Padres’ RISP woes continue in shutout loss to Phillies

SAN DIEGO  Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh each launched home runs for Philadelphia, which proved to be plenty of support against a San Diego offense that has gone hitless with runners in scoring position since Friday.

In a matchup between two National League contenders, the Padres dropped the series opener 3-0 at Petco Park. Here are some immediate takeaways:

Continuing RISP struggles

A telling sign of San Diego’s recent offensive woes: In the first inning alone, the Padres went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. After Xander Bogaerts reached on a Trea Turner error to load the bases, Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill struck out, and Nick Castellanos grounded out to end the inning. “That big hit — we’re just missing it right now,” said manager Craig Stammen. Despite ranking ninth in the majors with a .763 OPS with RISP entering Monday, San Diego went 0-for-9 in those situations and is now 2-for-35 on the homestand, including 0-for-22 over the last three games. “We have been pretty good throughout the year,” Stammen added. “But here of late, it’s just gotten a little frustrating.”

Machado and Merrill stuck in slumps

While Fernando Tatis Jr. reached base in all four plate appearances Monday, Machado went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and Merrill finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Both own sub-.600 OPS figures this season. Stammen acknowledged the offense hasn’t met expectations a third of the way through the campaign: “We keep talking about it every day. We keep trying new things. … Looking forward to the next two-thirds of the season.”

Canning’s strong start undone late

Griffin Canning delivered 6⅔ innings — a much-needed length boost for an overworked Padres bullpen — but a costly mistake in the seventh inning spoiled his outing. After allowing only a Schwarber homer through six frames, Canning fell behind Marsh and hung a 2-0 slider that was deposited just over the right-field wall for a two-run shot, making it 3-0. “It obviously ended on a little bit of a sour note,” Canning said, “but I’m usually trying to look at the positives.”