The visiting San Diego Padres hope that they already have hit rock bottom as they try to salvage the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon.
The Blue Jays will be going for a sweep of the three-game series that would allow them to complete a nine-game homestand with a 5-4 record.
It is bad enough for the Padres that are not hitting, but they also committed four errors — three by third baseman Manny Machado in a five-run seventh inning — on Wednesday in their 14-0 loss.
The Padres have been outscored 17-0 through the first two games of the series and have scored a total of three runs during their season-worst five-game losing streak.
San Diego was 0-for-8 hitting with runners in scoring position on Wednesday to increase its drought to 0-for-32 over the skid.
Padres manager Mike Shildt is being patient, knowing what the team has done in the past.
“We get the privilege of seeing them do it, and be able to be successful at it, pretty consistently as a group,” Shildt said. “And we have not seen it the past five days, and no one is going to make an alibi about that. But the answer is to get up, keep our head up and make sure our focus is in the right spot and don’t let it have any collectiveness to it.”
Right-hander Bowden Francis (2-6, 5.63 ERA) will try to continue Toronto’s pitching dominance in the series. He won his only previous appearance against the Padres after throwing two innings of scoreless relief on April 19, 2024.
San Diego will try to salvage a win from the series behind right-hander Stephen Kolek (2-1, 2.33 ERA). He also has faced his Thursday foe just once, when he allowed two hits and no runs in two-thirds of an inning on the same day that Francis faced the Padres.
Toronto’s Nathan Lukes went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and Daulton Varsho hit his fourth career grand slam on Wednesday.
Lukes might have been a little over enthusiastic when he said, “That was the Blue Jays. That was the lineup, and those were the hitters that we are. Hopefully, we just keep on running with it.”
The Blue Jays hit the ball hard early in the game Wednesday but did not break through until Lukes homered in the fifth inning.
“The vibe is, just keep swinging it,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “That’s part of the game, sometimes. They had some hard outs, too. That kind of kept the game close there. Just keep swinging and the runs will come.”
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished 1-for-5 with a bloop RBI single in the seventh to extend his on-base streak to 21 games. He is batting .308/.415/.487 with four homers and 10 RBIs during that span.
One negative for the Blue Jays came in the seventh inning when Anthony Santander left the game because of an inflamed left hip.
With the contest out of hand amid Toronto’s seven-run eighth, Padres outfielder Tyler Wade took the mound to finish and allowed two hits and a run in one inning.
San Diego’s Luis Arraez had a double and a triple to extend his hitting streak to a season-best eight games. In his 18 career games against the Blue Jays, he is 27-for-71 (.380) with five doubles and two triples.
–Field Level Media
