Good morning from San Francisco,

Freddy Fermin does not deny the challenge.

“It’s been very difficult,” the Padres’ new close-to-full-time catcher said last night. “But I’m very happy with how I’ve been able to (acclimate) to this team, learning from staff, learning from my teammates. I’m just very happy that I’m here. It’s difficult, but I’m happy.”

It was Fermin who punctuated a three-run seventh inning with a two-run homer last night, as the Padres beat the Giants 4-1 in the opener of their three-game series.

You can read in my game story ( here ) about how good the starting pitching was for both teams and how all five of the game’s runs were scored in an inning-and-a-half.

And, oh yeah, how the Padres are now just one game behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

Let’s t

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