PHILADELPHIA _ On Wednesday afternoon, Austin Hedges had just begun taking swings inside a batting cage at Progressive Field when he felt the back of his neck stiffen. The sensation did not subside. Soon, he was on the trainer's table. Two hours before game time, the Padres scratched their starting catcher from the lineup.
Two nights later, Hedges made an emphatic return. He walloped the second pitch he saw. The seventh offering to Hedges met a similar fate.
In a 4-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park, Hedges recorded the first multi-homer performance of his career, hammering a pair of solo blasts off Philadelphia starter Nick Pivetta. He caught six strong innings from Clayton Richard before a rainstorm halted the game for 94 minutes.
After play resumed and the Phillies promptly erased a two-run deficit, Hedges went to bat in the ninth. He delivered yet again, lifting a sacrifice fly to center. The go-ahead run scored from third.
Moments later, Hedges caught a 1-2-3 inning from closer Brandon Maurer, who struck out the side. The Padres celebrated their fourth win in five games.
Friday supplied a memorable snapshot of Hedges' two-way potential. Throughout this season, Hedges had consistently drawn praise for his defense and handling of a pitching staff. In both departments, he had shown the acumen required from a franchise catcher.
Questions about his offensive ability continue to linger. Hedges carried a .214 average and .258 on-base percentage into the Padres' series opener against the Phillies. Over his last 38 at-bats, he had logged only six hits.
But the ingredients for a more consistent threat exist.
Hedges' home runs against Pivetta were his 12th and 13th of the year, tying him with Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees. Among major league catchers, only Kansas City's Salvador Perez has gone deep more times.
Friday, Hedges followed the example set by Jose Pirela. The left fielder went from leading off for the Padres to batting in the three-hole, trading lineup assignments with a scuffling Wil Myers.
In the top of the first, the switch paid immediate dividends. Pirela continued his productivity, redirecting an elevated slider for a 450-foot home run to center. Myers flied out to end his opening at-bat, then doubled with one out in the third.
Though Myers would be stranded, Hedges had not been denied. Leading off the same inning, he, like Pirela, connected with a slider that caught too much plate. The catcher's first homer soared over the left-field wall.
Richard yielded the Phillies' first run when Tommy Joseph homered in the fourth, but that would be the only damage against the Padres starter. Over his six innings, Richard allowed five hits and a walk. The lefty's showing represented a rebound from his previous start, when he surrendered a season-high seven runs.
Hedges padded the lead in the fifth. In this encounter, he stayed back on a 97-mph heater from Pivetta before unleashing a well-timed cut. An opposite-field homer cleared the right-field fence, giving the Padres a 3-1 advantage.
Richard, who threw a total of 82 pitches, would have gone deeper into the game had it not been for a lengthy seventh-inning stretch. After the pitcher struck out to end the top of the seventh, the skies opened. The grounds crew took the field at 8:14 p.m. EDT.
The game recommenced at 9:48 p.m. The break seemed to have benefited the Phillies.
The home team put runners on second and third, with one out, against Phil Maton. On an ensuing grounder, the rookie reliever fielded the ball and opted to flip the ball to first instead of throwing it to home. In so doing, he yielded an earned run for the first time since his call-up last month.
Manager Andy Green summoned All-Star lefty Brad Hand from the bullpen. Freddy Galvis greeted Hand with a game-tying single.
The Padres mustered a decisive response in the ninth. Cory Spangenberg notched a leadoff single. With one out, he dashed to third on a single by Carlos Asuaje. Up came Hedges. A moment later, he collected his third RBI of the night.
