May 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) walks off the field during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
The New York Mets have faced significant challenges throughout the first 62 games of their season, but the San Diego Padres are currently enduring their deepest slump of the year.
The two clubs will meet Friday night in San Diego to open a three-game weekend series, with the Padres desperate to reverse their fortunes. While New York has found some momentum—winning five of their last seven, including a 7-1 victory over Seattle on Wednesday—San Diego has plummeted, losing five consecutive games and nine of their last ten. Their slide culminated in a 6-4 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, completing a series sweep by the Phillies.
The primary issue for San Diego is a dormant offense. Despite various lineup adjustments by rookie manager Craig Stammen, the Padres have managed only 26 runs over their last 10 contests. Currently, the team sits at the bottom of the league in total runs (235), batting average (.216), and on-base percentage (.291).
“Everybody’s trying to press a little bit,” Stammen remarked. “We’re trying to be perfect… this isn’t our best baseball, but it’s not who we are as a team. We’re working every day in a good way, but we’re not seeing the results we want on the field. That’s the nature of a long season.”
This offensive drought has placed an unsustainable burden on the pitching staff and defense, which struggled during the final five games of their road trip through Washington and Philadelphia, surrendering 25 runs.
San Diego turns to right-hander Michael King (4-4, 3.18 ERA) for Friday’s start. King is looking to bounce back from a 9-4 loss in Washington, where he allowed five runs over six-plus innings. In seven career appearances against the Mets, the former Yankee holds an 0-2 record with a 5.40 ERA.
Facing King will be right-hander Christian Scott (1-0, 2.97), who recently broke a 15-start winless streak with a 6-1 win over Miami. Scott recorded a career-high eight strikeouts over five innings in that performance and will be making his first career appearance against the Padres.
While the Mets’ offense has also struggled—ranking last in slugging percentage (.359) and 29th in on-base percentage (.293)—they have shown signs of life recently, scoring 41 runs over their last seven games. Bo Bichette provided a spark on Wednesday with four hits, including a two-run single, after a 13 at-bat hitless streak that had drawn boos from the New York crowd.
“That’s all I want is to help the team win,” said Bichette, who is currently batting .226 with five home runs and 31 RBIs.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza suggested that Bichette has been plagued by bad luck, noting several hard-hit balls that resulted in outs. “Hopefully, now he continues to get results and he gets going here,” Mendoza said. “I feel like this guy has been very unlucky. He’s a great hitter.”
Last season, the Padres held the upper hand in the matchup, winning four of six encounters, including a home sweep in late July.