Notes: Grisham vs. Brewers; Lamet on deck

SAN DIEGO -- On Monday night, Padres outfielder Trent Grisham was one at-bat away from facing his former club for the first time.

Grisham was in the on-deck circle as a pinch-hitter, but his opportunity to take his first hacks against the Brewers ended after Tommy Pham was thrown out trying to steal second base to end the seventh inning.

With Grisham back in the starting lineup on Tuesday after resting right quad tightness, he got his chance to face his former club.

• Padres Minor League Spring Training report

“Sure, there's going to be a lot of nostalgia around it, but I made a lot of relationships over there,” Grisham said before the series. “So to be able to see them again on the field and then get to compete against them, it's going to be a lot of fun.”

Grisham was traded from the Padres to the Brewers after the 2019 season. That season ended for the Brewers in the National League Wild Card game against the Nationals. Grisham’s fielding error on a Juan Soto single in the ninth inning gave the Nationals their winning run in a 4-3 victory.

Now with the Padres, Grisham has become a Gold Glove Award winner in center field.

Even before the Gold Glove Award and before the playoff error in ‘19, Grisham said he has always believed in his abilities.

“To be honest, I'm not really worried about the doubts that fans have in my game,” he said. “I'm confident in my game. I think I'm a good player, and I'm going to continue to try to keep getting better every day. So that's really all I care about.”

Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who managed Grisham during his rookie 2019 season, said the center fielder’s success isn’t a surprise to him at all. Counsell added that the NL Wild Card error was merely one misstep.

"It's one play that I don't think says anything about him as a defender,” Counsell said on Monday. “But Trent has shown the ability to bounce back already in a young career and throughout his Minors career. So no surprises and happy he's doing well.

Lamet on his first start
Pitcher Dinelson Lamet will make his much anticipated season debut on Wednesday, starting against the Brewers.

Lamet has been rehabbing and building up arm strength in simulation games after an ulnar collateral ligament strain delayed his 2021 debut. On Wednesday, the game action will be for real.

“First and foremost, I'm just really thankful to be back, and, secondly, I'm really, really excited because I'm about to go do what I love to do, which is play baseball,” Lamet said through an interpreter.

Despite an expected pitch restriction on Wednesday, Lamet said he will still keep a competitive attitude on the hill.

“I think that was the point of having that wait time -- to just be able to come back without any sort of doubt,” Lamet said. “So [on Wednesday], I'm going out there to compete. I'm giving it 100% -- going after guys, which is what I like to do. Go out there to compete and win a game.”