SAN DIEGO -- Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh homered for Philadelphia, and that was too much for the struggling Padres offense to overcome on Monday.
Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park, where San Diego dropped its series opener, 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.
The theme continued. The Padres would finish 0-for-9 with RISP. They’re 2-for-35 across the first seven games of this homestand.
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.
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. Ouch.
Still, there are positives to take away from this start. 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. After a delayed start to his season due to injury, Canning seems to be finding a groove.