Padres manager Bud Black made a small, but perhaps significant change to the Padres lineup on Tuesday night. All season Justin Upton had been batting third and Matt Kemp fourth, but Black switched them on Tuesday. Upton actually hadn’t hit third since 2013. Per U-T San Diego, Black explained the lineup change:
"It gets Justin up in the first inning," Black said of the new lineup wrinkle. "He's really swinging the bat well. And I think it works both ways. I think it gives Matt a little different perspective, too.”
While Upton has been putting up All-Star worthy numbers, fellow outfielder Kemp has been struggling. Over the past month, Kemp’s average has declined from .351 on April 25 to .251 on May 25. He’s only hit one home run, and that was on April 18.
Kemp carried the Padres to victory on Tuesday with a bases-clearing double in the 10th inning after Upton had struck out.
(h/t U-T San Diego)
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
