Padres Editorial: Will the Real San Diego Padres Please Stand Up
Win a few, lose a few. Look brilliant, look pathetic. Show signs of making a run, then fall flat.
This has been the story of the San Diego Padres‘ roller coaster season. The team that was built to contend has been consumed by an identity crisis all season. The off-season addition of Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Derek Norris, James Shields and Craig Kimbrel have not been enough to get this team over the hump.
The Padres are 52-58, currently in a four-game losing streak after their most recent debacle, a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in 12 innings. San Diego held a lead for most of the game but collapsed. Four solo home runs were enough as the Padres failed to get any timely hits when it mattered.
With the team still intact at the trade deadline, the front office said they felt like a playoff run could be made. The current stretch of the schedule was just what they needed to get it started. However, the Padres are having trouble beating the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, cellar dwellers in their respective divisions.
San Diego plays the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies to finish this cushioned stretch in their schedule. From there, they enter a gauntlet that goes all the way until the final game. Nearly every team the Padres play is a contender, and they will play multiple series’ against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Signs point to this season being over, a failed experiment in an attempt to revitalize the fan culture in San Diego and put a winner on the field. However, this team has shown flashes of being able to beat anyone. If that is the real San Diego Padres, please stand up.
If the real Padres are the ones who can’t hit or score runs, and have difficulty putting away below average teams, please get this season over with.
Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.
