'Good signs': Pham's bat heating up 

The Padres entered Sunday averaging 7.7 runs a game over their past nine games. It’s no coincidence that offensive surge overlaps with Tommy Pham’s best stretch in his two seasons with the Padres.

In that time, the left fielder has been the player the Padres thought they traded for two winters ago but have rarely seen -- an on-base machine. In the recent nine-game stretch, which saw the Padres go 7-2, Pham has posted a slash line of .333/.478/.639. He reached base via a hit or walk in all nine games and had five extra-base hits and three stolen bases.

Pham entered Sunday on a streak of four straight games with more than one hit, matching his career-best multihit streak. He scored a run in eight straight games before not touching home plate Saturday.

“His at-bats have been a lot better,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “He’s getting on base. Now there’s a combination -- he’s getting on base with a great eye, and he’s starting to slug a little bit. So I think that’s a really good combination.”

Pham, 33, has had a rough go since joining the Padres in December 2019 in the trade that also brought second baseman Jake Cronenworth from the Rays. While Cronenworth has emerged as a bona fide star, Pham has a .655 OPS in two seasons in San Diego.

In his first year with the Padres, Pham had his training disrupted after he tested positive for COVID-19. He then missed a month of the shortened season because of a broken hamate bone in his left hand.

The offseason was no better. He was stabbed in an incident outside a San Diego club and required surgery. He also had surgery on his left wrist to address an issue with the triangular fibrocartilage complex, which has a stabilizing function in the joint.

And a constant in his career is dealing with an eye condition, keratoconus, which includes thinning of the cornea. Pham had treatment in 2011 that essentially saved his career, but he has to remain vigilant about his vision. He adjusted his contact lenses during Spring Training after having some issues.

With center fielder Trent Grisham sidelined, Pham has batted leadoff seven times during his surge. The Padres are 6-1 in those games. Whether Pham is simply on a hot streak or whether he has put his physical issues behind him and is emerging as his true self will be determined over time, but Tingler has seen signs that suggest the recent play isn’t a mirage.

The manager noted Pham’s opposite-field home run off Framber Valdez on Friday at Minute Maid Park, as well as a 398-foot drive to center field in that game that left Pham’s bat at 102.6 mph and had a .660 expected batting average, per Statcast. That ball found the glove of Myles Straw.

“Those are really good signs to start getting back, at least from the physical standpoint,” Tingler said.