The San Diego Padres are getting great news ahead of their contest against the Baltimore Orioles. Star outfielders Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill are back in the lineup for the second game of a three-game series against the Orioles.
Tatis Jr. missed the series opener after he got banged up on Sunday in the loss to the Minnesota Twins. Merrill was activated off the IL ahead of last night's contest; however, he did not start. Merrill appeared as a pinch runner late in the game. Now that Merrill and Tatis are back in the lineup, the Padres are hoping to bounce back quickly from their struggles.
San Diego has lost two straight games and has lost six in their last 10. They were just ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West last week, but now trail by 2.5 games entering Tuesday night. SD has almost locked up a sure shot at the postseason, but they are not playing their best ball right now. Hopefully, they are able to get things going with a deeper lineup.
Xander Bogaerts is done for the regular season with a fracture in his foot. That is a costly blow to the team as Bogaerts was having a great summer offensively. He could return in October. To add to the horrors, relief pitcher Jason Adam tore a muscle in his quad on Monday night after a pitch as he was attempting to make a play on a grounder up the middle. Things are just not going right for the Padres. Merrill's return and the good sign that Tatis isn't injured could not have come at a better time for the Friars.
The Orioles took Game 1 by the score of 4-3. The Padres are aiming to bounce back with a series win followed by a similar showing against the Colorado Rockies in the next series. There is still plenty of time for the Padres to win the NL West division.
