Padres finally found offensive life after Craig Stammen made an overdue lineup move

The Padres have gotten off to a sluggish start in 2026, but after securing a series win against the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, it seems as if the team may finally be getting back on the right track.

After dropping the series opener by a score of 5–2, San Diego bounced back with a 3–2 victory on Saturday, and followed that up with an 8–6 victory on Sunday. The win on Saturday was fueled by a crucial, analytics driven, decision by new manager Craig Stammen.

Craig Stammen’s long-awaited Padres adjustment may have finally awakened offense

The Padres played to the platoon advantage, and put hitters that wouldn’t be at the top of the lineup, in that very spot.

“Facing Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early on Saturday, Stammen shuffled his lineup in a major way. Laureano and Miguel Andujar -- a pair of potent right-on-left bats -- moved up into the second and third spots in the lineup, respectively. The lefty-hitting Jackson Merrill sat. Freddy Fermin was up to sixth. Ty France started and batted seventh.” — AJ Cassavell

Andujar finished a whopping 3-for-5 and scored one of the three Padre runs, and more importantly, proving Stammen’s analytical approach correct.

Laureano wounded up finishing 1-for-4 with a crucial RBI single in the top of the ninth inning that gave the Padres the lead, further bolstering Stammen’s point.

This chess, not checkers, approach by Stammen and the analytics department helped the Padres evade a terrible start to 2026. After struggling in a six-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants, finishing 2–4, the team is quietly building up momentum as we get deeper into the regular season.

The Padres complete their six-game road trip this week with a stop in Pittsburgh where they take on the redhot Pirates. After, they return home to open up yet another homestand against the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners.