The last time the Padres were here to play the Rangers, Chris Woodward worked himself into a lather over Fernando Tatis Jr swinging at a 3-0 pitch. With his team already leading 10-3. And hitting it for a grand slam.

Something about unwritten rules.

The Padres responded by hitting another grand slam the next day.

The entire series moved to San Diego for two. Tatis hit a grand slam in the first game of that one. In the bottom of the tenth, no less. Eric Hosmer hit one in the second game.

Four games in a row Rangers pitching gave up grand slams to the Padres, thus earning the Padres the nickname Slam Diego.

Without fail, it is a one-hundred percent guaranteed lock that Fernando Tatis will not hit a grand slam in this three-gamer at the Shed. That’s because one of the most dynamic players in baseball is injured and might be out for quite a while. Shoulders heal slowly.

So, Woodward will have to take his unwritten rules ire out on someone else. But here’s hoping he doesn’t. He ended up looking foolish.

Is someone supposed to tell a prized racehorse to run slower because he is racing against a three-legged horse? Why not not load the bases instead? Why not not throw three straight balls to the batter with bases loaded instead? Why not not groove the next one to a guy you know can hit it far instead?

Luckily, that is all so last year. 

All we can hope for these three games is the Rangers play them tough, don’t get swept, and keep them down to fewer than three grand slams.

That’s not too much to ask.

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