The Padres keep tweaking the same piece of the puzzle, and this time it’s pretty simple: Fernando Tatis Jr. is back at second base again.
Jake Cronenworth gets a day off against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, so Tatis will make a second straight start at second. First pitch Sunday is at 1:10 p.m. It’s a rotating thing, not some permanent positional grand plan. Cronenworth and Tatis were basically the only Padres who hadn’t gotten a day off yet this season, and that’s what drove the decision.
Tatis started at second on Saturday for the first time in his career, when Xander Bogaerts took the day off and Cronenworth—last year’s regular backup at shortstop—got his first start at shortstop. Bogaerts is back in Sunday’s lineup, Bryce Johnson is starting in right field, and Tatis stays put at second. After Saturday’s game, Padres manager Craig Stammen kind of foreshadowed it, and if you listened closely it sounded less like a promise and more like a contingency plan.
“(Tatis) is going to play right field most days,” Stammen said. “But kind of like what I said earlier today, when Xander needs a day off, or when Jake needs a day off, you know, he’s probably our best option to play second base at the moment.” It’s not glamorous, but it does make sense.
At the top of the order, Ramón Laureano is getting the leadoff spot again—his leading-off run is now up to seven times in eight games. He went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and two walks on Saturday, and it wasn’t just “good” — it was the kind of busy day that makes you hear the dugout light up before the next at-bat. Tatis, meanwhile, went 3-for-4 with a double batting second behind him.
Stammen explained why Laureano is staying there, essentially saying they’re trying not to let anyone fall into a slump just because the spot demands it. He also said they feel really good about Laureano against righties and lefties, that he’s usually pretty good either way, and that he brings an “attitude,” an ankle-biter vibe the guys love in the dugout and clubhouse. “So he’s perfect for us (at) leadoff.” No question that the numbers are cooperating a bit: the Padres’ leadoff hitters OPS jumped to .543, now 27th in the majors instead of last. Still, league average sits at .725, so this is more improvement than arrival. Laureano is now hitting .240/.321/.440 for a .761 OPS atop the order after getting hits in his last three starts in that spot.
With a left-hander on the mound, Jackson Merrill is the lone lefty in the lineup in center. Ty France (.258 OPS) replaces Gavin Sheets at first base and bats seventh, between designated hitter Nick Castellanos (.617 OPS) and the switch-hitting Johnson (.472 OPS). Freddy Fermin (.514 OPS) catches right-hander Nick Pivetta and bats ninth. The Padres (9-6) are using their 16th different lineup in 16 games, and they’ve won four straight. Their nine wins entering Sunday are tied for the second most in the majors behind the Dodgers (11).
Meanwhile, Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.30 ERA) gets the start for the Rockies in the series finale. Freeland leads the majors with four hit batters but has a 13-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio to start the season. He’s coming off his first quality start of the season at home against Houston (6⅓ IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks). Career-wise, Freeland has a 4.46 ERA in 135⅓ innings against the Padres, and he had a 3.46 ERA in two starts against them last year.
If you’re wondering how it looks on the flip side, Padres starter Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.54 ERA) has a 1.80 ERA with 16 strikeouts and three walks over his last two starts, though he hasn’t yet turned in a quality start. Against the Rockies overall, he’s got a 9.64 ERA in 32⅔ career innings—big part of that is Coors Field. Last year, though, he posted a 4.24 ERA in three starts against them. Whether Sunday turns into another chapter for the Padres’ streak… or maybe it doesn’t, depends a lot on how Freeland’s control lands early. Either way, it’s a lineup day with Tatis again at second, Laureano still up top, and the first pitch coming soon.