“With the exception of Ha-Sung Kim, the rest of the players are underperforming their careers.”
The San Diego Padres lost 6-10 against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 6 of the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday. They dropped the series sweep and have lost three straight. Their record is 61-70 on the season. They are fourth in the National League West and seventh in the wild card. That’s a long way from the third-best postseason spot.
San Diego’s recent performance has been abysmal. The offense has struggled, especially with the bats going silent. In their last 10 games, the Padres are 3-7. In the meantime, the gap between them and their rivals has widened.
Against Milwaukee, San Diego’s problems were on full display. The offense was silent in every scoring opportunity. A seven-run sixth inning gave the Padres a 4-9 lead, but they had a chance to rally in the seventh. Milwaukee bullpen pitcher Abner Yuribe was shaken up. After Trent Grisham led off with a walk, Matthew Barton and Ha-Sung Kim drew walks to load the bases with no outs.
Despite the big inning, San Diego could only muster two runs. Fernando Tatis Jr. walked and Yuribe’s back-to-back wild pitches brought in two runs. However, the Padres blew their chances to score as Juan Soto flied out to shortstop, Manny Machado flied out to first base, and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second. In the end, the Padres were unable to turn things around, and Milwaukee won their eighth straight game.
The Padres have been adding superstars since last year to challenge for the pennant. They acquired Soto, Josh Hader, and others at the trade deadline, landed one of the league’s best shortstops in Bogart, and signed Manny Machado to a long-term deal. Add to that the return of a suspended Tatis Jr. and the Padres were the favorites. But San Diego’s picks have fallen far short of expectations.
The San Diego Union-Tribune, a local San Diego publication, wrote on April 28 that “San Diego’s so-called Big Four – Machado, Soto, Tatis Jr. and Bogart – are underperforming this season compared to what they’ve done throughout their careers.”
The outlet evaluated players based on OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). Machado has an OPS of 0.780 this year, his worst performance in the last five years. Soto’s OPS is 0.885, Tatis Jr. is 0.781, and Bogart is 0.727, both career lows.
Unlike San Diego’s “big four,” Ha Sung Kim is still going strong. He’s having a career-high season, hitting .274 with a .807 OPS in 126 games this year. He’s been even better since being moved to the leadoff spot. In 56 games, he batted .286 with 62 doubles, 11 home runs, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .484 slugging percentage.카지노사이트
The San Diego Union-Tribune also reported, “The Big Four are making a combined $68 million this season. But they are performing below expectations. All but Kim have underperformed their entire careers.”
There are still 31 games left in the season. If the Padres are to make a dramatic postseason run, the bats will need to break out. Manager Bob Melvin vowed to give it his all down the stretch, saying, “I’m hoping that as we continue to play, the offense will come alive after being silent all season.”