They say baseball is a funny game.
It doesn’t seem so funny at the moment for the San Diego Padres as they prepare to open a three-game series Friday night against the visiting Atlanta Braves.
On July 5, San Diego rallied for a 10-8 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to boost their record to a season-high six games over .500. Since then, the Padres have lost four in a row, with a normally potent offense going library-silent over the past three games.
The Padres managed only four runs in that three-game span, most recently getting shut out 2-0 by the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. They failed to cash in a bases-loaded chance in the second inning, then stranded the tying runs on base in the eighth and ninth.
“I was pretty certain we were gonna get a stretch where we faced good teams with good pitching,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “And when you do that, sometimes you just don’t scratch. You know, it’s disappointing.”
The losing streak, coupled with the Mets’ sweep of the Washington Nationals this week, has left San Diego and New York tied for the last National League wild-card spot.
The Padres might get a boost on Friday, though, as Xander Bogaerts likely will be activated after a short rehab stint in the minors. He has been sidelined since fracturing his left shoulder on May 20.
Bogaerts’ return to second base likely means Jake Cronenworth goes back to first base and Luis Arraez becomes the designated hitter most of the time.
The more immediate concern for San Diego is an inconsistent pitching staff.
On Friday, the Padres will give the ball to Randy Vasquez (2-4, 4.66 ERA). The right-hander is coming off a good start in the aforementioned win over Arizona, allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings but getting a no-decision after the bullpen blew a 7-2 lead in the ninth.
Vasquez took a loss against the Braves on May 20, when he surrendered three runs on 10 hits in six innings. He started against Atlanta while pitching for the New York Yankees on Aug. 16, and he absorbed a loss after permitting two runs in 3 1/3 innings.
The Braves will start rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (2-4, 5.02 ERA), who last pitched on Saturday and stopped the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1. The right-hander scattered seven hits in six innings, allowing a run and fanning six with no walks.
“Just hammering the strike zone,” he said when asked how he succeeded. “When you can get the ball to the bullpen with the lead, it’s always a good thing.”
Schwellenbach will be making his first career appearance against San Diego, and he hopes for the same kind of run support he got Saturday night.
Atlanta’s up-and-down offense took a turn on the down side Thursday night in a 1-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, forcing the Braves to settle for a split of the four-game series in Phoenix.
While the Braves haven’t been as consistent on offense as they would like to be, Marcell Ozuna has been brilliant. He had two hits on Thursday and upped his average to .298 to go along with 24 homers and 75 RBIs. Ozuna has logged three consecutive multi-hit games.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Ozuna. “It’s just big hits. He’s coming through in the clutch always.”
San Diego took three of four at Atlanta from May 17-20.
–Field Level Media