Opposite dugout: Padres stuck in NL West cellar, may soon be sellers

Manager: Andy Green (1st season)

Record: 27-40

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: 1B Wil Myers (.281 with 14 HR, 39 RBIs), RF Matt Kemp (15 HR, 43 RBIs), CF Melvin Upton Jr. (9 HR, 30 RBIS, 13 SB), LHP Christian Freidrich (3-1, 2.12 ERA), LHP Drew Pomeranz (57, 2.88 ERA), RHP Fernando Rodney (13 saves, 0.00 ERA)

Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-5 in 2015)

Pitching probables:

June 16: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Erik Johnson, 10:10 p.m., MASN2
June 17: RHP Joe Ross vs. LHP Christian Friedrich, 10:40 p.m., MASN2
June 18: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Colin Rea, 10:10 p.m., MASN
June 19: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. LHP Drew Pomeranz, 4:40 p.m., MASN

Inside the Padres:

Remember two winters ago when nearly every big move that was made or contract that was doled out seemingly improved the Padres? Well, how'd that work out? San Diego finished 14 games under .500 in 2015, and the Friars are firmly entrenched in last place in the National League West, 13 games below the break-even point. The Padres are in sell mode, and they peddled off starting pitcher James Shields to the White Sox two weeks ago. Now the speculation is who will go next. So the Padres team the Nationals see on Thursday when the four-game series at Petco Park opens might not be the same one they play on Sunday, when the first meeting of 2016 between the team concludes. At least San Diego comes in on a high note: Their win over the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon averted a sweep and halted a four-game skid.

The Padres, in a word, have been a disaster. You can pick whatever reason suits you: inconsistency, injury, ineffectiveness, inexperience. They rank in the bottom third of the major leagues in every offensive category except stolen bases. But first-year manager Andy Green can only be so aggressive - what's the old expression about being unable to steal first base? Ditto for most of the major pitching categories, where the only thing the Padres do effectively is strike out opponents.

Wil Myers, long ago a future stud outfielder in the Royal system, is finally showing some of his promise, though he's now a first baseman. Myers is 19-for-55 (.345) in June and is making a push to be the home team's representative when the Padres host the All-Star Game next month. But the more likely San Diego All-Star is right fielder Matt Kemp, who hit his 15th homer of the season Monday after not reaching that plateau until Aug. 21 last season. Center fielder Melvin Upton Jr. has increased his trade value by hitting .246 with nine homers and a team-leading 13 steals. Third baseman Yangervis Solarte isn't flashy, but he's hitting .273 and has found himself in the cleanup spot in the order a few times this season.

Righty Erik Johnson came to the Padres in the Shields trade and has made one start, failing to get through five innings and yielding five runs on nine hits. He's got a career 4.73 ERA in 19 starts, so he's hittable, and he's allowed 21 homers in 102 2/3 innings. Lefty Christian Friedrich was once a top prospect in the Rockies system before his release in February. He's logged at least six innings in four of his six starts this season and has allowed only eight earned runs in that span. Against the Nats, he's 0-2 with a 14.00 ERA in four games, including two starts. Right-hander Colin Rea has made 12 starts in his 13 appearances this season, but has posted a 1.45 WHIP and given up seven homers in 65 1/3 innings. With Shields gone and righties Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner on the disabled list, lefty Drew Pomeranz is the de-facto most accomplished starter on the staff, and his 2.88 ERA and 5-7 record hint of some bad luck. He's averaging better than a strikeout an inning, but has dropped four of his past five decisions over a span of six starts. But he won his only career start against the Nationals, spinning 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball against them for the Rockies on July 6, 2012. Johnson and Rea have never faced Washington.

As reclamation projects go, it's hard to find a better story than Padres closer Fernando Rodney, the arrow-shooting veteran who is the only qualifying major league reliever not to allow an earned run this year. At 38, he's no longer the dominating ninth-inning arm he once was, but Rodney is 13-for-13 in save opportunities with a stingy 0.86 WHIP. Not bad for a guy who posted a 4.74 ERA and blew seven saves in 23 chances last year. He's getting some quality bridge work from lefty Ryan Buchter (1.86 ERA) and innings-eating veteran righty Carlos Villanueva (3.38 ERA).