A baseball season can go in so many different directions. The San Diego Padres came home from a dismal 4-5 road trip, but no time to feel sorry for themselves. The homestand brought a fierce test against two of the National League’s top World Series contenders.
The Padres swept the Eastern Division-leading Atlanta Braves before losing two out of three to the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers in a pivotal three-game series last weekend.
Despite going 4-2 on the homestand, the series loss to the Dodgers offered
a picture of how fast momentum can disappear.
Dodgers crashed the party
The Friars have their troubles against the Dodgers. We cannot use the litany of injuries as an excuse because their Opening Day lineup also struggled to score runs. Every missed scoring opportunity has left a bad taste in the Friar Faithful’s mouth.
It is time for the Padres to turn the page and refocus on what they do best. The bats will have to figure out their issues with the Dodgers on their own. No question, the lineup can score runs, but the hitters are failing to make the necessary adjustments against quality pitching.
The Friars are best when they play small ball.
How did the Padres transform from a power-hitting to a small-ball lineup?
A month ago, the lineup was failing to meet expectations. The offseason signings were awkward fits on the roster. The front office revamped the look; now, the Friars resemble a team with connecting parts.
Still, changes to the lineup do not guarantee success on the field. The new-look Padres had Fernando Tatis Jr. and Samad Taylor at the top of the order. Both players have responded with a hot streak at the plate.
Tatis Jr. has broken out of his season-long power slump by pushing his batting average to .282 with 3 HR and 31 RBI in 82 games.
Taylor has provided a much-needed spark to the offense since his call-up from the minors. He has posted a .319 batting average with a .793 OPS in 20 games. Taylor has shown excellent plate discipline, especially behind the count with two strikes. The stat that catches your eye is his low chase rate (21.2%). Opposing pitchers are having trouble recording outs against Taylor.
The lineup changes did increase run production, but the bats went cold against the Dodgers. The batters missed several opportunities to take the lead with a clutch hit. The Friars left 47 runners on the bases during the homestand. The lone saving grace is a 4-2 record heading back on the road.
A team with postseason aspirations, the Padres have to do better in run-scoring situations.
Despite the occasional misstep, the Friars have managed to stay in playoff contention, but they still have work to do. The front office needs to shore up the holes in the lineup if they want to compete for a postseason berth.
