SAN DIEGO -- For the first time this season, the Padres have lost three straight.
Starter Germán Márquez was hit hard for seven runs on Friday night -- including six in the second inning -- and San Diego’s offense offered little in the way of a response.
Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park, after the Padres’ series-opening 8-2 loss to the White Sox:
Inflection point in the rotation
Griffin Canning is approaching the end of his rehab stint and could be back in the next week or two. Lucas Giolito has made two Minor League starts, and is building his way toward joining the Padres at some point this month.
All year long, the back end of the San Diego rotation has been full of questions. For the first time, there are potentially imminent answers.
So who might give way? Well, Márquez did himself no favors on Friday night. He struggled to locate, walking five White Sox hitters, including four in the first two innings. He also hung a slider that Munetaka Murakami launched toward the palm trees in right-center, then hung a changeup that Colson Montgomery sent to the right-field seats.
“It was a struggle from the beginning,” said manager Craig Stammen. “Second inning just really got away from him. Credit to him, he stuck with it and got us through five.”
At the very least, Márquez has generally chewed up innings for the Padres. Still, through six starts, he owns a 5.76 ERA. Márquez has punched out only 19 hitters in 29 2/3 innings, while walking 12. There have been impressive moments -- his scoreless starts in Pittsburgh and Anaheim, his bounceback after some early struggles in Mexico City.
But the Padres need more on the whole. Stammen at least indicated that Márquez would get another shot, noting: “Germán will get back out there; he’ll bounce back.”
That start is currently lined up for next week in San Francisco. Depending on the progress of Canning and Giolito, it’s possible Márquez will be pitching for his rotation spot.
Tatis’ eventful night
Friday marked Fernando Tatis Jr.’s sixth appearance at second base -- and the first time he made anything resembling a mistake at the position.
With men on the corners and one out, Austin Hays bounced a potential double-play grounder to third. Manny Machado threw to Tatis at second. Then, Tatis noticed Chase Meidroth breaking for the plate.
It wasn’t the wrong decision to abandon the double-play turn and cut down the run. But the throw needed to be a lot better than it was. Instead, the ball sailed to the backstop, Meidroth scored, and the floodgates would open.
“We’re trying to get the guy at home,” Tatis said. “So, right execution, just a really bad throw.”
At the plate, Tatis had a much better night. He’s still looking for his first homer. But he reached base in all four plate appearances -- a walk and three hits, including a triple into the right-field corner in the sixth.
“I felt way better today,” Tatis said. “Slowed it down a little bit more. I felt really good at the plate.”
Tatis is still slugging only .322. But his contact quality says he’s getting wildly unlucky. And lately, he’s put together some high quality at-bats, despite the power outage.
All right then…
White Sox rookie Noah Schultz hasn’t allowed a hit to a lefty batter this season. So the Padres benched their three lefty-hitting regulars -- Jackson Merrill, Gavin Sheets and Jake Cronenworth -- in favor of an all-right lineup (including switch-hitter Bryce Johnson).
But aside from Tatis, that all-right lineup offered very little. San Diego loaded the bases on three walks in the first inning. But Ty France grounded to second, ending the threat. That was the only time Schultz found himself in any real trouble.
“He was deceptive -- big body, kind of a lower arm slot coming at you,” said France. “... Stuff was good. Good arm.”
Added Tatis: “Good stuff, and he was executing. He got the best of us today.”
Nonetheless, Tatis reached base two further times against him. The Padres’ eight other hitters wouldn’t reach base again against Schultz, who finished with six scoreless innings.
Miguel Andujar and Manny Machado notched RBI singles in the eighth off White Sox reliever Osvaldo Bido. By then, the game was well out of reach.