Offense missing in action for Phillies, Padres entering series

If recent results are any indication, the visiting Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres might have a low-scoring series this week.

The teams begin a three-game set late Monday afternoon, each looking for an offensive boost that hasn't happened as often as both would like.

While San Diego is coming off a 5-2 loss Sunday to the Athletics that kept it from earning a sweep of the three-game series, Philadelphia sustained a 3-1 home defeat to Cleveland that capped a 2-4 week at home against Ohio teams. It lost two of three to both the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds.

A lack of hitting was a distinct feature, particularly against Cleveland. The Phillies managed just four runs in the series and hit only .174 during the homestand.

"I feel like we were playing good baseball and then kind of hit a little rough patch the last two series," Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner said. "But I don't feel like we're beating ourselves. We're in games. We just have to get a few more hits offensively and produce a little more offensively."

Turner and right fielder Adolis Garcia are sitting up front on the struggle bus. Turner's 0-for-4 showing Sunday dropped him to .225, 79 points under his mark last year. Garcia's fourth-inning double interrupted a 1-for-38 skid but he's still batting .203 with 62 strikeouts in 52 games.

Manager Don Mattingly said after Saturday night's game that he didn't possess "a true alternative, a guy who'd totally be an upgrade offensively," over Garcia.

Jesus Luzardo (3-4, 4.85 ERA) aims to get back into the win column after absorbing a 4-1 defeat Tuesday night against Cincinnati. The left-hander pitched well, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over six innings, but didn't get enough run support.

He'll be opposed by Randy Vasquez (5-2, 2.96) on the mound for San Diego. He's coming off a loss last Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he allowed three runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. But it's been a good May statistically for the right-hander who, despite a 2-2 record, has a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings.

Luzardo is 1-4 with a 4.50 ERA in five career starts against San Diego.

Vasquez is 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA against the Phillies, giving up six runs on 12 hits over 4 1/3 innings the only time he's faced them in 2024.

After managing nine hits total in Friday and Saturday night wins over the Athletics, the Padres matched that total in Sunday's series finale. But they couldn't cash in with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-8 on Sunday and 2-for-17 in the series.

"We're just looking for that big hit where we can break through a little bit," first-year manager Craig Stammen said. "We haven't quite gotten it ... I like how some of our guys are swinging the bat."

One of those guys Sunday was Fernando Tatis Jr., who still hasn't homered yet in 51 games but did collect three hits, including a line-drive double in the fifth. Stammen said he thinks the team is close to finding its best form offensively.

"These guys are working their tails off," Stammen said. "You can't judge them on one game. Eventually, they're going to break through."

--Field Level Media