PHOENIX -- Imagine you’re an opposing pitcher dealing with the brand new, totally loaded Padres beginning lineup. The first 5 hitters are a certifiable gauntlet.

All 5 have been All-Stars in every of the previous two seasons – besides, in fact, Fernando Tatis Jr., who didn’t play in 2022 however was an All-Star in ‘21 and undeniably one of the most feared hitters in the sport. They all do different things, too: the overwhelming force of Tatis, the patient power from Juan Soto, Manny Machado’s skill to do harm in opposition to any pitch sort, Xander Bogaerts’ relentlessness, Jake Cronenworth’s tenacity.

Now think about you’ve by some means managed to navigate that quintet. Time to exhale. Your reward? Matt Carpenter.

Nope. That can’t be any enjoyable in any respect.

Carpenter, in fact, is among the peskiest hitters of the previous decade. Throw a pitch out of the zone, he’ll lay off. Execute your pitch to a nook, he’ll foul it off. Make a mistake? He’ll put it within the seats.

And that’s precisely what Carpenter did on Sunday afternoon within the Padres’ 7-5 victory over the D-backs at Chase Field. Those 5 perennial All-Stars set the desk. Carpenter wasted no time cashing within the alternatives.

Carpenter completed 3-for-3 with two doubles, a house run and a sacrifice fly – good for 5 RBIs in his most interesting efficiency as a Padre. In fact, he has been taking wonderful at-bats all 12 months. But it wasn’t till this weekend that the outcomes adopted.

“I’ve felt like I was trending in the right direction,” Carpenter stated. “Today, this series, I was able to see some of it pay off.”

The Padres took three of 4 video games from the upstart D-backs at Chase Field, as they welcomed again Tatis and beginning pitcher Joe Musgrove this weekend. At the tail finish of a stretch with video games on 18 consecutive days, it was a powerful early season assertion.

In these 4 video games, Carpenter completed 5-for-7 with seven RBIs. He was additionally pinch-hit for twice in opposition to robust left-handers and as soon as entered as a pinch-hitter in opposition to a righty.

“It’s really similar to what I was thrown into last year with the Yankees,” Carpenter stated. “You’ve got to be ready for whatever role, whatever situation. I’ve adopted that mindset: Just try to be the best version of myself to help our club that day. Whether that’s pinch-hitting or coming off the bench or playing for a righty or staying in there for a lefty -- just being ready.”

A decade in the past, Carpenter was racking up 700-plus plate appearances in St. Louis. At 37, he's now not that participant. But if Carpenter will get, say, half of that workload -- and if these plate appearances are high quality -- he could have been a vastly worthwhile funding.

In quick: Carpenter wanted to discover a crew just like the Padres. The Padres wanted to discover a participant like Carpenter.

“Listen, I just wanted to be part of a good team that had a legitimate chance to win a World Series -- and to have a role on it,” Carpenter stated. “I felt like this was a great fit. We’ve got a really good chance to have that goal come to fruition. I’m just trying to put my piece in, however that looks.”

The Padres inked Carpenter to a two-year, $12 million contract throughout the winter. He was coming off a renaissance season in New York. Limited to 47 video games on account of damage, Carpenter posted numbers that, extrapolated over a full season, regarded like peak Babe Ruth. He overhauled his swing the offseason prior, and it paid main dividends.

Now the lefty-hitting Carpenter has carved himself an impactful position on the Padres. He put collectively two wonderful plate appearances in opposition to lefties on Sunday – a sac fly and a double. Manager Bob Melvin famous that he may not be so prepared to pinch-hit for Carpenter in opposition to lefties shifting ahead. But with Nelson Cruz as the opposite half of the DH platoon, Carpenter will nearly definitely proceed to sit down in opposition to left-handed pitching.

And in that case? What a weapon to convey off the bench.

“He’s a great hitter,” stated Machado, who returned to motion Sunday after resting Saturday with a sore again. “He knows what the plate is. He knows how to carry a team. And the most important part: He knows how to win. He’s a baller. He’s a gamer. He’s a guy that’s a big influence on this ballclub.”

Content Source: www.mlb.com