The Padres are still 20-13 and look like a contender on paper, but they just got run out of their own park by the White Sox, dropping three straight in San Diego after getting blanked at home for the first time this season. The bats went quiet — nine runs across the four-game skid — and a homestand that should have padded the cushion turned into a gut check before flying north.
The Giants, meanwhile, are the sport's current punching bag. They limped home from a 0-6 East Coast trip through Philadelphia and Tampa, with three of those losses coming on walk-offs. Tony Vitello's group has scored nine runs in the last six and rolls into this homestand at 13-21 with a five-game losing streak — and that's only because the structured data caps it there.
- Day-To-DayBlake Hunt C — Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down from activity, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 7-day ilJake Cronenworth 2B — The Padres placed Cronenworth on the 7-day concussion injured list Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — The Padres placed Campusano on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a left toe fracture.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — The Padres placed Marquez on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right forearm nerve irritation.
- 15-Day-ILNick Pivetta SP — Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters Wednesday that Pivetta was diagnosed with a right flexor strain, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 60-Day-ILJhony Brito RP — Brito (forearm) has been throwing bullpens in Padres camp, per MLB.com.
- 60-Day-ILJoe Musgrove SP — The Padres transferred Musgrove (elbow) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILBryan Hoeing RP — The Padres transferred Hoeing (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayLogan Webb SP — Manager Tony Vitello said after Tuesday's loss to the Padres that Webb was dealing with knee discomfort during his start, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader (hamstring) went 1-for-3 in Triple-A Sacramento's 4-0 loss to Reno on Tuesday.
- 10-Day-ILDaniel Susac C — Susac (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 15-Day-ILSam Hentges RP — Hentges (knee/shoulder) struck out one in a scoreless inning during Triple-A Sacramento's 7-6 win over Tacoma on Wednesday.
- 15-Day-ILErik Miller RP — Miller (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 60-Day-ILJared Oliva CF — The Giants transferred Oliva (wrist) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILRowan Wick RP — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Birdsong RP — Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The pitching matchup is the angle here. Randy Vásquez (3-0, 2.94) has been the steady hand the Padres needed with Darvish, Musgrove, Pivetta and now Marquez all on the shelf. He's leaning harder on a four-seamer that's ticked up in velocity and movement this year, and San Diego has won every game he's started.
Across from him, the Giants hand the ball to Trevor McDonald, who carries a clean 0.00 ERA into what looks like his first start of the year. He impressed in a brief September cameo last season and pitched his way into the conversation all spring. With the rotation banged up and the team desperate for any kind of spark, this is a real audition under bad-vibes lighting.
If you're a Giants fan, the path to stopping the bleeding is obvious: McDonald gives you length, somebody other than the top of the order draws a walk, and the bullpen doesn't blow it in the eighth. If you're a Padres fan, you want Vásquez to do Vásquez things and the lineup to remember what extra-base hits look like. Whichever team flinches first probably loses, and right now both look ready to flinch.