Padres pitchers struggle after strong starts
Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Going into his fourth Major League start, has right-handed rookie Chris Paddack become the Padres' stopper?
The 23-year-old Paddack will be cast into that role Thursday night at Petco Park as he seeks to halt a three-game Padres losing streak in the opener of a four-game series against the Reds.
While Paddack has a 1.29 ERA after three starts, the three young pitchers ahead of him in the Padres' rotation -- left-handers Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi and Nick Margevicius -- have struggled in their past two outings after being lights-out the first two times around the rotation.
After each of their first two starts, Lauer, Lucchesi and Margevicius had a combined 1.71 ERA and a 0.926 WHIP. But in their past two starts, the trio have combined to post a 7.31 ERA with a 1.438 WHIP.
Lauer, 23, was 1-1 in his first two starts with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP. He is 1-1 in his past two starts with a 6.55 ERA and a 1.364 WHIP. Lucchesi, 25, was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.968 WHIP in his first two starts. He is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA and 1.636 WHIP in his past two starts.
Margevicius, 22, was 0-1 in his first two starts with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.500 WHIP. He again allowed only one run for a third straight start on April 10 in San Francisco. But Colorado got to him for five runs on seven hits in four innings Tuesday night to up his totals over his past two starts to 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.
Notes
• Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (9-for-22 with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs) and right fielder Franmil Reyes (7-for-21 with one double, three homers and six RBIs) each extended their hitting streaks to six straight games Tuesday night. Manny Machado had his five-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday.
• Left fielder Wil Myers homered in a second straight game Tuesday night. He reached base all four times in the game, going 2-for-2 with two walks. He has reached base in eight straight starts.
• First baseman Eric Hosmer is in a 3-for-29 slump over his past eight games, dropping his batting average from .263 to .194. Hosmer has a double and two RBIs with 10 strikeouts since April 7.
• Second baseman Ian Kinsler is 5-for-43 with a double, two runs scored, six walks and 10 strikeouts since opening the season with a three-game hitting streak. His batting average has dipped to .148.