The San Diego Padres dropped their first series in over a month on Sunday and may have also lost their shortstop. When they begin a three-game series at home against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, Ha-Seong Kim is likely to be sidelined due to a shoulder injury sustained in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat against the Colorado Rockies. Kim injured his right shoulder during a pickoff attempt in the third inning and was removed from the game. Padres manager Mike Shildt mentioned that Kim would undergo further evaluation on Monday, saying, “He’s dealing with something that will require some time. How long, we’ll know on Monday.” If Kim, who has a .233 average with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, and a team-best 22 stolen bases, lands on the injured list, Xander Bogaerts or Manny Machado could fill in at shortstop. Bogaerts has primarily played shortstop throughout his career, while Machado has experience at the position with the Padres, Dodgers, and Orioles.
Despite the series loss to the National League-worst Rockies, San Diego remains atop the NL wild-card standings, holding a one-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and sits second in the NL West, three games behind the Dodgers. Michael King (10-6, 3.19 ERA) will start for the Padres in Monday’s opener. King, coming off a strong outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates where he pitched six scoreless innings, allowing seven hits with no walks and striking out 10, has a 2.45 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against Minnesota.
The Twins, meanwhile, missed out on a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday, surrendering a 4-0 lead in a 6-5, 10-inning loss. A throwing error by third baseman Jose Miranda allowed the Rangers to score the winning run. Despite the loss, Minnesota holds the second AL wild card, trailing the Yankees and Orioles by 2 1/2 games, and sits just two games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. “We’re in every game,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. Rookie right-hander Zebby Matthews (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will make his second major league start on Monday, after earning a win in his debut last Tuesday, where he gave up two runs over five innings against the Kansas City Royals. The Twins, who were 17 games over .500 before Sunday’s loss, have an 11-6 record this month and will begin a nine-game homestand after the Padres series. “We never give up,” said utility player Willi Castro following Minnesota’s 5-2 win over Texas on Saturday.
