Hays Steps In as Padres Target Wild Card | San Diego Padres News

Austin Hays is making his mark as the Padres’ new designated hitter, batting eighth in a pivotal game against the Mets — his first time DHing for the team since joining on August 9th. Despite a modest .273 average since being released by the White Sox, he’s shown power with a pinch-hit homer in his debut. The lineup shuffle sees Luis Rengifo moving to left field and Jake Cronenworth dropping to ninth. With the Padres clinging to the third wild-card spot — one game behind the Phillies and ahead of the Diamondbacks — every win matters. Robbie Ray, a lefty with mixed results so far but strong history vs. the Mets, takes the mound against rookie Zac Thornton, setting up a key lefty-vs-lefty duel that could sway the playoff race. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/de3b4412cf88524f