the Las Vegas 51s

The Tucson Padres welcomed first baseman Anthony Rizzo back to the line-up for their series with Las Vegas as Kyle Blanks was recalled by the San Diego Padres.

In game one of the series on 7/22 the T-Pads roughed up Pacific Coast League All-Star pitcher Brad Mills. Mills allowed seven earned runs in seven innings of work.

Tucson SP Jon Leicester allowed six runs in five innings while striking out four. RF Clark and C Luis Martinez both had two hits including a homerun and two RBI in the 8-10 loss.

SP Van Benschoten received his first win with the Tucson Padres on 7/23 as he pitched seven innings while allowing three runs on four strikeouts. RP Scribner got the hold and RP Brad Brach recorded his fourth save this season.

CF Aaron Cunningham was a homerun away from the cycle while 2B Hoffpauir and 3B Darnell both hit homeruns as Tucson won game two 6-4.

A total of 12 pitchers threw in game three of the series on 7/24 due to the game lasting 13 innings. C Quiroz had a three-run homerun in the game but it was LF Darnell’s solo homerun in the 13^th inning that gave the T-Pads the lead.

When RP Will Inman pitched a scoreless bottom half he earned his fourth win this season and gave Tucson the 9-8 victory.

The final game of the series on 7/25 had the same score with a different result. SP LeBlanc had his first bad start in over a month. SP LeBlanc allowed six runs in five innings of work while opposing SP Jesse Litsch allowed five runs in five innings.

1B Rizzo hit his first homerun since rejoining Tucson as he had four hits and two RBI while designated hitter Bobby Kielty also had a homerun and two RBI in the 8-9 loss.

Tucson split the four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays triple-A affiliate. Darnell had a nice series with five hits including two homeruns and four RBI.

Everth Cabrera had seven hits, two runs and an RBI in the series and the veteran Kielty had seven hits including a homerun and three RBI in the series with Las Vegas.

7/26-7/29, four game home-stand with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Samuel Deduno started game one for Tucson, he allowed six runs in six innings on 12 hits.

1B Rizzo had a big night in his return to Tucson with three hits including a homerun and four RBI. His effort was not quite enough as the T-Pads lost game one 5-6.

Wednesday 7/27 was eerily similar to game one of the series as 1B Rizzo repeated Tuesdays performance with a homerun and four RBI but that was the bulk of the T-Pads offense as they would score five runs in a losing effort.

SP Leicester lasted six innings while allowing six runs on three homeruns. 3B Tolleson had a nice game with three hits, two runs and an RBI in the 5-9 loss.

Game three on 7/28 saw SP Van Benshcoten have his first bad performance with Tucson as he allowed five runs on 12 hits in just over five innings. Sky Sox starter Billy Buckner kept the T-Pads hitters quiet, allowing two runs in five innings pitched.

SS Cabrera and 2B Hoffpauir both had a hit and an RBI while 1B Rizzo had two hits and an RBI in the 3-7 Tucson loss.

SP Hefner came through with an outstanding pitching performance on Friday 7/29. SP Hefner pitched seven innings while allowing one run and striking out six.

1B Rizzo hit his third homerun of the series and Kielty had a pinch-hit, two-run homerun in the 6-1 T-Pads win.

Tucson won one of four games with the Colorado Rockies triple-A affiliate despite Rizzo having a tremendous series with nine hits including three homeruns and 12 RBI.

Tucson won four of their 12 games with Tacoma, Las Vegas and Colorado Springs; at the end of the Colorado Springs series their record stood at 50-56 leaving them in third place in the PCL South.