Padres pregame: Safe to make All-Star week plans, Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, a DH day for Manny Machado

Fernando Tatis Jr. isn't slugging like you'd expect, but he's still going quite a bit better than he had.

Still, he's probably safe to make plans for this year's All-Star break.

His .696 OPS is one reason.

The other?

Well, he's No. 19 among the 20 NL outfielders listed among the top vote-getters in the initial All-Star ballot update.

Tatis has 170,376 votes. The top-10 vote-getters all have at least 400,00 votes.

No other Padre hitter is within striking distance of advancing in fan balloting as Manny Machado (163,064) is sixth among NL third basemen and the injured Miguel Andujar (42,566) is 10th among DH candidates. No other Padres made the update cut (pitchers are not selected by fans).

Tatis is riding a nine-game on-base streak (.350/.386/.500) into Monday's 4:45 p.m. start in St. Louis, the first of a three-game series.

Tatis will play lead off on Monday and play right field, allowing Sung-Mun Song (.506 OPS) to get his first start since Wednesday. Manny Machado (.613 OPS) will serve as the DH for the fifth time this year, allowing Will Wagner (1.199 OPS) to get his first start in the field this year-at third base.

Wagner will bat sixth, between shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.658 OPS) and first baseman Ty France (.772).

Gavin Sheets (.780 OPS) will bat fourth and play left field and Rodolfo Durán (.833 OPS) will start and bat ninth.

Here is how the Cardinals (38-31) will line up for Game 1:

Monday’s pitching matchup

Padres LHP Wandy Peralta (1-0, 2.18 ERA

The Padres are using an opener in front of RHP Lucas Giolito (2-1, 4.35 ERA), who allowed just two runs-one earned-over four innings in his last start but tied a season-high with five walks. For the season, Giolito has more walks (18) than strikeouts (14) and hasn't completed five innings since doing so in his first two starts as a Padre. He has a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals, the last in 2023 (7 IP 2 ER).

Giolito has history with five current Cardinals:

• 1B Alec Burleson (0-for-3, K)
• OF Lars Nootbaar (0-for-3, K)
• OF Nelson Velazquez (1-for-3, HR, 3 RBIs, K)
• OF Jordan Walker (0-for-3)
• INF Jose Fermin (0-for-2)

Cardinals RHP Dustin May (4-6, 4.21 ERA)

He's allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts (2.89 ERA), which includes allowing three runs-two earned-in six innings in a loss at Petco Park last month. May is coming off six strikeouts over six shutout innings in a win at the Mets.

A former Dodger, May has extensive regular-season history with several Padres:

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 1:41 PM.