The Padres haven’t been as good as their roster would suggest.
After splitting the series with the Reds, the Phillies head further West to face the San Diego Padres. After a disappointing 2023 season that saw them fall short of the postseason, many people expected the Padres to return to the playoffs in 2024. But thus far in the season, they haven’t been able to rise above mediocrity.
San Diego Padres
Record: 14-14, Second place in National League West (2.5 games back)
The manager
The Padres’ disappointing finish in 2023 caused them to part ways with Bob Melvin and turn to Mike Shildt. The former Cardinals manager has made a good early impression with Padres fans because he shows some fire when talking to the press.
I’d run thru a wall for Mike Shildt
Dudes a dawg.pic.twitter.com/5IOmTNqUKG
— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) April 25, 2024
That’s all well and good, but if the team doesn’t start winning more games, fans won’t much care how upset he is about the losses.
The last time they met
The Phillies visited San Diego in September 2023 and took two of three. The finale saw Zack Wheeler and three relievers hold the Padres to just three hits in a 5-1 victory.
What’s the deal with the Padres?
The Padres have several big-name players on their roster, but only have a 14-14 record to show for it. Thus far, the season has been like when you go into the pantry expecting Lucky Charms but discover that your mom went to Aldi. Marshmallows and Stars certainly isn’t awful, but you can’t help but be a little disappointed.
The Padres rank fourth in the NL in runs scored and have the fifth best ERA in the league, so it isn’t clear what the problem is. Its only April, so there’s plenty of time to live up to expectations, but after missing the playoffs last season, it feels there might be a “less than the sum of the parts” situation here.
Boo this man
Fernando Tatis Sr. was one of my least favorite players ever. I was mostly ambivalent about his son, until he was proven to be a PED-using cheater. He returned to action in 2023 and received MVP votes despite unspectacular offensive numbers.
I’ll give him some credit though; his shoe game is on point:
Fernando Tatis Jr. added to his unmatched custom cleat run tonight with Off-White “Cloudy Sky” Jordan 1s ️ pic.twitter.com/a9T8FJjlLe
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2024
The road not taken
In an alternate universe, the Phillies signed Manny Machado as a free agent in 2019. Later, when searching for a new shortstop prior to 2023, those alternate Phillies chose to go with Xander Bogaerts instead of Trea Turner.
Would the Phillies have been worse if they made those choices? Mostly due to the benefit of better health, Machado has superior numbers to Harper, but would he have been as good a fit in Philadelphia as Harper has been? Also notable, when the teams faced off in the 2022 NLCS, one of the players delivered an all-time great moment, and it wasn’t Machado.
As for the shortstops, both disappointed to some degree in 2023, but Turner is off to a much better start in 2024. In fact, some Padres fans had an extremely original idea as to how to get Bogaerts out of his early-season slump.
Alright Padres fans. Spread the word. If you are going to the Padres game Friday Night, we are going to do a Standing Ovation for Xander Bogaerts at the plate like they did for Trea Turner. Maybe we can fix him and help him out of his slump at the plate. Share this with… pic.twitter.com/rAQgWsmOYE
— James the Great (@Jarmusic23) April 18, 2024
Must see pitching matchup
Saturday night’s game will feature one of the best pitching matchups of the entire season. Ranger Suarez will look to continue his breakout season for the Phillies and will be opposed by Dylan Cease. The former White Sox righthander was acquired by the Padres in an offseason trade, and thus far, he’s been worth the cost.
Dylan Cease has been exactly who the Padres thought they were trading for so far this season.
1.99 ERA in 4 starts
.130 opponent batting average ranks 3rd in MLB among pitchers with 15 IP
Right-handed hitters are just 1-for-39 (.026) with 16 strikeouts against him pic.twitter.com/zCryg9t9H8
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) April 22, 2024
The good news is that Cease is a right hander, so Rob Thomson won’t feel the need to bench half of his regular lineup when they face him.
What’s up with Seranthony?
Before the season, I was optimistic that reliever Seranthony Dominguez would have a strong season. I no longer hold that optimism. Wednesday night may have been his worst appearance yet, where it was clear from the first pitch that he didn’t have it. Relievers can have off nights, but Dominguez has had far too many games this season where he didn’t seem to have much command at all.
Seranthony: 32 pitches, 16 strikes. pic.twitter.com/yRwlkaPBtM
— Absolutely Hammered (@ah_pod) April 25, 2024
He’s rapidly falling down the trust hierarchy in the bullpen (or at least he should be!), and unless availability concerns necessitate it, I wouldn’t expect to see him protecting another narrow lead for a while.
Smarty’s Most 90’s Thing Ever Tournament
In last week’s matchup, sixth seeded Seinfeld cruised past Game Boy to advance to the next round. Onto this week’s match:
#8 – Frosted tips
In the 90’s, if your hair wasn’t blond on the ends, you simply weren’t cool.
Lance Bass is still the king of frosted tips. #nsync #90skid pic.twitter.com/fgRzQR76fQ
— 90splease.com (@90splease) January 16, 2020
#9 – JNCO jeans
Everyone likes jeans, right? So why not wear as much jeans as possible?
#jnco baby pic.twitter.com/KMeoSPLPPl
— I HappyAF I (@IHappyAFI) April 24, 2024
Which should advance? You decide!
Another matzoh ball soup song
Last year during Passover, I discussed matzoh ball soup songs: Just like the matzoh ball soup is by far the best part of the Passover meal, these songs have amazing introductions that the rest of the song simply can’t match. This may be unpopular with some, but I feel Blue Monday by New Order fits that description.
It starts out with the kick drum, and then the synthesizers come in, and we’re doing great. But like many matzoh ball soup songs, the vocals are the song’s downfall. They’re not awful, but they definitely keep the overall song from living up to its early promise.
Closing thought
Despite their so-so start, the Padres still are likely to be in the postseason conversation by the end of the season and might be fighting with the Phillies for a Wild Card spot. Therefore, it would behoove the Phillies to earn a couple of wins this weekend and give themselves an early advantage in that competition.