Loss to division rivals punctuates tough stretch for San Diego

Taking the mound

Logan Webb (SF) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

Webb has had a tough time settling into a groove this season, posting a 4.30 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. But what he has done is eat innings for the Giants, pitching 44 innings for the club. He had an encouraging outing last week, pitching seven innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up only one run in the process. The Friars will hope to tag him for a few more than that in tonight’s game. On the other hand, Buehler has been a somewhat steadying part of the rotation (though the term steadying is used here with some apprehension). He’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA but has at least been a semi-reliable back end option for San Diego. He started in last week’s loss to the Chicago Cubs but only gave up two runs to the Northsiders. If he can do just that against the Giants tonight (and go at least five innings), it would start to turn the tides for a struggling Padres club.

Batter up!

Jackson Merrill really seems to be turning things around. After starting the year with an abysmal .220 average, he’s slashed .276/.300/.379 in his last seven games. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s a step up from the .172/.238/.241 line from the previous 15 games. His (and Manny Machado’s) return to some form of normalcy could go a *long* way toward waking up the offense. With everyone on the roster having experience against Webb, manager Craig Stammen will likely go for those who have had the most success in the past.

1. Ramón Laureano, LF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Miguel Andujar, DH
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B Those nine have a combined .297 career batting average and a .730 OPS to go with 18 RBI (200 at-bats). Machado, Merrill and Sheets all have averages above .300, and the latter two have an OPS over 1.000 against Webb. If they can do damage like that tonight, the Padres will have no trouble forcing the rubber match on Wednesday.

Relief corps

Vásquez pitched about as well as he normally does. Though it wasn’t quite the ace form that we’ve come to expect of him this year, he made it through 5 2/3 innings of work, ensuring that the Padres only had to use three relievers (Kyle Hart, Bradgley Rodriguez and Wandy Peralta) to finish the game. The three used were low-leverage so San Diego will have plenty of options in a close game. Those include Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Ron Marinaccio, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon. All but Marinaccio are high-leverage moves for Stammen to make. Miller leads the league in saves (11) and could notch his 12th tonight. He’s currently on pace to end the season with 53 saves. If he did, it would be just the second time a Padre has saved 50-plus games (Trevor Hoffman, 1998), and the first 50-plus save season in MLB since Edwin Díaz in 2018.