DETROIT -- The Padres placed another regular on the injured list on Monday. And while they¡¯re obviously thrilled that Luis Arraez¡¯s injury doesn¡¯t appear to be as serious as it initially looked, they¡¯re now facing the prospect of at least another week without one of their best hitters.
¡°All about finding solutions,¡± said manager Mike Shildt, invoking one of his go-to catch-phrases. ¡°That¡¯s what winners do.¡±
Indeed, Shildt has said time and again that winners find solutions. Thus far, the Padres have done exactly that. A third of their roster is currently on the IL. Yet even after Monday¡¯s 6-4 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park, San Diego is tied for the best record in the Majors at 16-7.
Still, the injuries are piling up -- including Arraez, who landed on the 7-day concussion IL before Monday¡¯s game. Here¡¯s how the Padres can withstand the attrition:
Sheets¡¯ time to shine
Further complicating matters: Nearly all of the injured offensive players are left-handed hitters -- Jackson Merrill (right-hamstring strain), Jake Cronenworth (right-rib fracture), Jason Heyward (left-knee inflammation) and Arraez.
As a result, the Padres lineup is going to feature some measure of imbalance. There¡¯s not much they can do to change that. But Gavin Sheets¡¯ continued breakout could go a long way toward mitigating it.
On Monday, Sheets batted in the No. 2 spot, between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. He went 2-for-4 with an opposite-field home run.
¡°You¡¯re in between two superstars -- it¡¯s a great place to be,¡± Sheets said. ¡°Great spot in the lineup to hit. ¡ You¡¯ve got to protect Tati a little bit and get it going for Manny.¡±
Sheets has been everything the Padres could¡¯ve hoped for since he signed a Minor League deal in February. They certainly didn¡¯t envision him batting second. (He¡¯d presumably hit lower against left-handed pitching.) But Sheets has posted a .945 OPS through 21 games, as some mechanical adjustments have paved the way to his red-hot start.
Run prevention
You¡¯d never know it based on Monday¡¯s performance, as the Padres consistently put runners on base and created scoring opportunities. But without four-ninths of their starting lineup, scoring runs is going to be a challenge sometimes.
They¡¯ll need better starting pitching than what they got Monday.
Hard to fault Randy V¨¢squez too much. He¡¯d been excellent through four starts. On Sunday, V¨¢squez planned to fly to Detroit ahead of the rest of the team, which played on Sunday Night Baseball in Houston. But V¨¢squez boarded and deplaned four times due to a mechanical issue. Eventually that flight was canceled, and he flew with the team, arriving around 4 a.m. Monday morning.
Nonetheless, V¨¢squez wasn¡¯t about to make excuses for his poor performance Monday night. He allowed six runs over two-plus innings, walking three and struggling immensely with his command.
¡°A lot of long counts, a lot of bases on balls,¡± V¨¢squez said through interpreter Pedro Gutierrez. ¡°That ultimately was what cost me today.¡±
In any case, the Padres¡¯ bullpen worked six scoreless frames in relief of V¨¢squez, lowering its MLB-leading ERA to 1.46. On the whole, San Diego¡¯s 2.90 ERA trails only the Mets. That¡¯s the mark of a team that can win games without a fully healthy offense.
Get well soon
Notably, these injuries do not appear to be season-enders, or anything of the sort. The Padres always knew they¡¯d be without Joe Musgrove, following his Tommy John surgery. But most of their injured players could be back in short order.
The team isn¡¯t big on specific timelines. But the expectation is many of those players will return in late April or May. (Check our injuries tracker here.)
The Padres must simply weather the storm, rather than search for any long-term solutions.
¡°We still expect to win every game,¡± Sheets said. ¡°We¡¯ve still got the players in here, regardless of who¡¯s out, to win baseball games. We¡¯ve shown that. That¡¯s the exciting thing. We know those guys are coming back. Hopefully soon. That¡¯ll be an extra jolt.¡±
Indeed, the Padres¡¯ bullpen has been the best in baseball. Their rotation has been solid. And the top of their lineup still has its superstars. One of those superstars took home National League Player of the Week honors on Monday.
Asked about Arraez¡¯s absence, Tatis echoed Sheets¡¯ sentiment.
¡°We¡¯ve got to pick him up,¡± Tatis said. ¡°Keep finding a way. I know for sure they¡¯re going to be back soon. Then we can all go in full force.¡±