Message #1884334

[welch]

Craig Stammen seems to have gotten back to the solid Stammen we cheered for:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/wood-homers-and-helps-pitch-padres-to-5-0-win-over-giants/2017/08/31/8c1746d6-8e04-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_story.html?utm_term=.c873e9dcde35

"Wood homers, Stammen helps pitch past Giants 5-0"

By Jay Paris | AP August 31

SAN DIEGO — Some relievers get nervous when they enter with the bases full. Craig Stammen actually enjoys it.

Stammen wiggled out of a major jam in the fifth inning Wednesday night and the San Diego Padres got a home run from starting pitcher Travis Wood on their way to a 5-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

“I think it’s a privilege to come in with the bases loaded,” Stammen said. “That’s how I look at it. I’m a strike-thrower and I just try to throw strikes.”

Trailing 1-0, the Giants loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Stammen (2-2) replaced a fading Wood and prevented San Francisco from scoring.

“He’s done it time and time again,” Padres manager Andy Green said.

Stammen struck out Hunter Pence and then retired Nick Hundley on a grounder.

“I’ve faced Hunter a lot so I think he thought I was going to throw him some sliders and I was just kind of trying to read his approach by the swings he was taking,” Stammen said. “I was just trying to keep it down in the zone.”

After the Giants’ uprising fizzled against Stammen, they were down and out.

“He comes in with runners on base all year and manages to work out of 90 percent of those situations,” Green said. “It’s great to have a weapon like that down there.”