Who’s hot and who’s not for Padres: June 20-26
Credit: AP Photo
The Padres went 4-3 this week, including a series sweep of the Diamondbacks and then dropping three out of four to Philadelphia.
Here are the Padres who played well this week and others who struggled.
Hot
The Padres might have had a losing week without Alfaro’s efforts. For the second time this year, he came up with a chance to walk it off and pulled through once again. He lined a single through the left side, scoring the winning run in extra innings in Tuesday’s walk-off win. Also, he tied for the club lead over the week with five RBI.
Jorge Alfaro has that walk-off ✨ magic ✨#TimeToShine #PadresWin pic.twitter.com/44mwWtkwEr
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 22, 2022
In what has been a rare occurrence for Padres starters this year, Darvish made two starts this week. He went seven and six innings respectively, with a combined 2.77 ERA and 2.13 FIP. After allowing just one run in seven innings against Arizona, he went six innings against the Phillies and turned in a quality start. He also set a season-high with nine strikeouts. The Padres’ pitching staff struggled over the weekend, but Darvish’s effort was one of the solid starts.
The only Padres hitter to hit multiple home runs this week was Hosmer. Though he has been struggling for over a month now, he provided some much-needed juice to a lineup that is not only without Fernando Tatis Jr. still but also the hobbled Manny Machado. This week, he turned in a .863 OPS and 130 wRC+.
The story of the weekend for the Padres was the Nola vs. Nola matchup on Friday. Facing his brother Aaron, Austin Nola provided the biggest hit and only run of the entire game. After battling some tough pitches, Nola lined an RBI single off of his brother, giving the Padres a late 1-0 lead that they would hold on to. It was a compelling story, with Austin winning the game for the Padres at the expense of his younger brother. He also led the Padres with a .353 average and .921 OPS over the seven games.
Austin Nola with the RBI off of younger brother Aaron Nola!!
The rare occasion where big brothers prevail
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) June 25, 2022
Not
After a red-hot month, Cronenworth came back down to Earth this week. He batted a measly .048, leading to a lowly .421 OPS. He collected just one hit in 21 at-bats.
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This might seem like a mistake, given how Musgrove has performed thus far in 2022. Even with this week’s rocky start, he is still among the favorites for the NL Cy Young. Unfortunately, his Cy Young campaign took a brief step backward against the Phillies. After having not allowed more than two runs in any start this season, Philadelphia tagged him for six runs, tying the highest total he has allowed in a Padres uniform. He still went six innings, marking the 13th straight time he has done so to open the year. However, the damage was done. He likely will bounce back in his next start.
The Padres offense struggled mightily this week without Manny Machado. Most looked to Voit to provide some pop in his absence, but there was none to be found. He went 1-for-19 (.053) with one single and 12 strikeouts.
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.