On Monday, the Padres sat half a game back of the first-place Dodgers in the National League West. Since then, Los Angeles has lost four straight …
… and the Padres still sit in second place, having gained no ground whatsoever.
That’s because San Diego dropped its fourth straight as well on Saturday night, a 4-0 loss to the White Sox in which the offense once again went quiet. Here’s some instant reaction after the Padres’ second shutout defeat of the season:
What’s up with the bats?
Especially the big bats. San Diego’s one through five hitters combined to go 3-for-18 without an extra-base hit on Saturday night. The big three -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill -- have struggled for most of the season.
The Padres have gotten by at the top of their lineup with significant contributions from Ramón Laureano and Xander Bogaerts. But lately those two have gone cold as well.
Add it all up, and the Padres have scored just two runs through the first two games of this weekend’s series against the White Sox. Some credit is due to Chicago starters Noah Schultz and Sean Burke, who both pitched scoreless ball -- including six innings from Burke on Saturday.
But this can be true at the same time: The Padres’ biggest hitters have missed some very hittable pitches -- all weekend long and, really, all season long.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get the job done, and we’re just not able to do that when it matters,” said manager Craig Stammen. “While there are some good at-bats in there, there are some not-so-good at-bats in between also. We’ve got to figure out a way to stick nine good ones together throughout the entire lineup.”
The Padres -- who have proven they’re always up for a comeback -- rallied to load the bases with nobody out in the ninth. But they came away empty.
“Too-little-too-late kind of thing right there,” Stammen said. “We can’t dig ourselves a hole and expect to come out of it every time.”
Estrada's dazzling return
Now that was more like it.
Jeremiah Estrada made a name for himself with a big-time fastball and two elite putaway weapons. He burst onto the scene in 2024 and has been a pivotal member of the Padres' bullpen ever since.
But Estrada started the season with a sore elbow and a fastball velocity in the low 90s -- well below its usual average. He quickly landed on the IL.
“Just a minor setback,” Estrada said Friday, after he was activated. “Come back stronger.”
“Stronger” looks like an understatement. After a couple weeks of recovery and bulking (back) up, Estrada looked like a different pitcher. He had slimmed down during the offseason. But over the past month, he says he put on eight to 10 pounds to try and tap back into his velocity.
Immediately, Estrada looked back to his dominant best. He struck out all three White Sox hitters he faced in the top of the ninth. He didn't throw any sliders -- his high-90s fastball and nasty split-change were more than enough.
“That was probably the highlight of the night, him coming in there and being the old Jeremiah Estrada that we remember,” Stammen said.
King’s search for command
Michael King still hasn’t put it all together this season. So it’s a major credit to him that his ERA remains below 3 and he’s managed to keep the Padres in so many games.
Through the first month and change, King’s command just hasn’t been there. On Saturday, he walked three and allowed seven hits. But he kept the game scoreless into the sixth. Even the two White Sox rallies against him -- for two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh -- were full of soft contact and seeing-eye hits.
“I had to rely on a lot of offspeed, because I didn’t feel like I had the sinker command,” King said. “They ended up getting me at the end there.”
This loss really shouldn’t be on King.
But that doesn’t mean King can’t be better. He’ll be the first to say that he should be locating more effectively and walking fewer hitters.
Then again, the Padres have major questions in their rotation at the moment. But every fifth or sixth day when King takes the ball, they can feel reasonably comfortable that they’ll get a solid outing -- whether King has the elite stuff and the pinpoint command that day or not.
A shrewd signing paying dividends
Miguel Andujar is starting every game the Padres play against left-handed starters and about half of their games against righties. He’s mostly a DH, but he can back up at first base and third base. In the games he doesn’t start, he’s an entirely useful bench piece.
If you’re looking for a bright spot on this San Diego offense right now, it’s Andujar. In 21 games this season, he’s hitting .329 with an .843 OPS. He pounded out a pair of hits against the righty Burke on Saturday night and has now hit in seven straight games.
The Padres couldn’t have asked for much more from Andujar this season. They signed him at the tail end of the offseason, looking to improve their bench and their fortunes against left-handed pitching. They’ve gotten that -- and then some.