Gyorko, Grandal display power
Jedd Gyorko homered and drove in three runs and Yasmani Grandal went yard as San Diego fell short to Texas, 10-9, in the Cactus League.
Gyorko, the Padres' No. 5 prospect, finished with three hits and was also hit by a pitch. His two-run blast, the first of the spring, gave the club a 6-2 lead in the third inning.
The 23-year-old third baseman has had a solid spring, batting .325 with nine RBIs. A second-round pick in 2010, Gyorko slugged 25 homers last season in 140 Minor League games between Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio. The West Virginia native is likely to return to the Missions to begin the season.
Acquired from the Reds on Dec. 17, Grandal was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. His second Spring Training homer gave the Padres a brief 9-8 lead in the top of the ninth. Despite a hot spring in which he has batted .353, the Padres' No. 4 prospect is expected to open 2012 with Triple-A Tucson.
Brad Brach, who saved 34 Minor League games last year, allowed a hit and fanned one in two-thirds of an inning of relief for San Diego.
Robert Emrich is a contributor to MLB.com.