San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.’s productivity has taken a massive dip this season as the All-Star outfielder has just one home run to his name. Boston Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez shared advice for the Padres slugger amid his struggles at the plate.
Tatis is batting .276 for the season with a .330 slugging percentage and a .667 OPS, which is well below his career stats. Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, advised Tatis to stick to his mindset that has brought him success over the years.
“Fernando Tatis: Don’t let anybody play with your mind. As an elite player, your mindset should never change. Just do what you mentally know to do!” Martinez wrote on X.
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Tatis went without a home run for the first three months of the season before ending his drought with a 451-foot homer against the Washington Nationals over the weekend. He made 240 plate appearances with a home run before the game, the longest drought in the major leagues.
Padres succumb to fourth defeat against Phillies despite Fernando Tatis Jr.’s strong outing
The Padres lost 3-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, dropping seven of their last eight games. Although Fernando Tatis Jr. had one of his best nights of the season at the plate, going 3-for-4, the Padres went hitless with runners in scoring position.
Padres first baseman Gavin Sheets, who smashed his 10th home run of the season in the narrow loss, rallied the team to bounce back against Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez on Wednesday.
“It’s important to get back on it tomorrow and give ourselves a chance to win a series,” Sheets said. “It’s time for us to come tomorrow and show up. This is how you go a long way — you beat pitchers like [Sánchez].”
The Padres have lost all four games against the Phillies this season and face a tough task of getting one over Sanchez, who has gone scoreless in his last five starts. He holds a 6-2 record with a 1.48 ERA for the season.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash