Padres: Three players stock up/stock down in series loss to Rockies

Jurickson Profar

I really like Jurickson Profar‘s attitude and the chemistry that he brings to the Padres, but at some point, he needs to start hitting. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a difficult start this year, with just three hits in 32 at-bats. He went 0-for-13 in the series with three strikeouts while wasting critical at-bats in the middle of the Padres lineup. I suspect that he’ll remain at second base for now. But when Hosmer returns to the lineup, it’ll be interesting to see if he sees less playing time.

Joey Lucchesi

Did Joey Lucchesi make his last significant start for the Padres on Saturday? On Sunday, the Padres called up Jerad Eickhoff, who is expected to bolster the bullpen, but the team needs to do something about the rotation. Lucchesi has an 8.44 ERA in just 5.1 innings of work this year. He’s occupied the fourth spot in the rotation, with Cal Quantrill piggy-backing his efforts. However, it’s painfully obvious that it’s not working out. Is it time for the Padres to give MacKenzie Gore a look?

Matt Strahm

The once reliable lefty looks he’s pitching batting practice lately. Last year, Matt Strahm was used for more than one inning on countless occasions, but he’s struggled in four appearances thus far. The 28-year-old sports a 4.91 ERA, and he blew the save for Garrett Richards on Friday, allowing two hits and a solo blast to Trevor Story.

Coming into the series, Strahm had a rough go of it against San Francisco, allowing a walk-off home run to Mike Yastrzemski on Thursday. The bullpen was expected to be a dominant force this year, and it has looked anything but, thus far.