Padres pregame: Trying Samad Taylor in two-hole as Cardinals seek sweep
The Padres have taken a liking to calling Samad Taylor their "sparkplug."
Now he'll get a chance to set the table.
The 27-year-old Taylor will bat second on Wednesday as the Padres look to avoid a sweep in St. Louis.
First pitch is at 11:15 a.m. on Padres.TV.
Taylor is hitting .355/.412/.484 with one homer, eight RBIs and three steals in nine games since he was recalled from Triple-A El Paso.
The Padres had won back-to-back series before collecting just five hits in losing the first two games against the Cardinals. The Padres rank last in batting average (.216), on-base percentage (.289), slugging (.358) and OPS (.647).
It's a trend that has dropped the Padres (37-35) nine games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and a game out of a wild-card spot.
All after the Padres were 11 games over .500 as late as May 23.
So no harm in riding a hot hand atop an order with so few even lukewarm hands
Taylor, who had not yet hit higher than sixth, will play left field and slot between right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (.688 OPS) and center fielder Jackson Merrill (.614 OPS).
Third baseman Manny Machado (.609 OPS) and his MLB-worst .175 batting average will bat fourth, followed by designated hitter Gavin Sheets (.759 OPS), shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.640 OPS) and first baseman Ty France (.753 OPS).
Will Wagner (.783 OPS) will play second base and bat eighth, followed by Rodolfo Durán (.717 OPS), who will bat ninth and catch as Blake Hunt still looks to make his MLB debut.
Here is how the Cardinals (40-31) will line up:
Wednesday’s pitching matchup
Padres RHP Bradgley Rodriguez (1-2, 2.16 ERA)
As they did in Game 1, the Padres are using an opener for RHP Griffin Canning (0-5, 7.17 ERA), who set or matched new season highs in his last start in innings (5), runs allowed (7), homers (2) and walks (5). The Padres are 2-6 in Canning's eight starts. Canning has a 5.06 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals, including allowing six runs in 4⅓ innings in a loss in May.
Here is how Canning has fared against current Cardinals:
Cardinals RHP Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.64 ERA)
He has a 5.18 ERA in five starts since throwing five shutout innings at the Padres in a no-decision last month at Petco Park. Leahy has not allowed a run in any of his three appearances against the Padres (10⅓ IP).
Here is how Leahy has fared against current Padres:
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 9:19 AM.