Over the past week, the San Diego Padres lost five of the six games played. The Philadelphia Phillies just swept the season series 6-0, while the Padres have only won four of their last 15 games; losing five in a row. Some of those losses were by one run, but a loss is a loss. They now sit with a 32-29 record, in third place and 7 games behind the Dodgers.
Roster changes
Bench player Nick Castellanos was designated for assignment while outfielder Ramón Laureano was placed on the injured list with hip inflammation.
The two best hitters at Triple-A El Paso were called up to provide some power potential and defensive flexibility, per manager Craig Stammen.
Jase Bowen, 25, has the potential to exhibit five tools but must show he can hit at the major league level. He can play all three outfield spots. Samad Taylor plays all three outfield spots and can play second base. Taylor has previous MLB experience with two other teams, but his experience is limited to 39 games.
More than one problem
The offense, which remains either the worst in baseball or the second worst in all offensive averages, is not the only problem for the Friars. Over the past nine games, in which the Padres lost eight, there have been two quality starts from the pitchers.
Griffin Canning lost 3-0 in the first game of the Phillies series at home despite going 6.2 innings with three runs allowed. Then seven games later, Walker Buehler pitched six innings against the Phillies in Philadelphia with one earned run allowed. Eventually losing 3-2, the Padres saw reliever Jason Adam allow two runs on three hits in 0.2 innings in the seventh inning.
The bullpen has seen some hiccups as well, dropping from its top slot. With a 3.18 ERA, the bullpen now sits fifth in the major league rankings. The only bright side to all the losing is that closer Mason Miller has worked once in the past nine games and should be well-rested.
Another award for Mason Miller
Speaking of Mason Miller, he won Reliever of the Month for May. This is his second time winning the award.
Manny Machado
Despite hitting .174 with a .619 OPS in 214 at-bats, Manny Machado remains on pace for his season norms for home runs and RBI. Machado has hit 11 home runs with 32 RBI despite striking out 58 times in 241 plate appearances (24% K rate). He doesn’t appear to be seeing the ball well and is uncharacteristically watching strikes pass through the center of the zone.
A shortened lineup
The bottom of the Padres lineup features hitters who have been below the Mendoza line (.200) for the season. Before his release, Castellanos was a participant at the bottom of the order and was hitting .191. Catchers Freddy Fermin (.126) and Rodolfo Durán (.083) are practically automatic outs with OBP percentages below .300.
Catcher Luis Campusano remains on the injured list with a broken toe and hasn’t begun his rehab yet. Catcher Blake Hunt, who has a better bat than either Fermin or Durán, just finished his rehab stint and has rejoined El Paso. There will still be some time before this situation can improve.
Before his injury, second baseman Jake Cronenworth was hitting .144 with a .272 OBP. When he plays, Sung-Mun Song hits in the bottom of the order with his .154 average and .290 OBP.
The two newly promoted bench players, Bowen and Taylor, will be hitting in the bottom third. The team can hope that they will settle in and improve on some of these numbers.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
OF/2B Fernando Tatis Jr. got his first home run of the season on May 30 against the Washington Nationals. Over the past 15 games, Tatis is hitting .379/.438/.466 with three RBI, five walks and three stolen bases.
After making almost constant adjustments during his hitting slump, Tatis seems to have found something that has unlocked his swing. He has also resumed his spot as the leadoff hitter, even though his OBP is .321 leading off. He swings at a lot of first pitches and his average as a leadoff hitter is .243.
Injury updates
RHP Germán Márquez began his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday. He threw 2.1 innings with a hit and three strikeouts while hitting 96 mph with his fastball. He has a 30-day rehab window.
RHP Nick Pivetta has begun a throwing program by playing catch. There is no timetable for his return.
RHP Joe Musgrove began his throwing program on Wednesday. He is also just playing catch at this point and there is no timetable for his return.
Cronenworth is progressing slowly with his baseball activities. Stammen has reported that Cronenworth is swinging a bat, throwing, doing some light running, and staying under medical care as his concussion symptoms begin to subside. There is no timetable for his return.
Campusano is in Arizona, working through his baseball activities in order to resume his work as a catcher. There has been no announcement on when he will begin his rehab assignment.
