Mike Shildt spent a good chunk of Monday’s post-loss comments steering the conversation toward having zero concerns about the Padres’ long-term trajectory.
OK.
The short-term view of things does not look good at all.
A four-game losing streak has knocked the Padres (34-39) from the NL’s second wild-card slot to a half-game out of a playoff spot.
The team is officially closer to 13th place in the NL (1½ games ahead of the 34-39 Cubs) than the first wild-card spot (5 games behind the 39-31 Braves).
They’ve also lost their last eight road games, dating back the last game in Kansas City and they will have to get to Aaron Nola and the NL’s best team in the Phillies to stop that skid on Tuesday.
First pitch is at 3:40 p.m.
To do that, the Padres would do well to find a way to quiet leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Nola on the mound#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/KB6iFBRZFV
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 18, 2024
The physical, unconventional leadoff hitter leads the NL with 53 walks and is hitting .253/.373/.457 with 16 homers, which includes the two he hit on Monday and another one that he hit at Petco Park earlier this season.
In four games against the Padres this year, Schwarber is hitting .333/.500/.933 and he has 14 homers and a 1.011 OPS in 35 regular-season games against the Padres.
Schwarber also hit five homers off the Padres in five NLCS games in 2022. Shildt was on staff for those games, but his history with Schwarber dates back to tormenting his Cardinals teams as a Cub.
“Uncle, uncle,” Shildt said Monday night. “Seriously, uncle. … I don’t know Kyle well. I hear nothing but great things. A really, really talented guy. But he does not have to hit a home run in every game that I manage. It’s just, uncle. He’s a really talent. He put good swings on the baseball.
“We just have to figure out a way to be better.”
As for the Padres, they will give it their best shot without both Fernando Tatis Jr., who is getting his first full day off the season, and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who is getting his second day off this season.
The only time that Tatis has not been in right field was when he served as the designated hitter on May 23 while David Peralta filled in in right field.
Tatis is 2-for-15 with a double, a walk and six strikeouts through the first four games of the road trip.
June has still been Tatis’ best month as he’s got a 1.033 OPS in 16 games, well above what he did in March/April (.763) and May (.725).
In Tatis’ place, Peralta will again serve as the right fielder and bat seventh, while second baseman Jake Cronenworth will slide into the two-hole.
Tyler Wade will fill in at shortstop in place of Kim, who has started 75 of the team’s 76 games at shortstop and is 2-for-11 with two walks to start the road trip. Wade was also Kim’s replacement at shortstop the lone time he was out of the lineup on May 22.
Wade will bat ninth as the Padres are using the off-days for Tatis and Kim to throw two extra left-handed hitters at Nola, whose splits are rather even against lefties (.643 OPS) and righties (.647 OPS).
King on the hill. pic.twitter.com/RiXVPSNg4g
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 18, 2024
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Padres RHP Michael King (5-4, 3.58 ERA)
He allowed six runs on six hits and three walks in 5⅓ innings in a loss to the Phillies in late April in San Diego. King allowed two home runs to Bryson Stott and another to J.T. Realmuto, but he’s allowed just three long balls over his last eight starts (2.49 ERA).
Here is how King has fared in his career against current Phillies:
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (8-3, 3.48 ERA)
Former Padres catcher Austin Nola’s younger brother beat the Padres with 10 strikeouts and three runs allowed over eight innings in a win in April at Petco Park. Nola has a 3.14 ERA in nine regular-season starts against San Diego.
Here is how Nola has fared against current Padres:
