Padres pregame: Again ‘playing with’ Fernando Tatis Jr. atop the order

Fernando Tatis Jr. looked good in the leadoff spot on Thursday, a decision that had at least something to do with left-hander Chris Sale starting on opening day.

The Padres want to see how good he’ll look again atop the order against a right-hander.

For the second day in a row, Tatis will serve as the leadoff hitter in front of Luis Arraez for Friday’s 6:40 p.m. start against the Atlanta Braves. The Padres’ right fielder did not hit leadoff once last year, but he’s no stranger to the spot as his 163 starts there is second only to his 273 starts in the two-hole.

Padres manager Mike Shildt had previously indicated that Tatis atop the order could be something seen against left-handers this year, but Friday’s lineup revealed this is something the team wants to get a good, long look at.

“I think it’s something we’re playing with,” Shildt said. “And looking at it, he looked very comfortable. Luis is comfortable (hitting) second. It looks good. We’ll see what it looks like continually. I think it’s a good spot for him.”

It certainly has been.

Tatis’ .977 career OPS as a leadoff hitter easily trumps his numbers in the two-hole (.805 OPS) and trails only his production as a cleanup hitter (1.060 OPS), though he has far more plate appearances batting first (745) than he does batting fourth (165).

True to form, the 26-year-old singled three times on Thursday and logged his first two-steal game since Sept. 4, 2023. He swiped third base ahead of Jackson Merrill’s two-run single in the first inning and third again in the fifth inning.

Tatis swiped as many as 29 bags in 2023, but that number dipped to 11 last year, when he lost more than two months to a stress reaction in his femur. Tatis attempted only three steals after returning in September — but none in the postseason — so the early action on the bases is further proof that an offseason of rest did his body quite a bit of good.

“Last year I was standing on one leg,” Tatis said. “That talks about a lot myself, but you can really see how healthy I’m at right now.”

Shildt agreed.

“Feels great, feels healthy,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to see out of Fernando. He’s a dynamic player.”

With a right-hander on the mound for the Braves (see below), Gavin Sheets and Jason Heyward draw their first starts as Padres. Sheets will serve as the DH and bat seventh a day after his pinch-hit homer turned the tied in an opening day win. Heyward pinch-ran in the game, but he’ll start in left field on Friday and bat eighth.

Catcher Martín Maldonado is also drawing his first start behind the plate after coming off the bench on Friday.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts will move from fourth to sixth in the lineup, Merrill will move from fifth to fourth and Jake Cronenworth will move from seventh to fifth.

Arraez is making his second consecutive start in the two-hole after hitting exclusively in the leadoff spot last year.

Given the opportunities that Tatis could present for him, he doesn’t mind one bit.

“I love that,” Arraez said. “Because he’s an electric guy. As soon he get on base, I know he’s stealing a base. So I got more chances to get RBIs, so I’d be excited to be there and behind him. So I love that guy. He got a lot of energy.”

Here is how the Braves (0-1) will line up for Game 2:

Friday’s pitching matchup

Braves RHP Reynaldo Lopez (8-5, 1.99 ERA in 2024)

The first-time All-Star made 25 starts last year for the Braves after bouncing from the White Sox to the Angels to the Guardians while throwing 66 innings (3.27 ERA) out of the bullpen. Lopez allowed five runs in 12 1/3 innings (3.65 ERA) in his two starts against the Padres.

Here is how Lopez has fared in his career against current Padres:

Padres RHP Dylan Cease (14-11, 3.47 ERA in 2024)

He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in his first year in San Diego, throwing a career-high 189 1/3 innings while topping 210 strikeouts in a fourth straight year. Cease struck out 16 over 10 innings (4.50 ERA) over two starts last year against the Braves.

Here is how Cease has fared in his career against current Braves: