Still in the early leg of 13 straight games, Padres manager Mike Shildt forecast that he’d use his DH on Sunday to give a regular a day off his feet.
It makes sense that Xander Bogaerts is that regular serving as the DH in Sunday’s 2:10 p.m. start on Padres.TV.
Bogaerts has started at shortstop for 54 of the team’s 56 games. Things are not going well for him at the plate, but a half-day off also makes sense as Bogaerts has two homers and a 1.635 OPS in 19 plate appearances against Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney.
Bogaerts is hitting .241/.326/.335 with three homers and 21 RBIs on the season. He’s hitting .318/.375/.318 over the last week but saw his production dip from .243/.331/.350 in 30 games the first month to .239/.320/.318 over 26 games in May.
Bogaerts will bat sixth, between left fielder Gavin Sheets (.822 OPS) and second baseman Jake Cronenworth (.839 OPS).
The Padres had been using Luis Campusano as a DH against left-handed pitching, but he is 0-for-13 with six walks and six strikeouts across two stints in the majors. He went 0-for-2 and grounded into a double play on Saturday and was replaced by Jose Iglesias (.603 OPS) as a pinch-hitter against a lefty reliever late in the game.
With Bogaerts at DH, Iglesias will make his third start at shortstop this season.
Ready for a rubber match. pic.twitter.com/LLJwX4Pk8u
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 1, 2025
Iglesias is hitting .412/.444/.471 with a double and two RBIs over his last seven games (18 plate appearances).
Saturday’s loss dropped the Padres (32-24) three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The rest of the division, however, also lost so the Padres remain one game ahead of the Giants (32-26) and six games ahead of the Diamondbacks (27-31), who have suddenly lost our in a row and nine of 10.
Here is how the Pirates (22-37), who on Saturday beat the Padres for the first time since July 2023, will line up for the series finale:
Series finale vs. the Padres.
📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFan | The PRNPresented by @bet365_us pic.twitter.com/j4ccnuMhzX
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 1, 2025
Sunday’s pitching matchup
Pirates LHP Andrew Heaney (3-4, 3.41 ERA)
The 33-year-old is averaging just 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings, well below his career average (9.3). Heaney has allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his 11 starts this year, but the Padres beat him in early May with four runs in 3⅔ innings in Pittsburgh. Heaney has a 1.99 ERA in 31⅔ career innings against the Padres.
Here is how Heaney has fared against current Padres:
Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.58 ERA)
He tied a season high with five walks over five innings of one-run ball in a no-decision in Pittsburgh in early May. Since then, Vásquez has struck out 19 against three walks while posting a 3.13 ERA over four starts (23 IP). Lefties still hit Vásquez hard but an .864 OPS is an improvement on last year’s .961 OPS against lefties.
Here is how he’s fared against current Pirates:
