Two games, two separate reasons. In Tulsa, OKC is resting six regulars for the front end of a back-to-back, while New Orleans has no game for a couple of days. In San Diego, the Brewers send out a starter who hasn't gotten past the third inning in a month, against a Padres lineup that has been getting on base all series and just hasn't cashed in.
The Thunder preseason opener is played in Tulsa, not OKC. Mark Daigneault confirmed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace sit because the Bucks come to OKC the next night. Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber are out too after a limited camp. That isn't just a lot of names. It's both main creators and nearly all the size, with rookie Aday Mara described as one of the few bigs available. Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell will carry the offense. New Orleans has no back-to-back to protect, so it has no reason to hold back its usual group.
In San Diego, Dustin May's numbers against the Padres look great: 3 runs over 22 innings this season, though two of those starts came for St. Louis. His recent form is the opposite: an 8.59 ERA over his final three starts, none longer than three innings. Even a good May probably covers only part of the game and hands a lot of outs to the Milwaukee bullpen. Nick Pivetta had a 1.45 ERA over four starts after coming off the IL, then allowed one run in his Wild Card outing.
The Padres trail 0-2, but both losses were one-run games where they stranded 20 runners and went 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position. That's a lineup creating chances, now back at home, where they went 4-1 over their last 10 with 35 runs scored.
