Good morning,
The Padres are doing OK.
However they’re additionally simply attempting to hold on.
A 7-5 loss to the Diamondbacks in 10 innings final night time was nothing to be alarmed about — in a vacuum.
Stated Jake Cronenworth: “We’re not going to let a recreation the place we lose by two runs and had bases loaded within the tenth get us down.”
That’s a completely respectable sentiment when a staff has received 12 of its previous 16 video games and has performed the form of baseball the Padres have by way of a lot of this season (and particularly recently).
You’ll be able to learn in my recreation story (right here) how the Padres got here again from down 4-1 within the seventh inning earlier than shedding for the primary time in 4 extra-inning video games.
They got here oh-so-close to coming again once more within the tenth and successful for the seventh time this season in a recreation during which they trailed within the eighth inning or later.
“We performed till the final pitch and put ourselves able to win the sport,” Cronenworth mentioned. “Occurred (Friday) night time. Didn’t occur (final) night time.”
However with 69 video games to go, this example can’t be assessed in a vacuum.
Thus, there was no masking the actual fact the loss — ostensibly by the hands of Wandy Peralta within the tenth inning — additionally accentuated what many across the league have been saying for weeks.
The Padres’ prime precedence approaching the July 30 commerce deadline is buying a high-leverage reliever. Or two.
The Padres are definitely looking for beginning pitching. Yu Darvish is out for the foreseeable future (extra on that later), and Joe Musgrove is probably going not coming again for not less than one other month. Moreover, they’ve to ensure to not put on down Michael King in his first 12 months as a full-time starter.
However the worth being requested for even common beginning pitchers is extraordinarily excessive, and whereas it stays probably the Padres add a starter, the again finish is the place they maintain getting kicked.
Final night time’s recreation was not less than partially misplaced 24 hours earlier when Enyel De Los Santos couldn’t shut out a five-run lead within the ninth inning and nearer Robert Suarez needed to are available in for a 3rd consecutive day.
This has been a recurring theme. Simply since Might 31, Suarez has been known as on 3 times in the midst of the ninth inning to take over for a reliever who allowed a not-so-close recreation to turn out to be shut and has needed to “get sizzling” in not less than three different video games when a non-save scenario threatened to turn out to be one. (That is along with the occasions he has been known as on within the eighth inning as a result of one other reliever was not getting the job accomplished.)
Final night time, with Suarez unavailable, supervisor Mike Shildt needed to attempt to milk further outs from starter Matt Waldron after which went to Yuki Matsui with a person on within the seventh inning when he probably would have known as on Adrián Morejón in that scenario .
Matsui allowed an inherited runner plus a runner of his personal to attain. Then, after the Padres got here again and Jeremiah Estrada and Morejón labored scoreless innings, Peralta allowed three runs within the tenth.
That is clearly a special staff than the one which underachieved from the beginning final season, and it appears like a special staff than the one which collapsed in 2021.
However a bullpen that has at occasions been overworked as a result of starters have run into bother is way too shaky to really feel snug.
Darvish out indefinitely
Darvish was positioned on the restricted checklist yesterday, and it isn’t recognized whether or not he’ll return this season.
You’ll be able to learn the information and what Shildt mentioned earlier than the sport (the one public feedback in regards to the scenario) in Jeff Sanders’ pregame story (right here).
In brief, Darvish will not be being paid whereas he attends to a private matter.
Particulars are minimal, however sources mentioned that there’s a respectable likelihood Darvish returns this season. There may be additionally a really actual likelihood he doesn’t.
These sources mentioned there may be not a authorized challenge, as is commonly the case when a participant is positioned on the restricted checklist. It is a matter involving Darvish’s household, and it will likely be as much as Darvish when he returns.
What must be thought of is that Darvish is an honorable man. And whereas a staff has to request {that a} participant be positioned on the restricted checklist, it will make sense that Darvish didn’t battle to be paid whereas he steps away from the staff to deal with what he feels he must deal with.
Waldron battles
Waldron threw extra pitches within the second inning final night time than any Padres starter did this season.
And nobody was warming up within the bullpen.
The Padres do imagine Waldron is considerably suited to endure such an inning primarily based on the actual fact his major pitch is a knuckleball. Furthermore, final night time the fact was that they merely didn’t have the aptitude to cowl seven-plus innings with their bullpen.
Waldron rewarded Shildt by not taking greater than 15 pitches to get by way of any of the subsequent 4 innings. He was at 53 pitches by way of two innings and threw precisely that many pitches when he was pulled with a person and no person out within the seventh inning.
“I simply began to pitch to extra contact and avoiding the strikeouts,” Waldron mentioned. “… Simply give my staff the very best likelihood to win, get deep into the sport.”
Even after going again out for the seventh, permitting a single and having that runner (plus yet another) rating, Waldron did give the Padres an opportunity to win.
As for whether or not he can throw extra pitches than many different starters resulting from his throwing a knuckleball, that’s up for debate. He doesn’t throw a tender knuckleball.
“I’m attempting to throw that pitch laborious,” Waldron mentioned. “Whether or not it’s a four-seam, slider, my effort degree may be very intense it doesn’t matter what the pitch is.”
Why?
A follow-up relating to what I meant after I mentioned this 12 months’s Padres appear totally different than the 2021 staff.
Primarily, I meant the proof suggests the ‘24 model is healthier outfitted to resist the hits it’s taking (and should but take).
The Padres have been 16 video games above .500 on June 30, 2021. They received 9 straight within the center Might, and an eight-game win streak in June included a three-game sweep of the Dodgers.
However that was a star-driven staff. Fernando Tatis Jr. already had 26 house runs to that time (82 video games). Machado had 12. Tatis has 14 this season. Machado had seven by way of 82 video games and has 12 now (93 video games).
It’s nonetheless unlikely this 12 months’s membership may face up to the pitching attrition the ‘21 staff did. (Musgrove was the one beginning pitcher to make it by way of the season completely wholesome, although Darvish did make 30 begins.)
Nonetheless, the whole lot of the roster — particularly on offense — is healthier in ‘24.
It’s apparent how vital Manny Machado is. He’s batting .369 with a 1.077 OPS throughout their present 12-4 run, which is typical of when he will get on considered one of his sizzling streaks.
Nonetheless, I wrote within the publication final month (right here) and in a narrative on the finish of Might (right here) in regards to the depth that’s not solely improved for the Padres however is healthier than different groups which have quite a few star (extremely compensated) gamers.
By the use of updating that assertion, let’s evaluate the Yankees and Padres since Might 26.
On Might 25, after beating the Padres the earlier two days, the Yankees have been 37-17. They’ve gone 18-19 since.
The Padres, who have been 27-28 on Might 25, have gone 22-16 since.
Here’s a take a look at how the Yankees’ Large Three has carried out versus the remainder of the gamers on their roster in that span:
And right here is how the Padres’ Large Three has carried out versus the remainder of their roster (the Padres have been with out Tatis the previous 14 video games resulting from a stress response in his proper femur and haven’t had Xander Bogaerts since Might 20 resulting from a fracture in his left shoulder):
Fairly a turnaround
Keep in mind when it appeared like each time the Padres scored, an opponent would rating within the subsequent half-inning?
By way of June 1, opponents had answered Padres’ runs 14 occasions whereas the Padres had accomplished that to their opponents simply seven occasions.
Within the 32 video games since, the Padres have answered again 19 occasions to opponents’ 12 occasions. After doing so twice final night time, the Padres have pulled even at 26-26 in answer-back innings this season.
Tidbits
- The Padres batted .226 in opposition to left-handed pitchers by way of their first 77 video games. They’re batting .310 in opposition to lefties over their previous 16 video games.
- Matsui’s 12-game (12 innings) scoreless streak ended final night time.
- Ha-Seong Kim had his second three-hit recreation of the season and first since March 31. He’s batting .304 (14-for-46) with a .353 on-base share over his previous 13 video games.
- Donovan Solano doubled in his remaining two at-bats final night time, his second time with two doubles prior to now three video games. Each doubles final night time got here with two strikes, and his .323 batting common (31-for-96) with two strikes this season is highest within the majors amongst these with greater than 12 at-bats which have gone to 2 strikes.
- The Padres (3-1) have been the final staff within the majors to lose in further innings this season.
- Final night time’s recreation lasted three hours, 33 minutes. The Padres’ solely longer recreation this season was their 15-11 victory over the Dodgers within the second recreation in Seoul, South Korea, on March 21. (That was a nine-inning recreation.)
All proper, that’s it for me.
Early recreation at the moment (1:10 p.m. PT).
Speak to you tomorrow.