San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano is out of the lineup on Saturday in the Padres matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kyle Higashioka will be starting in his place. Campusano has been the starting catcher in six of the Padres last seven games so this is likely just a rest day for the 25-year-old. Expect Campusano to be back out in the starting lineup on Saturday against Dodgers' left-hander James Paxton. Campusano hit lefties well last season, putting up a 1.114 OPS in 47 PA.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup on Saturday. There's no current indication that this is anything more than a rest day for the 31-year-old. A day off may not be a bad thing for Bogaerts, who's started out sluggish this season with just a .219 batting average and only one HR. Tyler Wade will get the start at second base in Bogaerts' place, sliding over from third base where he has been playing in most of his starts this season. Eguy Rosario will start at third base for the Padres with Manny Machado at DH. Expect Bogaerts to return back to the lineup in Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease blanked a red-hot Chicago Cubs offense in Wednesday's 10-2 victory, firing six strong innings on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts for a win. The Cubs entered the day second in baseball with 71 runs scored, but Cease was up for the challenge on Wednesday. Since Christopher Morel reached on Ha-Seong Kim's fielding error in the fourth inning, Michael Busch's two-run home run represented two unearned runs on Cease's ledger. The 28-year-old right-hander looks to be getting more comfortable after landing in San Diego in March, registering a 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 20:6 K:BB over his first 16 2/3 innings (three starts) of the campaign. His next start is lined up for a potential pitching duel with right-hander Freddy Peralta next Tuesday against the hot-hitting Milwaukee Brewers. Cease threw seven two-run innings in his lone start against Milwaukee in 2023.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez twirled eight innings of one-run ball on six hits and no walks in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, striking out seven hitters en route to a tough-luck no-decision. It looked like Perez was well on his way to earning a win on Tuesday, but closer David Bednar couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning after Perez threw 100 pitches. While the 33-year-old crafty lefty isn't known for having dominant stuff, he's quietly off to a fast start during his first year in Pittsburgh, garnering a 1.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 19 innings to begin the season. Next up for Perez is a scheduled start against the struggling New York Mets on Monday, when he'll be worth considering as a fantasy streamer. In three appearances against the Mets since 2022, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and seven K's across 11 2/3 innings.

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. had himself a good day at the plate on Monday against the Chicago Cubs. The victory was a historic game for the Padres, as they were down 8-0 at one point during the game, and came back to win the game 9-8. The comeback victory was completed by Tatis' two-run home run in the eighth inning off of Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay. For the season thus far, Tatis owns a triple slash line of .286/.352/.551 with four home runs and two stolen bases, good for an elite OPS of .903. Look for Tatis to continue his elite power and speed production from a thin outfielder position.