TORONTO _ To some surprise, Andrew Cashner appeared on a mound Tuesday, at a hitter-friendly American League East ballpark, facing a high-octane offense, still wearing a Padres uniform.
Earlier in the day, his team of four-plus seasons had made its fourth trade of this season, sending outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. across the hall to the Toronto Blue Jays. Last week, there had been speculation that Cashner, a soon-to-be free agent, could be moved before his start Thursday at St. Louis. Then, after that did not happen, numerous baseball people surmised that the Padres would not hold on to the right-hander any longer, not after two consecutive strong starts.
But there he was, on the mound at Toronto's Rogers Centre, still wearing the same uniform. The Padres had spoken with more than a few teams, some of them desperate for pitching, but they had yet to hear the return they sought. So, they stayed the course. Tuesday night would serve as a final audition before Monday's non-waiver trade deadline.
"There's definitely interest, but we think he's a really good major league starting pitcher," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said early Tuesday afternoon. "We're going to want to get back value for him, and if that's not there, we think he's going to be in our rotation every five (days)."
Tuesday night, the Padres' 7-6, 12-inning loss to the Blue Jays supplied a fitting encapsulation. For stretches, Cashner showed electric stuff. On a couple occasions, he was stung by a bad pitch. In what was likely his final appearance for San Diego, the club's longest-tenured player delivered a solid start.
In the top of the 12th, Matt Kemp launched a two-run homer to left. It was the right fielder's 23rd deep fly of the season, matching his total from 2015. In the bottom of the 12th, after the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out, Paul Clemens came out of the bullpen. The right-hander issued a run-scoring walk, allowed an RBI fielder's choice and, finally, uncorked a wild pitch. Devon Travis, rushing in from third base, slid at the plate to secure the Blue Jays' walk-off triumph.
Next Monday night, the trade deadline will have passed, and Clemens very well could be pitching the first inning against Cincinnati. If Cashner is indeed traded, Clemens would replace him in the rotation.
Tuesday's starter recovered from walking the first batter he faced, from surrendering a two-run homer to the very next batter, to complete six innings of three-run ball. Cashner allowed a total of four hits and three walks, striking out six. He threw 108 pitches, 62 for strikes.
After Alex Dickerson's third home run in as many games gave Cashner a one-run lead, and after the bullpen relinquished it, Cashner was credited with a no-decision. He lowered his ERA to 4.76. He certainly did not hurt his trade value. In fact, in a market defined by scarcity, he may have boosted it.
Through his first 11 pitches, it appeared the Padres' decision to go ahead with another outing was not working out. Cashner walked Jose Bautista. A 2-2, two-seam fastball leaked back over the middle plate. Josh Donaldson lined a drive over the center-field fence.
Cashner then showed the other side of the coin. He froze Michael Saunders with an 87-mph slider. A double-play ball ended the inning.
Cashner issued another leadoff walk in the second before inducing another double play, then a long fly out. Another leadoff walk came in the fourth, but he bore down to retire three straight batters. Another 2-2 two-seamer missed its intended mark, and Justin Smoak opened the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot.
The Padres' primary remaining trade chip was unscathed otherwise.
His last three starts, all of which could be considered successes, have come against a trio of contenders _ San Francisco, St. Louis and Toronto. In that span, Cashner has allowed five runs over 172/3 innings, striking out 23.
Padres second baseman and Rookie of the Month candidate Ryan Schimpf laced an RBI double in the second for the visitors' first run. Schimpf spent seven seasons in the Blue Jays organization without a big league call-up.
Speaking of threes, Dickerson continued to ace the early portion of his own audition. The rookie left fielder, who figures to play daily after Upton's departure, followed Monday's clout into the fifth deck with a laser into the second. The three-run shot put the Padres ahead, 4-3, in the sixth while extending the club's home-run streak to 24 games. San Diego is just the sixth team in major league history to reach that mark.
The all-time record, 27 games, belongs to the 2002 Texas Rangers. Dickerson has kept the Padres' current run going in each of the last three games. He is the franchise's fifth rookie to homer in three straight contests, joining Nate Colbert, Khalil Greene, Ben Johnson and Will Venable.
Imprecision cost the Padres and Brad Hand in the bottom of the seventh. After taking the mound, the reliever promptly issued consecutive walks. Upton received a standing ovation before reaching on a pinch-hit fielder's choice. A few minutes later, the first walk came around to score on a game-tying wild pitch.
