Lineup shuffle, pair of new guys give Padres' lineup a jolt

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Padres’ offense has been waiting for a game like this one.

They beat the Giants, 10-5, on a Tuesday night when everybody mashed. Their stars mashed. Their role players mashed. And their newest callup mashed.

Here are some takeaways from Oracle Park, as the Padres equaled their season highs with 10 runs and 14 hits:

Lineup shakeup pays off

It wasn’t merely Fernando Tatis Jr. who switched spots -- though Tatis’ demotion to No. 5 in the order was certainly the most notable move. Jackson Merrill led off for just the second time this season. Miguel Andujar moved up to third. Gavin Sheets batted cleanup. Sung-Mun Song got his first career start.

Clearly, manager Craig Stammen was onto something. The Padres broke out for 10 runs -- two more than they’d scored in their last four games combined. They ambushed Giants ace Logan Webb, scoring five runs on 20 pitches during a furious fourth-inning rally. Then, they continued tacking on against the San Francisco bullpen.

“One thing is: They’re a determined group,” Stammen said of his offense. “They’re not satisfied with just being OK. They want to be great. And I think today was a little bit of them showing that’s what they’re in for this season.”

Prior to the game, Stammen noted he was “just trying to switch it up” by moving so many pieces around in his lineup. The San Diego offense had mostly sputtered since returning to sea level after its trip through Denver and Mexico City. This was more like it. Andujar and Merrill pounded out three hits apiece. Xander Bogaerts went deep. Song notched his first two hits, his first two RBIs and his first stolen base.

“We predicted days like this for these types of hitters,” Stammen said. “And I think there will be more to come. We’ve been short of them here of late. But that’s what hitting is.”

Andujar asserts himself

Before the Padres signed Andujar, Stammen said he sat down and watched Andujar’s last month or so of at-bats with Cincinnati last season.

“He was hotter than heck, hitting three and four for them,” Stammen said. “I think we felt pretty good about him joining our team and joining the lineup.”

Sure enough, just before Spring Training, the Padres quietly signed Andujar to a one-year deal worth about $4 million -- and what a deal that’s turning out to be.

Andujar went 3-for-5 on Tuesday night, finishing a homer shy of the cycle. He’s hitting .322 with an .869 OPS.

The Padres mostly envisioned Andujar as a starter against left-handed pitching, while serving as a valuable option off their bench otherwise. He’s become more than that. At this point, Andujar has essentially become the Padres’ regular DH, no matter what pitcher they’re facing.

“We feel really good with him at the plate,” Stammen said over the weekend. “And we’re really starting to feel really good with him against right-handed pitching, too. The way he’s hit the ball this season thus far, the at-bats that he’s taken -- we’re feeling pretty confident when he’s in the box.”

Song starts strong

Earlier Tuesday, Jake Cronenworth landed on the 7-day concussion IL. He’s been dealing with concussion symptoms since taking a fastball to the chin in Anaheim last month.

With Cronenworth sidelined, Song is going to get plenty of opportunity at second base -- and probably starts here and there at short and third. He seems ready to make the most of it.

Song went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in his first career start. The Padres fell behind early, but had rallied to cut the deficit to one when Song came to the plate in the top of the fourth. He got a hanging cutter from Webb and split the gap in left-center field for a two-run double.

Song signed a four-year deal with the Padres in December after years starring in the Korea Baseball Organization. He began the season on the IL with an oblique strain and was subsequently optioned to Triple-A El Paso.

Song was added as the 27th player for their Mexico City Series last month, then sent down afterward. But the Padres always envisioned him as an integral part of their big league roster. He might now be here to stay.

“Obviously, I debuted in Mexico, but I felt like this game was more like a debut game for me,” Song said through interpreter Jun Yi. “Fun atmosphere.”