Padres pregame: Considering left-on-left options vs. Giants’ Robbie Ray

Facing an opposing left-hander for just the second time since the trade deadline, the Padres will have just three left-handers in Tuesday’s lineup for the 6:45 p.m. start on Padres.TV.

It’s the same three lefties they used on Aug. 1: Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth.

A look at tonight’s lineup. pic.twitter.com/UFOKNxo02v

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 12, 2025

That leaves the left-handed-hitting Ryan O’Hearn and Gavin Sheets as bullets that Padres manager Mike Shildt can fire off the bench.

The eight-hole is the spot to watch as Jose Iglesias is getting the start as the designated hitter.

Iglesias’ .233 batting average and .577 batting line are the low numbers in Tuesday’s order, but he’s hitting .273/.354/.375 against left-handed pitching. That adds up to a .729 OPS that trumps even Fernando Tatis Jr.’s numbers against lefties (.658 OPS).

Sheets has a .656 OPS against lefties this year, while O’Hearn has a .752 OPS against lefties that’s better than the lefties — Cronenworth (.733), Merrill (.667) and Arraez (.666) — in Tuesday’s lineup.

Of that group, only Cronenworth has seen time at second base this year. Ramon Laureano, who is back in Tuesday’s lineup, could see time in center field when Merrill gets days off, but that would force either Sheets, O’Hearn or the switch-hitting Bryce Johnson into the lineup in left field and the Padres decided against that while facing one of the better lefties going in Robbie Ray (see pitching matchup below).

Meantime, Arraez, Sheets and O’Hearn have all played first base.

Arraez was 0-for-5 on Monday, snapping a string of three straight multi-hit games. But he is hitting .340/.379/.433 over his last 23 games.

O’Hearn is just 3-for-22 since joining the Padres, while Sheets has just two starts since the July 31 trade deadline.

The Padres (67-52) are a season-high 15 games over .500, have won three in a row and have closed to within one game of the Dodgers in the NL West. They are also one game behind the Cubs in the race for the NL’s top wild-card spot.

Here is how the Giants (59-60), who are under .500 for the first time this season, will line up for Game 2 of the series:

Today's #SFGiants lineup: pic.twitter.com/fgy9lElcBT

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) August 12, 2025

Tuesday’s pitching matchup

Padres LHP Nestor Cortes (1-1, 7.11 ERA)

He threw 76 pitches over 4⅔ innings on Wednesday in his first start in four months as he returned from the injured list. Cortes struck out three, walked three and allowed two runs on three hits, including a homer. His only start against the Giants came last year. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 4⅓ innings in a no-decision.

Here is how Cortes has fared against current Giants:

Giants LHP Robbie Ray (9-5, 2.85 ERA)

His 55 walks in 142 innings are the most in the NL. Ray has a 2.41 ERA over his last three starts. Ray has a 4.15 ERA in 19 career starts against the Padres, but has just one since 2020 as he beat them in June with nine strikeouts over seven innings of two-run ball.

Here is how Ray has fared against current Padres: