SEATTLE -- The Padres shook up the top of their lineup on Wednesday. Were those changes temporary, or will they stick? That remains to be seen.
Luis Arraez, the lineup’s coldest hitter, got the day off amid a slump that has lasted throughout August. Taking his place in the No. 2 spot was the lineup’s hottest hitter, Ramón Laureano, who has been mashing since the Padres acquired him from the Orioles at the Trade Deadline four weeks ago.
The way baseball works, naturally, it was Laureano whose spot came up in the game’s decisive moment with the Padres trailing by a run in the ninth. He grounded to third as the final out of a 4-3 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
After the game, manager Mike Shildt confirmed that Arraez, who grounded out as a pinch-hitter to start that ninth inning, was merely receiving a much-needed day off. He had played every inning of every game this month -- and had posted a .583 August OPS. Going forward?
“Listen, the lineups are always fluid,” Shildt said. “I know people like to think about them, rightfully so. Luis got a day [off] today, came off the bench, good teammate. But Luis Arraez still has the [third-most] hits in the National League, second-most multiple-hit games [entering Wednesday], big part of our club.
“It was a good chance for [Laureano] to get a little bit higher. But we also talk about balancing our lineup out as well. There’s always that.”
The balance Shildt is referring to is the left-right mix at the top. By using Fernando Tatis Jr., Laureano and Manny Machado in the top three spots, the Padres skewed righty-heavy. Then again, they have quality lefty-hitting options for the No. 2 spot aside from Arraez as well.
What can’t be argued is that the Padres need more production from the No. 2 spot. The question is whether Arraez is the one best suited to give it to them. He’s posted a .704 OPS this season, the lowest mark of his career. That’s coming off three consecutive batting titles. He seems unlikely to win a fourth.
“I’m a human,” Arraez said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Every player has a bad year, bad weeks, bad months. I just try to work hard every day, do the little things to help the team win. The good thing is we’re winning.”
It’s always worth digging deeper than batting average with Arraez, who isn’t much of a threat to slug or walk. But if he could find the version of himself from the past three seasons, he would be perfectly suitable toward the top of the lineup. In that span, he reached base at a .371 clip -- and and a .385 clip against righties. The Padres would absolutely take that in the No. 2 spot -- especially against righties.
That said, it’s nearly September, and the Padres haven’t gotten that version of Arraez this season. Shildt has always skewed toward lineup stability, particularly through the dog days. But with the playoffs looming -- and an NL West title on the line -- it’s worth wondering what tweaks might be coming.
Both Arraez and Laureano said they’d be fine hitting wherever.
“It doesn’t matter for me,” Arraez said. “If I’m in the lineup, I’m happy.”
“I don’t really think at all of that,” Laureano said. “I think about just having an approach.”
It’s possible Friday’s lineup decision in Minnesota will be telling. Then again, the lineup will get another reshuffle when Jackson Merrill returns from his left ankle sprain in the next week or so. The Padres will have some decisions on their hands when he does. For now, they seem somewhat content to see if Arraez can work through his struggles.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m excited, I’m happy, because we are one game out [of first place],” Arraez said, before Wednesday’s loss grew the deficit to 1 1/2. “If we win the division, I’ll be happy. I just try [to] go out there, play hard, try to do the little things.”
Despite the questions surrounding the No. 2 spot, it’s worth noting the production the Padres have gotten overall since a Trade Deadline at which they added Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn and Freddy Fermin.
“Our offense is in a great spot however you want to slice it up, carve it, analyze it,” Shildt said. “We’ve got a deep lineup, and if everybody continues to take quality at-bats, we’ll feel good about where everybody’s hitting.”