The San Diego Padres lost two-of-three games versus the Seattle Mariners after winning two-of-three versus the LA Dodgers. They started the six games one game up on the Dodgers for the NL West lead and finished two games back of LA. With a 75-59 record, they have control of the second Wild Card spot and lead the Mets by three games, while trailing the Cubs by a game for the top spot.
On the last game of the Mariners series, shortstop Xander Bogaerts fouled a ball off his left foot in the eighth inning.
He remained in the game, but subsequent testing showed a fracture and he was placed on the IL with infielder Mason McCoy being recalled from Triple-A El Paso to replace him on the roster. Bogaerts is initially on the 10-day IL and the update released by the Padres indicates he could be available at the end of the regular season.
Bogaerts has been playing his best this season since signing with the Padres in 2022. His .262 average and .717 OPS ranks below his offense in 2023, but his defense has been better than in previous seasons and he has 20 stolen bases, the most of his career. His three home runs and 12 RBI in the month of August rank only behind left fielder Ramón Laureano and second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
The bottom is carrying the top
Just a little over a month ago, the Padres had a dire situation in the bottom third of their batting order. Their last three hitters ranked in the bottom five of baseball through the entire season until the trade deadline. After General Manager AJ Preller traded for Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn and Freddy Fermin, the bottom third is now one of the most productive in baseball. Laureano, Cronenworth and Fermin inhabit the bottom of the order regularly and their contributions are outpacing the heart of the lineup.
For the month of August, Laureano has a .315 average and .968 OPS with six home runs and 20 RBI. Cronenworth is hitting .279 with an .844 OPS contributing two home runs and 15 RBI. Fermin has tapered off in the last couple weeks since he has been catching about 80% of the time, but still carries a .254 average and .632 OPS with a home run and six RBI (He hit .350 in his first 12 games and only .156 in the last 15 days).
In contrast, the players who normally do most of the work are having a down month. Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .242 with a .742 OPS and has two home runs and 11 RBI. Manny Machado is hitting .224 with a .596 OPS with one home run and seven RBI and Luis Arraez is hitting .233 with a .577 OPS and has nine doubles and seven RBI. Bogaerts hit .241 with a .691 OPS and has three home runs and 12 RBI.
New DH/1B O’Hearn also had a good month. He has been occupying the DH position frequently, especially since the injury to Jackson Merrill, and is hitting .269 with an .815 OPS for August with three home runs and 10 RBI.
Normally, the Padres go the way the top of the order performs. That is especially true with Machado. His tendency to carry the team through rough spots has been noted throughout his six seasons with the Padres.
Starting pitching has to step it up
The Padres have the best bullpen in baseball. They lead the league with a 3.01 ERA, while the starters come in at 14 with a 4.04 ERA. New acquisition, lefty starter Nestor Cortes, lived up to his nickname of Nasty Nestor against the Dodgers. He threw six shutout innings allowing only one hit. Team ace Nick Pivetta had another great outing with six innings of two-hit ball.
Yu Darvish has been inconsistent since returning from the IL with a great outing against the Dodgers (6 innings, 1 run), but faltered against the Mariners, while only lasting four innings and allowing four runs. Dylan Cease continues to be the starter that normally looks good the first time through the opposing lineup and then can’t get outs the second time he tries to get through the hitters.
The impending return of Michael King should allow the team to bolster the front end of the rotation and not rely on lefty JP Sears for starts going forward, but the travails of Cease and Darvish create concern for Padres fans as we enter the last 28 games of the regular season.
Find a way to keep Gavin Sheets in the lineup
Centerfielder Jackson Merrill was sent to Arizona for on-field work and live batting practice in preparation for his return to the Padres after this weekend. He is eligible to come off the IL Aug. 30 from his sprained ankle. When he does return, Laureano will go back to his regular spot in left field and Gavin Sheets will again have no place to play. With O’Hearn getting regular at bats in the DH spot, Sheets can rotate with him, but that is an undesirable solution.
Sheets has played his way into an everyday spot. For the month of August, he is hitting .350 with a 1.134 OPS in 40 at-bats. For the season, his .258 average and .775 OPS includes 18 HR and 60 RBI. That is not a player that should be on the bench, he is second only to Machado in homers and RBI. At the least, he has to rotate with Arraez at first and share DH duty with O’Hearn. The Padres best offense has Sheets in it.
Roster moves and injury updates
When Merrill went on the IL on 8/20, the Padres called up infielder Will Wagner as an extra bat on the bench.
After his start against Seattle on 8/25, JP Sears was optioned to Triple-A and reliever Alek Jacob was recalled.
On 8/29, Xander Bogaerts was placed on the IL with a fractured foot and infielder Mason McCoy was called up.
