Who’s hot and who’s not for Padres: August 8-14
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres finished off a solid week at 4-2, winning both series against the Giants and Nationals.
Let’s discuss the Padres who are playing well and a few who are not.
Hot
For the majority of the season, Grisham has been marred in a slump, striking out far too often. However, this past week was a breath of fresh air. Grisham walked at a 18.2-percent clip while batting .333. He posted a .455 on-base percentage and 1.177 OPS. He also notched home runs in back-to-back games against the Nationals this weekend. He is in the middle of a four-game hitting streak.
It’s safe to say that Manny has returned to form. After more than a month following his ankle injury, he never looked fully himself. While he still isn’t 100 percent health-wise, his bat is back. This week, he hit .429 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He led the team this week with a 1.270 OPS. The peak of his week was sending Petco Park into a frenzy with a walkoff home run on Tuesday night over the Giants. Over the last two weeks, he is hitting .311 with a .948 OPS.
He's Manny Machado. pic.twitter.com/rfhesbI4tM
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2022
Martinez logged five innings over three appearances this week. He did not allow a single run or walk a single batter. He struck out five while allowing three hits.
Snell is not only the hottest pitcher on the Padres, but also one of the hottest in all of baseball. He completely mowed down the Nationals on Sunday, to the tune of 10 strikeouts in six shutout innings. This was on top of a solid start on Monday against the Giants, where he went 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing just one run. Over his two starts, he posted a 0.77 ERA with 13.9 strikeouts-per-nine-innings. He owns a 0.94 ERA in his last five starts.
The steady presence of Juan Soto is something to behold. He has reached base in all 11 games with the Padres and has sit safely in 10 of those. Over the last week, Soto hit .375 with a 1.086 OPS. He continues to a model of consistency atop the Padres lineup and is as advertised.
Not
While Soto has adjusted well to his new team, Bell is yet to find his footing in San Diego. Over the last week, the first baseman hit .125 with a .443 OPS. In 11 games since joining the Padres, he is batting .154 with a lowly 48 OPS+.
The Padres’ All-Star second baseman has had an up-and-down season. He is mired in yet another slump. He hit .238 with a 69 wRC+ over the last week.
Tuesday against the Giants saw Hader’s first save opportunity with the Padres. He entered with a 4-1 lead and completely collapsed. After three walks, a hit, and a hit batsman, the game was tied and Hader was removed. He has lot pitched since.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.