SAN DIEGO -- The Padres’ bats remained cold and a rare Fernando Tatis Jr. error proved (very) costly in a 6-0 loss to the upstart Cardinals on Friday night.
Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park, where the Padres dropped their second straight to open the series:
When it rains…
Rough game, baseball.
It’s not going well for Tatis at the plate right now. He still hasn’t homered -- the longest drought of his career. He’s on track for career lows in just about every offensive category. He’s struggling immensely.
But at least he has his Platinum Glove, right?
Well, Platinum Glovers make errors, too. And this one came at just about the worst possible moment, in the worst possible way.
With the bases loaded in the fifth, JJ Wetherholt shot a single through the right side. Tatis charged aggressively, looking to cut down the second run at the plate.
Except … the ball went under his glove. Wetherholt scampered around the bases. All four runs would score -- a Little League grand slam, if you will. It was brutal timing for Tatis’ first error of the season.
The Cardinals had a 4-0 lead and would tack on two more runs in the frame.
Canning’s nearly solid night
Here’s one truth about the Cardinals’ six-run fifth inning: Tatis’ error will draw the headlines and make the highlight (or lowlight) reels because it was so stunning and unexpected from him. But even if Tatis makes that play, two runs probably score, and the Cardinals have two men aboard with one out. Not to mention, St. Louis followed that error by scoring two more runs via three hits and a walk.
Which is a long way of saying: Error or no error, Padres starter Griffin Canning struggled immensely in that fifth inning. It stood in stark contrast to the first four frames, in which Canning cruised, holding the Cardinals scoreless while striking out four without any walks.
For Canning, the costliest at-bat in the inning might not have been Wetherholt’s. Just before Wetherholt came to the plate, he walked No. 9 hitter Victor Scott II, loading the bases and setting the stage for the disaster that followed.
Of course, Canning deserves some grace. This was only his second start back from the torn left Achilles he sustained last June. His first four innings looked like something to build on. His fifth proved that he’s not quite there just yet.
Where’s the offense?
Here’s another truth about the Tatis misplay: If he fields the ball cleanly and delivers a perfect throw to the plate, maybe the Cardinals score only one run in the inning.
Which means the Padres would’ve needed to score, too. Something they did not do on Friday night -- and have not done in this series since the first inning of the first game.
It’s been a dreadful series thus far for the San Diego offense, which has underperformed for much of the season. Tatis is part of that. He’s not the only part. Jackson Merrill has begun to heat up lately. He notched the Padres’ only hit of the night in the fourth inning.
The rest of the offense combined to go 0-for-24.