Key performers struggling since Reyes departure
Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres
Key members of the Padres lineup delivered in San Francisco Saturday night.
Wil Myers hit his 15th homer to seal the Padres’ 4-1 win. He is 18-for-51 against the Giants this season with five homers and 13 RBIs.
Josh Naylor was 2-for-4 with an RBI and has hit in five straight starts, going 6-for-17 with three doubles and an RBI.
Manny Machado had his second straight two-hit game in San Francisco, where he has hit for the cycle over the past two nights.
That type of production has been largely missing since outfielder Franmil Reyes was traded to Cleveland on July 30 for center field prospect Taylor Trammell.
Several players -- even players like Myers and Machado who have been productive this weekend -- struggled in August.
Dog days of August
Hunter Renfroe hit .183 in August (15-for-82) with two homers, four doubles and four RBIs. The 27-year-old has struck out 38 times this month, posting a .277 on-base percentage and a .305 slugging percentage.
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Myers hit .233 in August (17-for-73) with two home runs and two doubles for 10 RBIs. He struck out 26 times which led to a .634 OPS.
Manuel Margot fared slightly better, slashing .244/.309/.477/.785 with five homers, five doubles and 10 RBIs.
Machado, who anchors the middle of the Padres lineup, went 23-for-104 in August with two homers, a triple, four doubles and eight RBIs. He struck out 22 percent of the time and slashed .221/.289/.337/.626 .
Hosmer was 30-for-109 in August with five homers, five doubles, 20 RBIs and 12 runs scored for a .275/.298/.459/.757 slash line, although the veteran first baseman struck out 30 percent of the time.
Naylor had the highest on-base percentage (.341), slugging percentage (.573) and OPS (.859) among the five and stuck out less than 20 percent of the time.
Extra bases
Catcher Francisco Mejía, who went on the 10-day injured list Friday with an oblique strain that places the remainder of his 2019 season in jeopardy, was the Padres top offensive threat in August, which is why the Padres started him three times in left field. Mejía had a .348/.394/.606/1.000 slash line for the month. He was 23-for-66 with four home runs, a triple, three doubles, seven RBIs and 13 runs scored. Mejía struck out in under 20 percent of his at-bats.
The Padres three starting pitchers in San Francisco: Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet and Joey Lucchesi have a combined 2.00 earned run average allowing five runs (four earned) on 16 hits and 3 walks with 21 strikeouts in 18 innings.
Reliever Craig Stammen earned the win Saturday with two scoreless innings of relief. Stammen has allowed one run on eight hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings over his last seven appearances to lower his earned run average from 3.84 to 3.41. Stammen leads National League relievers with 27 holds.
Reliever Luis Perdomo has allowed one run on 10 hits and two walks with 13 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings over nine appearances in August, lowering his earned run average from 4.02 to 3.28.
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Machado was only 2-for-17 against Madison Bumgarner before he hit his 28th homer of the season off the Giants’ left-hander Friday night.
The Padres are 3-7 in their last 10 games against the Giants.
Thirteen pitchers have started games for the Padres this season.