Nix in good form in scoreless spring debut

Right-hander brandishes improved curveball in two innings of work

February 24th, 2019

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When was at his best last season, he was a quick-working, weak-contact machine.

This spring, he’s already found that form.

In the Padres’ 5-4 Cactus League win over the White Sox on Sunday, Nix faced seven batters over two scoreless innings. He walked one of them, and the other six all popped up weakly.

"I don't go out there and try to pitch to contact like that," Nix said. "I'm just making the pitches that are put down, and they're trying to hit it."

Simple enough. There isn’t much downside to a performance filled with weak contact like Nix's outing Sunday. But he's the first to admit that he needs to add more swings and misses to his game. Nix was called up late last season, and he struggled in nine big league starts, averaging just 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

To that end, Nix has spent the spring honing his curveball. He'd like to see its velocity and spin rate tick up. Nix used the curve pretty frequently Sunday and to some success (though Statcast data on velocity and spin is unavailable at Peoria Stadium).

"Out of hand, it had the shape I wanted," Nix said. "It carried further toward home before it started to break."

Nix underwent sports hernia surgery in November, and he's convinced the procedure might give him better freeness in his delivery. He's competing for a place in the Padres rotation, and he's got plenty to prove after finishing his age-22 season with a 7.02 ERA in those nine starts.

Fellow rotation candidate followed with two scoreless innings of his own, recording one strikeout and allowing one hit.

Padres get it right

The Padres stacked the top of their lineup with six righty-hitting regulars on Sunday. That might become a recurring theme.

"A lot of our strength is on that side of the plate," said manager Andy Green. "So we're going to use the guys that give us the best chance to win."

At this point, is projected as the only left-handed hitter in the Opening Day lineup. The arrival of -- and pending arrival of top shortstop prospect -- tilts the San Diego offense even further to the right side.

The Padres have a few lefty platoon options in outfielders and , infielders and and switch-hitting catcher .

But perhaps more importantly, many of the Padres' right-handed hitters have proven themselves capable of handling righties. , and all made strides against right-handed pitching last season. (Not to mention, Machado owns a higher career OPS against righties than he does against lefties.)

"There are days we could go against righties with a very righty-heavy lineup," Green said. "We have some balance in there to be able to handle right-handed guys."

A spring surprise?

Padres fans probably didn't know much about 27-year-old non-roster invitee before Sunday. They know one thing about him now.

"He clearly has some power," Green said.

Rodriguez, who amassed 155 Minor League dingers for the Mets, Orioles and Mariners' organizations, got two at-bats Sunday, and he launched a pair of no-doubters to left field. On the second, he dropped his bat emphatically with his left hand -- not quite a "flip," per se, but perhaps the Cactus League equivalent.

"He got two soft pitches middle of the zone and did what you're supposed to do with them," Green said. "It was really nice."

Barring injuries, however, Rodriguez won't have a place on the Opening Day squad. He's primarily a first baseman with some limited experience at third and in the outfield corners. The Padres are set at all three spots.

Game observations

• Renfroe started his spring in impressive fashion. On the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth inning, he hit a mammoth home run onto the tent in left field. It proved to be the game's decisive run.

Renfroe's first two at-bats were equally impressive. He worked a tough walk in the first inning, then singled to the opposite field in the fourth. Those are encouraging signs. Renfroe made lots of progress last season -- particularly with his two-strike approach and his ability to hit right-handers. But he still only reached base at a .302 clip.

"Those things we love seeing," Green said. "Those are obvious signs of growth in him."

• Fellow outfielder had two hits, including a double. But Green noted that Margot's most important contribution came on the bases. After Margot's third-inning single, he got a nice jump and swiped second base, beating a perfect throw from catcher James McCann with a head-first slide.

The Padres have worked tirelessly with Margot on the bases. Given his elite speed, his steal numbers should be higher than his 11-for-21 mark last season or his 64-percent career clip.

• Tatis, MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect, had an uneventful spring debut on Sunday. He popped to second in the second inning before working an impressive nine-pitch walk in the fourth.

Up next

The Padres travel to Mesa to face the Cubs in a 12:05 p.m. PT matchup. Nick Margevicius is slated to start, with rotation candidate expected to follow him. Jon Lester is scheduled to start for Chicago.

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AJ Cassavell covers the Padres for MLB.com.