Padres pregame: Tatis at short, Cronenworth at first to start final homestand

The Padres returned to Petco Park to start the final homestand of the season with Fernando Tatis Jr. atop the order and at shortstop. He is starting there for the ninth time in 10 games after Jake Cronenworth fractured a finger in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Cronenworth missed six games before pinch-hitting on Friday in St. Louis, starting at first on Saturday and at shortstop on Sunday.

For Tuesday’s 7:10 p.m. start against the Giants, Cronenworth will bat second and slide over to first base, pushing Eric Hosmer out of the starting lineup.

Manny Machado is in the three-hole and Adam Frazier, who is hitting .478/.520/.522 during a six-game hitting streak, will bat clean-up for the fourth time in five games.

Tommy Pham is in left field and Jurickson Profar is in right, again pushing Wil Myers to the bench.

Trent Grisham is batting eighth.

Right-hander Joe Musgrove (11-9, 2.99 ERA) will be on the mound for Tuesday’s 7:10 p.m. start.

He last pitched Sept. 15 at San Francisco in a win (6 IP, 3 ER). He has a 6.75 ERA in three starts this year against the Giants.

Here is how the Giants have fared against him this year:

The Padres’ Joe Musgrove vs. current Giants

(Baseball-reference.com)

Giants’ right-hander Kevin Gausman (14-6, 2.78 ERA), a first-time all-star, has seen his ERA jump from 1.73 in the first half to 4.77 since the break. The Padres beat him last week in San Francisco with four runs on eight hits and a walk in five innings. Gausman has a 2.63 ERA in four starts this year against San Diego.

Here is how the Padres have fared against Gausman in 2021:

The Giants’ Kevin Gausman vs. the Padres in 2021

(Baseball-reference.com)

This story will be updated when the Giants post their lineup.