Who’s hot and who’s not for Padres: June 12-18
Mandatory Credit: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres had a successful week, at 4-2. They won both home series against the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays.
Who played well, and who struggled?
Hot
Even with the power numbers still lacking, Bogaerts put together a solid week. He batted .350 with a 150 wRC+ throughout the week. He also is experiencing a surge in stolen bases, with three this week.
Quite simply, Hader was three-for-three in save opportunities this week, including two against the best team in baseball. He continues to be one of the best closer in baseball. The Padres’ closer is currently tied for second in saves in the National League. He mowed down the Rays in order on Sunday.
Snell is putting together a resume for NL Pitcher of the Month for June. In fact, he is on a historic run. He has struck out 12 in back-to-back starts.
Blake Snell struck out all 9 starters for the 2nd straight start, becoming the 4th pitcher to do so since 1961. The others:
– Jacob deGrom (2021)
– Pedro Martinez (1999 & 2000)
– Randy Johnson (1992 & 1999) pic.twitter.com/d42Y89xVgc— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 18, 2023
Snell is in complete control. He absolutely shut down his former team, the Rays, on Saturday. He struck out a dozen, with two hits and no runs allowed. With a few more solid starts, he should even be considered for the All-Star Game.
If Shohei Ohtani is the Sorcerer Supreme in the American League, consider Tatis in the running for the honor in the National League. El Niño is a man of many nicknames, but “Captain Chaos” needs to be added. The play at second base on Sunday against the Rays perfectly encapsulated what Tatis can do for this team. He is pure electricity.
Tatis just kept running 🔥👀
(via @Padres)pic.twitter.com/JbU4OfXGcG
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 18, 2023
Over the weekend, he helped the Padres get a key series win over the Rays. He finished the week with a 294 wRC+ with an other-worldly 1.524 OPS, including two homers and four stolen bases. He has a serious case for National League Player of the Week.
After winning NL Pitcher of the Month in May, Wacha continues to build off of his strong start to the year. In a 5-0 win over the Guardians, Wacha tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk. That marked a second straight start of at least six shutout innings.
Not
Aside from Gary Sanchez and a few bombs from Nelson Cruz this week, the designated hitter has been a black hole. Carpenter continues to struggle, not collecting a single hit with a 46.2 percent strikeout rate this week. He has been virtually worthless for several weeks.
Unfortunately, Cronenworth has found himself on this side of the hot/not list far too often this year. A .182 average and .490 OPS illustrate the punchless week the first baseman had. He owns a .212 average and 93 OPS+ overall this season.
Darvish continues to lack consistency this year, which is abnormal for him. Darvish has allowed ten earned runs in his last two starts combined. As of now, Darvish has been a massive disappointment this season. He owns a 4.74 ERA and 86 ERA+ this year.
We were all told to enjoy the ride with Sanchez while it lasted. There is a reason why he has been on five teams since March 2022. The bottom would eventually fall out. This week, it did. He did hit a home run. However, that was his only hit of the entire week, going 1-for-20 with a .368 OPS. Even still, he appears to be an upgrade over Austin Nola, as he consistently hits the ball hard when he makes contact.
The Guardians teed off on Weathers right from the jump in an 8-6 loss for the Padres. Six of those eight runs allowed were charged to Weathers in less than two innings. That marks the second time in his last three appearances that Weathers had allowed at least four runs without completing two innings.
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.