{"id":663315,"date":"2026-04-04T19:51:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/663315\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T19:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:51:28","slug":"padres-craig-stammen-sends-message-to-hitters-amid-major-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/663315\/","title":{"rendered":"Padres’ Craig Stammen Sends Message to Hitters Amid Major Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen had a message for his hitters, who have struggled to start the 2026 season. <\/a><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants by a score of 7-1. The lineup seemingly came to life<\/a> after looking sluggish in their first five games. <\/p>\n

In the series finale against their National League West rival, the Padres had finally broken through<\/a> and recorded a season-high in runs and hits. The offense scored more than three runs for the first time in 2026. <\/p>\n

While the Padres lineup made progress Wednesday, things took a turn for the worse Friday in the series opener against the Boston Red Sox. The Friars earned a 5-2 loss at Fenway Park while the first five hitters in the lineup combined for zero hits. That evidently makes it hard to win games. <\/p>\n

Moreover, the Padres’ two runs in the fifth inning came with some help from the sun, turning a Miguel Andujar flyout into a one-out triple.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd3a5th | 0-2 \u2022 SD 0, BOS 2<\/p>\n

SD – Miguel Andujar triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude80 95.9 mph \u2022 356 ft \u2022 25\u00b0
\u26be\ufe0f 85.3 mph Sweeper (Sonny Gray)
\ud83d\udcc5 4\/3\/2026 #OpeningDay<\/a> \ud83d\udcf9 statsapi pic.twitter.com\/yzybGe29HY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Paul\u2618\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 #\u041cV\u0420\u0435\u0430r\u0441\u0435\u26a1 (@WayneTrain25MVP) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Stammen is hoping he can provide the right motivation and mindset for his lineup, a group that showed its potential Wednesday but crumbled by Friday. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne is just trust themselves,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cTrust what they\u2019ve done in the past\u00a0\u2014 who they are as people and who they are as hitters. And I got complete confidence that they\u2019re gonna be just fine.\u201d <\/p>\n

Stammen also revealed whether or not he thinks his hitters are pressing. He’s adamant that a positive voice in the clubhouse is paramount to getting batters to take good swings and have quality at-bats. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s natural for every hitter to hit line drives and then not get a hit and then look at your average on the scoreboard and then want to press a little bit,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cBut we got to keep preaching to them that they\u2019re swinging well, they\u2019re hitting the ball hard and that eventually they\u2019re going to fall.\u201d <\/p>\n

Padres star Manny Machado also relayed he wasn’t concerned with the sluggish start on offense because each hitter has been taking good at-bats. <\/p>\n

\u201cNot frustrating at all,\u201d Machado said earlier this week when asked about his frustration to start the season. \u201cIt would\u2019ve been frustrating if we weren\u2019t having good at-bats. \u2026 We\u2019re hitting the ball hard, having good at-bats as a group. Obviously, we would like to score more runs. Obviously. But the at-bats are there.\u201d <\/p>\n

There was a bright spot amid the Padres’ loss in Boston as Luis Campusano recorded a hit, which no longer put him in possession of the longest hitless streak in the major leagues (35 at-bats and 580 days). <\/p>\n

Luis Campusano’s last hit in Major League Baseball was 580 days ago. It was August 31, 2024.<\/p>\n

This has to feel SO GOOD for the former Padres top prospect looking to finally stick in MLB.pic.twitter.com\/h9YL3KFngo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Padres On SI (@PadresOnSI) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

If the top of the lineup continues to struggle, the bottom of the order will have to find ways to produce at a consistent level. Campusano, who had previously been a liability, could be a key contributor for the Padres as a majority of the lineup continues to struggle. <\/p>\n

The Padres fell to 2-5, but will look to turn things around over Easter weekend. <\/p>\n

Stammen is deploying a much different lineup<\/a> for Saturday’s game.<\/p>\n

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