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DENVER -- The Padres' offense is healthy again -- and swinging like it.
Over the weekend, they scored 37 runs, the second-highest total in a three-game series in franchise history. Twenty-one of those runs came on Saturday night in the largest Padres victory ever.
And, sure, the outburst came at hitter-friendly Coors Field. But it’s no coincidence the San Diego offense racked up club records on the same weekend it finally got healthy.
Late last month, that offense fell into a rut. I don't think it would've been fair to expect anything else. Four-ninths of the starting lineup was on the injured list. Now that they're healthy, this is again one of the best offenses in baseball.
I still see a few question marks.
Not major question marks, mind you. This is a playoff-caliber offense as currently constructed. But if the Padres want to maximize their offense, they have short-term, medium-term and long-term questions to answer this season. Here they are:
Short-term question: How do the Padres line up against lefties?
Since they got their full group of hitters back, they’ve yet to face a lefty starter. That changes tonight, with the Angels' Yusei Kikuchi on the mound.
I'm particularly interested in the DH and left-field spots. Those generally belong to Gavin Sheets and Jason Heyward, respectively. But both have been used almost exclusively against righties.
Given his strong start to the year, Sheets has a case to start against lefties. But there's also value in keeping his bat on the bench to fire off in the right pinch-hit spot, late in a game.
Perhaps the more intriguing question is: If not Sheets ... who? Jose Iglesias filled in admirably while Cronenworth was out. His offensive numbers aren’t great, but that’s mainly because he’s struggled so much against righties.
Could Iglesias start at second, with Cronenworth sliding to first and Luis Arraez at DH? That would give the Padres their optimal defensive alignment. Iglesias could also be used to give Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts days off their feet at DH.
Meanwhile, in left field, Brandon Lockridge brings plenty of value with his glove and his wheels. He figures to get the nod tonight. But if he doesn’t hit, it’s reasonable to ask whether Lockridge has more value strictly as a bench piece. Perhaps there’s a scenario where Sheets and Iglesias both start, with one of the two in left.
Medium-term question: Does Heyward give the Padres enough in left field?
The Padres can stomach some offensive deficiencies from their catchers in the No. 9 spot. They’re one of the best teams in the Majors at run prevention, and those catchers play a key role. But in the No. 8 spot, they can reasonably expect much more than what they've gotten in left field -- typically an offense-first position.
Entering Sunday, the Padres’ offensive production in left field ranked 27th among the 30 big league clubs (according to wRC+, an all-encompassing hitting metric). Their problems in left are bigger than merely finding someone to start against lefties.
Heyward has started against right-handed pitching all season long (minus the 10 days he spent on the IL with left knee inflammation). He’s been fine defensively, and he’s beloved in the clubhouse. But he’s hitting just .181 with a .517 OPS.
The Padres seem willing to find out if Heyward might still be the answer. He’s been valuable enough with his glove and his intangibles that he’s getting the chance to work through his struggles at the plate. But how long does that last?
Presumably until there's a better option. And the other internal options weren't much better when Heyward was on the IL. Which brings us to...
Longer-term question: Will the Padres add another bat?
I mean, it’s A.J. Preller we’re talking about. If the Padres' freewheeling general manager sees a path to improving the roster, he has a history of using the Trade Deadline to do so.
The better question is: What type of resources would the Padres throw into finding a bat? San Diego has already dealt extensively from its farm system over the past 18 months. Corner/DH bats are bound to be plentiful, and if the Padres are merely looking for a bottom-of-the-order/bench piece, it probably won’t cost much.
But, again, this is Preller. He has a habit of swinging big in July (with mixed results).
For now, this is a question for a later date. Heyward and Lockridge will continue to get action in left, while Iglesias gets starts against left-handed pitching somewhere on the infield. Perhaps at some point, Tirso Ornelas and/or Oscar Gonzalez would get another look.
But if you’re asking whether I think the Padres add a bat? I'd say there’s a good chance. This is a fairly complete roster. It’s a fairly complete offense, too, one of the deepest in baseball. But there’s no harm in looking to make it deeper.