Uncharacteristic trouble vs. righties 'frustrating' for Cease

SAN DIEGO -- In general, right-handed hitters do not hit Dylan Cease very often -- and when they do, they certainly don’t hit him very hard. Which made Saturday night an anomaly.

In his first five starts as a Padre, Cease had allowed only one hit to a right-handed batter. Then, Phillies righties tallied five against him. Since the start of last season, only one right-handed hitter had managed to homer against Cease’s vaunted slider. Alec Bohm made it two with his two-run blast in the top of the first inning.

Really, it was hard to fault Cease too much in the Padres’ 5-1 loss at Petco Park, their third straight defeat. He was given minimal run support, opposite left-hander Ranger Suárez. The Phillies also capitalized on some serious batted-ball luck. Still, considering Cease’s usual dominance -- particularly against right-handed hitters -- a start like this one qualified as an outlier.

“I really think this was the worst I've executed all season,” Cease said. “And I think the results show it.”

In six innings, Cease allowed five runs on six hits while walking three. Bohm’s two hits would prove most decisive. With two outs in the first inning, Cease threw the Phillies' third baseman a slider on the outside corner.

And, sure, it caught a chunk of the plate. But this is Dylan Cease’s slider we’re talking about -- a pitch opponents have batted just .170 against across his career with a miniscule .283 slugging percentage. The last righty to go deep against the pitch was J.D. Davis, last April 5. By design, Cease can miss his spot in the zone, and right-handed hitters typically don’t square it up.

Bohm did.

“If I could be nitpicky, it would be nicer if it was further down, but it was OK,” Cease said. “He just got to it.”

Said Padres manager Mike Shildt: “This guy Bohm, man, he’s one of the best right-handed hitters in the game right now. He’s seeing it and swinging it really well. He got a slider that he put a swing on, early on. Then [Cease’s] stuff was tremendous ‘til the fifth.”

Indeed, Cease would allow only one further baserunner until there were two outs in the fifth inning. But the Phillies used two infield hits and two walks to increase their lead and bring Bohm back to the plate with the bases loaded.

“We knew going into it was going to be a dogfight,” Bohm said afterward. “He’s got some of the best stuff in the league.”

What ensued was a tough at-bat against a tough hitter. Cease threw a gorgeous 1-1 curveball on the outside corner for strike two. Bohm then managed to foul off a 1-2 slider, before Cease left a belt-high fastball on the outer half. Bohm shot it to right for a two-run single.

“It’s frustrating, but, again, it’s baseball,” Cease said. “They put the ball in play, and good things happened. If I command better or maybe my stuff’s a little better, hopefully the results will be different. But it wasn’t today.”

In no uncertain terms, Cease has been a revelation for the Padres. Acquired via trade on the day camp broke in Peoria, Ariz., Cease has been San Diego’s best starter through the season’s first month. He’d posted a 1.82 ERA entering play Saturday, and the Padres had won his three previous starts.

Evidently, he’s human though. Even against righties. It was Trea Turner, whose first-inning broken-bat flair snapped an 0-for-49 drought by righty batters against Cease. That stretch dated back to the second inning of Cease’s Padres debut, when Tom Murphy doubled.

“I mean, that’s baseball,” Cease said of Turner’s streak-snapping hit. “I’m sure if you go back, there’s been some rockets that have been outs. Today, they were able to get some softer-contact hits, along with some harder contact. Ultimately, they put up five, and they beat me.”

The Padres’ offense, of course, did Cease no favors. They mustered just three hits against Suárez, with Eguy Rosario’s solo shot in the eighth inning accounting for the only run. In a battle of two of the sport’s most dominant arms over the season’s first month, Suárez came out on top.

“His ball moves a lot, and he’s got good command, too,” Rosario said. “So that’s hard when you’ve got a pitcher like that. We tried to make the adjustments, but it’s just: Today’s not the day.”