[SPORTALKOREA] Song Sung-moon of the San Diego Padres saw a well-struck ball turn into an unfortunate out, extending his hitless streak to three consecutive games.
On May 10 (local time), the infielder started as the No. 8 hitter and second baseman at Petco Park in San Diego, California, against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2026 MLB regular season. He finished 0-for-2 with one walk and one run scored.
In his first at-bat in the bottom of the third inning, Song faced Cardinals starter Dustin May and fell behind 1-2. After battling through three foul balls, he worked a full count but ultimately lifted a flyout to center field.
The underlying metrics made the outcome even more frustrating. The ball came off the bat at 101.6 mph (163.5 km/h) with a launch angle of 27 degrees—a “barrel” hit. The projected distance was 376 feet (114.6 meters), and the expected batting average (xBA) stood at an impressive 0.680.
Song partially redeemed himself in the bottom of the fifth inning with the game tied 1-1. With one out and no one on base, he engaged in another fierce battle against May and drew a walk on seven pitches. Two batters later, Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered a go-ahead RBI single, and Song crossed the plate to score.
In the seventh inning, with a runner on first and no outs, Song prepared to sacrifice bunt. However, the runner, Ty France, was caught stealing second base, forcing Song to swing away. He hit a sharp grounder, but third baseman Nolan Gorman made a stellar defensive play to rob him of a hit.
Song did not get a fourth at-bat, extending his hitless streak to three games. His season line dropped to a .182 batting average (2-for-11) with two RBIs, one stolen base, and a .523 OPS.
Song received his second call-up to the big leagues on May 6 and made an immediate impact, recording his first career hit and RBI—a two-run double—in a 2-for-4 performance with two runs scored, emerging as a key contributor in the team’s victory. However, he has since failed to produce meaningful results at the plate.
Given Jake Cronenworth’s prolonged struggles, there is growing sentiment within the organization to give Song more time to adapt. His quality of contact and plate approach have been solid, suggesting a rebound is plausible. The challenge, however, is that time may be running out before Cronenworth returns from injury.
Despite Song’s quiet performance, San Diego secured a 4-2 victory, avenging their two previous losses and claiming the first win of the four-game series. The Padres improved to 23-16 (.590 winning percentage) and remain in close pursuit of the National League West lead.
San Diego starter Randy Vásquez surrendered a go-ahead two-run double to Nathan Church in the top of the fourth inning, but the Padres responded in the bottom of the fifth. France tied the game with a solo home run (his fourth of the season), followed by Tatis Jr.’s two-run single to take the lead.
After Adrián Morejón allowed a run in the top of the eighth, cutting the lead to one, Manny Machado provided insurance with a solo homer in the bottom half—his sixth of the season and the 200th of his Padres career. Mason Miller escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the ninth to close out the win.