Jake Cronenworth can hit lefties. Has hit lefties. The biggest hit of his career was off a lefty, Alex Vesia for the dagger that slayed the Dodgers in the 2022 NLDS.
But he’s not hitting lefties this year.
And the Padres are not messing with him high in the order against southpaws.
With one of the best lefties in the game in Max Fried on the mound Wednesday (5:38 p.m. firstd pitch), Cronenworth is in the eight-hole for what could be a decisive Game 2 against the Braves.
Win and advance to the NLDS against the Dodgers.
Lose and fight for your season on Thursday against the Braves.
The matchup with Fried makes Wednesday’s chore all that more daunting as lefties have given the Padres fits all season for some reason.
Even righties like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts aren’t hitting ;eft-handed starters the way you’d expect:
The left-handed-hitting Cronenworth’s struggles against lefties have been especially pronounced and part of a downward trend that has seen that split OPS drop from .769 in 2021 to .714 to .666 to .531 this year.
As such, Cronenworth has dropped in the order against lefties slowly over the course of the season.
He was entrenched in the three-hole early on, regardless of the opposing pitcher’s handedness. Lefties have always been an opportunity to sit Cronenworth, too, but he hit sixth for the first time this season on June 2 against lefty, he and rookie Jackson Merrill flipped in the five- and seven-holes in mid-September and Cronenworth hit eighth for the first time against a lefty on Sept. 20 against Garrett Crochet.
That allowed the Padres to move their best matchup for left-handers, Donovan Solano, up to the seven spot and that is where Solano will hit again Wednesday in what is otherwise a straight-forward lineup written down by manager Mike Shildt.
Let’s run it back 😤 pic.twitter.com/3HWclrZpwT
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 2, 2024
It’s October. The time to tinker has passed, not that he’s really needed to since losing the right-handed-hitting Ha-Seong Kim to his shoulder injury in mid-August.
“There’s a lot of confidence in the lineup,” Shildt said at the start of the series. “There are a little bit interchangeable parts, (but) we’re consistent with the lineup we’re rolling out. Clearly feel confident in it. It’s a deep lineup. It’s a lot of professional at-bats. There’s not a breather in it. The top is clearly good, middle is strong, and the bottom is exceptional as well. It’s a very good, solid lineup that has a lot of balance.”
Here is how the Braves will line up for Game 2:
Game 2. #DigDeepATL pic.twitter.com/ZMllwDDr66
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 2, 2024
Wednesday’s pitching matchup
Braves LHP Max Fried (11-10, 3.25 ERA)
The former Padres’ first-rounder (read what he had to say about his Padres time here) finished the regular season on a high note, striking out nine over 8⅔ shutout innings in a win on Friday. Fried allowed three runs in 4⅓ innings in taking the loss in his only start against the Padres, back in May in Atlanta.
Here is how Fried has fared in his career against current Padres:
Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (6-5, 3.88 ERA)
He has a 2.15 ERA in nine starts since coming off the injured list and has allowed more than two earned runs twice. Musgrove hasn’t faced the Braves since allowing two runs in 12⅔ innings in a pair of starts in 2022.
Here is how he’s fared against current Braves:
