As he watched from afar as the 2022 Padres pushed past the Mets and the Dodgers and succumbed to the Phillies one step round shy of the World Series, there’s a part of Fernando Tatis Jr. that wondered … what if?
That’s well behind Tatis.
And while the Padres are rolling toward another wild-card berth, the Padres’ 25-year-old right fielder isn’t allowing himself to look to far ahead to that party.
Not yet.
“I’m all in,” Tatis said. “I’m definitely looking forward to it, but there’s still work to do out here. We’re not trying to get too ahead of ourselves. These 10 days that we have left, we need to take care of that first.”
For Tatis, that means continuing to manage his ramp-up following missing more than two months to a stress reaction in his right femur.
He’s back in right field to start a three-game series against a Chicago White Sox team looking to avoid history. On Wednesday, Tatis homered for the fifth time in eight games as part of a scheduled DH day. He’s also been out of the lineup twice since returning from the injured list on Sept. 2 as the Padres continue to watch how he plays through an injury that won’t heal 100 percent this season.
So far, so good.
“My body has been responding really well,” said Tatis, who is hitting .298/.310/.614 through his first 58 plate appearances. “I’m feeling better every single day. … I’m really happy with where I’m at.”
Friday’s first pitch is at 6:40 p.m.
Friday Night Lights 🌴 pic.twitter.com/pZ74PAKuxn
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 20, 2024
Tatis is in the two-hole behind designated hitter Luis Arraez, who is back in the lineup while continuing to manage left knee soreness stemming from a play at the plate on Monday. Arraez started Tuesday but sat Wednesday.
Donovan Solano will serve as the first baseman and bat seventh and Jake Cronenworth is at second base and batting eighth for the first time since 2022 and just the fourth time in his career. Cronenworth has not homered since Aug. 31 and is hitting .163/.317/.184 in 15 games in September.
Kyle Higashioka will serve as the catcher.
The Padres (87-66) begin the week up two games on the Mets and Diamondbacks as the NL’s top wild-card team and four games up on the Braves as the current team on the outside looking in.
The Dodgers (91-62) have a four-game lead on the Padres in the NL West.
Here is how the White Sox (36-117) will line up for Game 1:
Tonight’s starting lineup vs. the Padres: pic.twitter.com/yjyFFDVvGk
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 20, 2024
Blessings
On the previous homestand, Dylan Cease was wondering if he’d get a chance to line up for the proverbial revenge game against the Chicago White Sox (he did not).
Not that there’s anything to be vengeful about.
That’s just what you call a matchup with a team that traded you away.
In reality, Cease might want to say thank you.
The White Sox are three losses shy of matching the 1962 Mets’ modern record of 120 losses.
While Cease could not have foreseen that kind of decline for his former teammates even after last year’s 101-loss season, dealing away the staff ace before the start of the season — as the White Sox did in trading him to San Diego in March for prospects Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Samuel Zavala and reliever Steven Wilson — is not the way you traditionally improve a team.
“It’s kind of hard to speculate what they’ll look like,” Cease said. “It was hard to imagine a year worse than 2023. I think we were all disappointed with that. We intentioned these plans on coming into 2024 and being better. But I guess in the long run, it kind of makes sense. They’ve traded away some pieces, but it’s hard to tell sometimes.”
As for what his former teammates have endured, Cease said he’s kept up sporadically with his old friends and was looking forward to catching up this weekend.
“It would be a difficult thing to be a part of,” Cease said. “Honestly, it’s never fun to lose, but to lose that much would be tough, for sure.”
Notable
- SS Ha-Seong Kim played catch from about 75 feet but was still not at full intensity and still did not throw across the diamond while taking grounders at shortstop. Kim also hit on the field, with and without the brace he’s been wearing.
- Something of a painter himself, Cease was stoked to see that a mural of him was in the process of going up in Chula Vista. Murals around the city of San Diego have honored the like of Tatis, Joe Musgrove, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish and former Padre Jorge Alfaro. “It’s definitely an honor,” Cease said. “It’s definitely very cool.”
This year wouldn’t be complete without a little MURAL SZN, right?! 🙃Here’s a new one that just popped up (810 Paseo del Rey in Chula Vista). #Padres pic.twitter.com/qrshSYbgyj
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) September 20, 2024
Friday’s pitching matchup
White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet (6-12, 3.78 ERA)
The 25-year-old is up to a career-high 138 innings in his first year as a full-time starter and on something of a pitch count to get through the season. Crochet hasn’t completed five innings since June 30 and hasn’t thrown more than 60 pitches since Aug. 9. He struck out two in a scoreless inning in relief against the Padres last October.
Only four Padres have history with Crochet:
- INF Luis Arraez (3-for-6, 2 Ks)
- C Elias Diaz (2-for-3, 2B)
- C Kyle Higashioka (0-for-1)
- INF Tyler Wade (1-for-1)
Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (6-5, 4.23 ERA)
He has a 2.37 ERA in seven starts (38 IP) since returning from the injured list, striking out 42 and holding hitters to a .554 OPS over that stretch. Musgrove hasn’t faced the White Sox since throwing four shutout innings at them in a start in 2020 for the Pirates.
Only five White Sox hitters have faced Musgrove:
- INF Miguel Vargas (1-for-5)
- OF Andrew Benintendi (1-for-2, BB)
- INF Yoan Moncada (1-for-3, 2 Ks)
- INF Nicky Lopez (1-for-2, 2B)
- OF Luis Robert Jr. (1-for-2, K)