SAN DIEGO -- Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh homered for Philadelphia -- and that was more than enough against a San Diego offense that hasn’t recorded a hit with a runner in scoring position since Friday.
Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park, where the Padres dropped the opener of a potentially crucial series between two National League contenders, 3-0:
RISP woes continue
Here’s a good indication of how it’s gone for the San Diego offense lately:
There are, of course, only three outs per inning. But in the first inning on Monday, the Padres somehow managed to go 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
With two men aboard, Xander Bogaerts hit a grounder to short, which was booted by Trea Turner. That loaded the bases (even though it was technically recorded as an out for Bogaerts). Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill followed with strikeouts before Nick Castellanos’ inning-ending groundout.
“That big hit -- we’re just missing it right now,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen.
The Padres have mostly been solid with runners in scoring position this season. They entered play Monday with a .763 OPS with RISP. That ranks ninth in the Majors, despite an overall team OPS that ranked 29th.
But San Diego went 0-for-9 with RISP on Monday and is now 2-for-35 across the first seven games of this homestand -- including 0-for-22 in the past three.
“We have been pretty good throughout the year in these types of situations,” Stammen said. “And then, here of late, it’s just gotten a little frustrating. We just haven’t been able to get that big hit.”
Machado and Merrill remain ice cold at the plate
There’s no doubt, the Padres need more from Fernando Tatis Jr. -- specifically, they need more in the power department.
But of the Padres’ three struggling superstars, lately, it’s Tatis who’s been taking the best at-bats. By far. Tatis reached in all four of his plate appearances on Monday.
Meanwhile, Machado went 0-for-4 with a couple of strikeouts. Merrill went 0-for-4 and struck out three times. Both have recorded a sub-.600 OPS this season.
Tatis’ struggles have been the most glaring because of his severe power outage. But it’s been every bit as much of a grind for Machado and Merrill.
For this offense to reach its ceiling, the Padres are going to need more from all three of them.
On Monday, Stammen was asked to assess the offense with a third of the season just about in the books. (The Padres will officially be one-third of the way into their 2026 campaign after Tuesday’s game.)
“We’re not as good as we expected right now,” Stammen said. “We haven’t been scoring as many runs as we’ve become accustomed to with these types of players in the lineup. They know it. We know it. The whole world knows it.
“We keep talking about it every day. We keep trying new things and new ideas. And we keep working our tails off.”
Is he concerned that the team-wide funk has lasted so long? Doesn’t sound like it.
“Looking forward to the next two-thirds of the season,” Stammen said. “It’s going to be great.”
A strong showing -- and a rough ending -- for Canning
The Padres have overworked their bullpen this season -- and especially lately. It had been a week since one of their starting pitchers worked into the sixth inning.
So, even in the loss, Griffin Canning’s 6 2/3 innings provided some serious value on Monday. But, man, did the ending leave a sour taste in the mouth.
Canning was brilliant over the first six frames. In fact, until Brandon Marsh came to bat in the seventh, only Kyle Schwarber had managed to record a hit against him. The other eight Phillies had combined to go 0-for-18 with a walk.
But Canning fell behind Marsh, then hung a 2-0 slider over the inner half of the plate. He didn’t get it back. Marsh’s two-run shot, just over the Petco Porch wall in right, gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead.
“It obviously ended on a little bit of a sour note,” Canning said. “But I’m usually trying to look at the positives and how I can build on those.”
And there were plenty of positives. The Padres could desperately use some length from the middle-to-back-end of their rotation. Canning might just be the guy to deliver it.
“If you talk to any starter, that’s what we’re trying to do every single time,” Canning said. “I just was able to get some quick outs earlier in the game, so I was able to get a little bit deeper.”
After a delayed start to his season due to injury, Canning seems to be finding a groove.