Werner shines in MLB debut

In just a little more than seven years, Andrew Werner went from starting a Class AA high school regional baseball game to taking the mound at the Major League level for the San Diego Padres.

The 2005 Washington Community High School graduate was called up last week and delivered a sparkling performance on the mound against the playoff contending Pittsburgh Pirates.

Replacing the recently-demoted Ross Ohlendorf, who traded places with Werner at Triple-A Tucson, Werner picked up the win Aug. 22 at Petco Park.

San Diego completed a sweep of Pittsburgh with a 4-2 win.

Werner's varsity baseball coach throughout his Panther career, Mike Prina, was thrilled for the lefthander.

"I'm so proud of him I can't hardly stand it," said Prina. "I hope he does good the next time out and continues to do so."

Werner threw six-plus innings in his MLB debut. He worked around four walks and four hits. Werner struck out a pair and gave up two runs, both earned.

"He did a good job of keeping the ball down. He controlled his pitches and hit his spots," Prina said of the outing. "Everything was working."

Werner's performance delighted the crowd at places like Kep's Sports Bar & Grill in Washington, one of the establishments who carried the early-evening broadcast.

As a senior at WCHS, Werner was a first-team all-Mid-Illini Conference offensive tackle and garnered second-team all-league status as a pitcher.

Besides being a middle-of-the-order hitter as a Panther, Werner went 10-4 on the mound with a 2.89 ERA in the '04 and '05 seasons.

"He was one of my better pitchers all the time," said Prina. "He always had the talent to pitch."

Werner became the ace of the Illinois Central College pitching staff before moving on to the University of Indianapolis and eventually embarking on his professional career.

Prina said what made him proudest was the way Werner overcame some pitching struggles a couple years ago in independent leagues to earn a chance in the Padres' system.

He added Werner's showcase start could spur on young Washington ballplayers to think maybe they can accomplish something similar.

On Monday afternoon, the pitching probables on multiple baseball websites had Werner slotted into a Tuesday start against Atlanta.