Nick Castellanos, past tiff with former manager, is settling in with the Padres

Nick Castellanos felt no solace a couple of weeks ago when his old Phillies protagonist, manager Rob Thomson, was fired in favor of Don Mattingly, whose son is the team’s general manager.

Castellanos is trying to settle in with the Padres as a utility player. That effort received a big boost Sunday when he hit a game tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to help defeat the Cardinals.

Castellanos was in the middle of a mess last June and into September, when Thomson benched him and the two traded contentious words through the Philadelphia press. He batted .250 last season with 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

“Let’s keep it to I’m happy for the guys [In Philly],” Castellanos said last week in an exclusive clubhouse interview with Times of San Diego at Petco Park. “I still have a lot of friends over there. I’m focused more on how Don and his son are going to have a positive effect on that organization. I don’t wish anything bad on that organization at all.

“Was everything perfect? No, I had my issues,” Castellanos said. “But we’re here. I’m with the Padres.”

Castellanos this year has been forced to adjust to being a spot starter and role player. Sunday’s homer came an inning after manager Craig Stammen used him as a pinch-hitter. It was his second home run as a Padre. He now has 13 RBIs and a .192 batting average in 25 appearances this season.

Castellanos, an outfielder without defense worth bragging about — call him plodding — was kept in the game as a defensive replacement Sunday because Stammen needed his bat. The team is hitting a collective .223 on the season, good for 28th in Major League Baseball.

This time it worked out. On Thursday it didn’t go as well. Castellanos was playing right field against the Cards with two-time Platinum Glove Award-winning right-fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. playing second base in a tied game in the seventh inning. Stammen opted not to replace Castellanos.

With a runner on second, Masyn Winn hit a blooper that the slow-footed Castellanos turned into a game-winning triple for the Cards. He gave it the old college try, but the ball bounced pst his dive. The speedier Tatis might have been able to make the catch.

“Well, we wanted his bat in the lineup, and we felt like we needed to score some runs,” Stammen said. “If I’m guessing the ball is going to be hit to right field I’m going to be guessing wrong a lot.”

Perhaps Stammen, a rookie manager, didn’t want to take that chance and alienate the player. Castellano appreciates the support and feels like he’s fit right in thus far. The Padres must be doing something right. They’re 26-14, and tied for first place in the National League West with the two-time defending champion Dodgers, who come in for a three-game series at Petco next week.

“I really like it,” Castellanos said. “I feel like they’re learning a lot. They care and they’re good people. They’re well-balanced. They’re taking the approach that they don’t have all the answers.”

Last June, it was Thomson pulling Castellano for a defensive replacement that started the chain of events that led to his release by the Phillies on Feb. 12 and the Padres signing him three days later. Castellanos is earning $20 million this year, but the Padres are paying him the league minimum of $780,000, with the Phillies paying the rest for him to play for the Padres.

That’s how bad the relationship there had turned.

“I’ve only heard from what other people told me through the telephone,” Castellanos said. “I never got a reason [from management], ‘You’re released because of this.’ Unless, they thought my production was that bad.”

In his defense, Thomson was just trying to put the best alignment on the field to win games. Castellanos told him off, then returned to the dugout and sipped a beer. The next day, Castellanos was taken out of the lineup, snapping a 236-game starting streak.

Castellanos had started just seven of 17 games through Sept. 20 when Thomson had him back in the lineup against the D-backs at Chase Field in Phoenix. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and three RBIs in a Phillies win.

Afterwards, he was goaded into talking about his relationship with Thomson even though he was reluctant to do so. I was in the scrum and witnessed it all.

“I don’t really talk to Rob all that often,” he said. “Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience.”

Thomson responded in kind, pointing to his office door.

“That door’s always open,” he said. “And I’m not a mind reader. I can’t tell the future. So, I urge players — I want players to communicate and tell me what’s on their mind.”

Castellanos said last week he and Thomson had eventually met to discuss the situation. In our exchange, Castellanos was forthright and thoughtful. He’s been like that since arriving at spring training with the Padres.

“We were cordial. We were professional,” he said about his final days with Thomson. “At the end of the day I did everything he asked me to do. I never fought or bailed on a pinch-hit. I did my job. In the playoffs he needed me because of an injury. I suited up. He was my manager. Were there some communication issues? Yeah.

“Rob apparently communicates with other people great,” Castellanos said. “I communicate with other people great. Not everybody does. I don’t know if that makes any sense. He has a great baseball mind. He does his homework. He has a lot of great attributes.”