With two of their biggest stars on the bench, Padres miss chance to pad Wild Card lead
This browser does not support the video element.
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres didn’t have Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill at their disposal for eight innings on Saturday night. Needless to say, the San Diego lineup is a whole lot better when it features two of the best outfielders in baseball.
No, those absences are not expected to linger. Both came off the bench to bat in the ninth inning -- though the Padres still came up short against the Giants, 6-3, before another sellout at Petco Park.
Merrill, who fouled a ball off his left knee on Friday, could return to the starting lineup on Sunday, manager Mike Shildt said. Tatis was on the bench as a scripted off-day. He missed 2 1/2 months with a stress reaction in his right femur. The Padres said they’d be cautious upon his return to action. Rightly so.
Still, those absences were a potentially decisive factor in Saturday’s loss. On a night when the Padres could have put further separation between themselves and a pair of fellow Wild Card contenders, they failed to do so.
The D-backs and Braves lost, meaning the Padres’ lead over Arizona for the top Wild Card spot in the National League remains at 1 1/2 games. Their edge over Atlanta -- the first team on the outside of the playoff picture -- is three games.