Francisco Lindor returned to the Mets lineup Tuesday night, giving New York two star middle infielders in the lineup for the first time since the trade for Javier Baez. The spark did not ignite, however, as Lindor and Baez combine to go 0 for 7 with a walk as the Giants win a blow out 8-0.

Meanwhile, the Padres firing of pitching coach Larry Rothschild did nothing to change that team’s fortunes as the Dodgers take the contest 5-2. The Padres use eight pitchers in a bullpen game, and when a team brings in that many relievers, a couple are bound to have a bad day. Meanwhile, Dodgers pitching held the heart of the Padres order, Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado, and Jake Cronenworth to an 0 for 10 with two walks.

It is worth noting that coming into the season, the Padres and Mets looked much more likely to be the best team in baseball than the Giants. The Padres actively built a team with stars. The Giants seemed to march into the season with has beens. Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria, Johnny Cueto, and Anthony DeSclafani were all on the wrong side of 30, and all on the downsides of their careers. I don’t know what the Giants did that helped these players improve, but it worked much better than the acquisitions by the Mets and Padres in creating a winner.