SAN DIEGO _ Unless he morphs into Mike Trout over the next several weeks, Wil Myers will finish well short of his stated goals for 2017. The Padres first baseman has had a frustrating season, struggling to make contact often enough. The burdens of a franchise-record extension and front-man status on a young roster have weighed on the mind of a 26-year-old. Forty home runs and 40 steals _ milestones Myers had hoped to eclipse _ appear safely out of reach.
But games like Wednesday's at Petco Park remain feasible, reminding observers of the possibilities that beckoned as recently as a few months ago. Myers swiped three bags in one inning, including home plate on a double steal, becoming the first major leaguer to do so since Dee Gordon in 2011. He and left-hander Clayton Richard, who pitched a complete-game shutout, carried the Padres to a 3-0, sweep-sealing shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Myers' grand larceny represented a welcome departure from the early proceedings. Nick Pivetta muzzled the Padres for three innings. The Phillies rookie fanned eight of San Diego's first nine batters.
The lone exception, Myers walked in his first plate appearance. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, he flicked a single into left field. Carlos Asuaje, who had led off with a double, scored to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.
Then this happened: Myers took off from first and slid into second, recording his 12th steal of the season. When Austin Hedges walked, Myers sprinted into third standing up. Later, Hedges took off for second, changed directions and found himself caught in a rundown. Myers, who had edged down the third-base line, took off for home.
He slid headfirst, brushing the plate with his left hand. The throw from first baseman Tommy Joseph arrived at roughly the same time. With the ball in his glove, catcher Cameron Rupp swung his left arm. Home plate umpire Nic Lentz swung both arms.
"When I was at first base after my walk in the (second) inning, I noticed on the first pitch (Pivetta) was real slow, so I just took a chance of going on that first pitch," Myers said. "Once Hedgey got to 3-2 and I was on second base, he hadn't really paid attention to me, so I just thought it was a good opportunity to take it there. And then with the one stealing home, that was kind of a botched play that just ended up working out. I was lucky enough to get two good opportunities to run, and then got lucky on the other one."
Myers became only the third first baseman since 2000 to steal three bases in one inning, setting a single-game career high in the process. He became the first Padres player in history to steal three in a single inning. The last time the Padres swiped home on a double steal was Aug. 10, 2011. San Diego finished with five stolen bases, its most in a game since 2013.
"I don't think it's been on display obviously as much this year as it was last year," manager Andy Green said of Myers' basestealing. "That's something we'd love him to get back and do."
Myers showcased other talents Wednesday. With a runner on second in the top of the fourth, he fielded a grounder and sent an accurate relay to third baseman Yangervis Solarte, starting a rundown. In the bottom of the sixth, he drew his second walk of the afternoon. In the bottom of the eighth, he doubled with two outs.
"It's been a tough time over these last three months," said Myers, who is hitting .240 with 24 home runs and 14 steals. "I've never struggled like this for this extended a period of time. It's tough. You learn a lot of lessons. I've found out that I need to start learning my swing better, because when something gets out of whack I'm not really sure why. I've talked a lot with these hitting coaches and even some of the guys on the team about just learning my swing."
"I just want Wil to grind, not worry about what happened the day before and let it affect him the next day, whether good or bad," Green said. "He's so good, he's got so much talent, I just want him to fight every at-bat and not worry about what he's trying to build from a momentum perspective or what he's trying to leave behind."
Teammate Hunter Renfroe doubled in the sixth, plating a run for a 3-0 lead.
Pivetta set a new career high with 11 strikeouts, but he did not record an out in the sixth inning. Meanwhile, Richard pitched the third complete-game shutout of his career.
The Padres improved to 32-27 at home, including 10-5 since the All-Star break. They are 22-39 on the road.
