SAN DIEGO -- The starting lineup is a day-by-day proposition. The Padres have preferences for certain starters against right- and left-handed pitching. But nothing is ever set in stone. Those decisions get made, cliché as it may sound, one game at a time.
As such, manager Mike Shildt cautioned not to read too much into his decision to give Brandon Lockridge the nod in left field in consecutive games -- even though the righty-hitting Lockridge would be facing a right-handed starter in both games.
Practically all season, Jason Heyward has started in those spots. He had been the Padres’ left fielder against right-handed pitching virtually every game (aside from the 10-day stint he spent on the injured list with left knee inflammation).
But Heyward has struggled lately, and the Padres, quite frankly, need more than what they’ve gotten in left field. So they’ve given Lockridge a look, at least for a couple games against two right-handed starters with reverse splits.
“Lock can beat you a lot of different ways,” Shildt said before the Padres’ 5-1 loss to the Mariners on Friday night at Petco Park. “He can do it with the bat, which he’s done. He’s able to do the short game, get some bunts down. … He’s also played really good defense, and he’s an aggressive and also smart baserunner.”
The Padres are bullish on Lockridge, who arrived in a trade with the Yankees last summer -- mostly for the reasons Shildt listed above. Lockridge is an excellent defender. He’s a truly elite baserunner, one of the fastest and savviest in the sport. (Lockridge is 8-for-8 overall in stolen-base attempts, a Padres record for successful steals to start a career.)
He’s also hitting just. 222 this season with a .572 OPS. Heyward, meanwhile, is batting .173 with a .506 OPS. The Padres can continue to tout the defense provided by that duo (and with good reason). But at a traditionally offense-first position, they need more than what they’ve gotten.
They entered Friday ranked 27th in the Majors in offense from their left fielders, per wRC+ -- an all-encompassing hitting metric. Only the Blue Jays, Pirates and White Sox have been worse.
Of course, Lockridge’s numbers have been better since he returned from the IL in early May after missing time with a left hamstring strain. He’s batting .261 since his return and had a crucial two-out, two-run single in Wednesday’s win over the Angels.
“Consistent ABs -- helps you get kind of in a rhythm,” Lockridge said. “I currently feel as good as I’ve felt all year at the plate. I just feel like I’m seeing the ball well, putting together some decent at-bats and hitting some balls hard. I think that has come from the comfortability of being in the lineup a little bit more as of late.”
Of course, there’s every chance Heyward returns to the lineup with the Padres set to face two more righties over the weekend. Shildt wouldn’t tip his hand, noting the “day-to-day” nature of those decisions.
The manager also threw his full support behind the slumping 16-year veteran Heyward, who has played postseason baseball in 10 of those first 15 seasons and famously won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs.
“From my lens, from a ‘How do you beat the other team?’ lens, Jason Heyward has played really good outfield,” Shildt said. “Jason Heyward comes into this dugout, comes into that clubhouse, and effectively this guy has been on a winning team ever since he was 8 years old and has won the World Series.
“Whether he hasn’t started the last two days, he’s on our team, he’s contributing to our team in a lot of different ways -- in a lot of ways people understandably won’t see, but I get the privilege to see. Those move our needle, help us win games.”
Despite the lack of production in left, the Padres’ offense, when healthy, has been one of the best in baseball. They’re above average offensively at most spots on the field and essentially at least average everywhere but left. One weakness in the lineup isn’t debilitating.
Maybe Lockridge is the answer. Even still, there’s a need for the Padres to find another bat. This week, Shildt has used Tyler Wade (twice) and Elias Díaz as pinch-hitters in the ninth inning. Both Wade and Díaz are useful pieces on a 26-man roster. Neither is necessarily designed to fill that role.
When trade season arrives, a bat-first left-field/bench option will be high on the Padres’ list of priorities.