UPTON DOES IT ALL IN PADS' 3-0 WIN OVER BREWERS

By Liz Alper

Photo:  Melvin Upton Jr., the hero of the game, gets high-fives from his teammates after his solo home run in the ninth.  Courtesy @Padres on Twitter

May 12, 2016 (Milwaukee) - After a great series against the Cubs, the Padres traveled to Miller Park in Milwaukee to start a four-game weekend series against the struggling Brewers.  James Shields got the start for San Diego against Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers.

Derek Norris was hit badly by a pitch in the first and suffered a left hand contusion and was replaced by Christian Bethancourt at catcher.  

As expected, the Padres took advantage of the Brewers’ slump.  Melvin Upton Jr. hit an RBI single in the fourth to score Wil Myers and the Padres took a 1-0 lead.

Later, in the seventh, Upton scored on a sacrifice fly by Alexei Ramirez to make the score 2-0 Padres.

It was all Melvin Upton in this one.  In the ninth, he put the cherry on top with a solo homer and gave the Padres a 3-0 win.  Padres pitching had 11 strikeouts and earned themselves a shutout.  The Padres are on their first three-game winning streak of the season.  Game two is tomorrow at 5:10 p.m.

In transaction news, the Padres optioned pitcher Keith Hessler to AAA El Paso.