“Padres–All Star Break–Trouble”

-0-

When the Padres opened Spring Training camp in late February, I wrote a column about a team, deep in pitching.

At one point, they had a combination of 19-pitchers, starters and relievers, who had pitched in the majors.

They had aces, they had depth, they had a bullpen brigade deep in arms.

They don’t have any of that as they skid into the All Star break.

They have 4-days off, and they have a siege of injuries to address on the mound, all this coming in the wake of 7-losses in the last 11-games.

All this coupled with poor outings against bad teams, like Colorado, which has beaten the Friars 5-of the last 6-times they have played.  Add that to losses to the pathetic Arizona Diamondbacks and the lowly Pirates among others.

And as Monday morning dawns, there are problems everywhere in that Padres clubhouse.

They are out of pitching.  So much for the 19-arms that showed up in the Cactus League that led us to believe, 1st place pitching to go with big bats in the lineup.  Not at this hour.

Yu Darvish has a hip flare up, coming after poor outings and is on DL.

Blake Snell is on the DL with gastro problems, but has seldom flashed what he used to be in Tampa Bay.

Dinelson Lamet remains on the DL as they have to figure out how to rebuild arm strength for the 3rd time this season because forearm problems, and it’s only July.

Adrian Morejon is gone till mid 2022 coming off elbow surgery.

And Ryan Weathers goes down with either an Achilles issue or a buckled knee on a fluke play on the first baseline on Sunday..

Talk about a week from hell, GM-AJ Preller has a helluva problem.

Joe Musgrove looks fatigued.
You never know which Chris Paddack shows up.

And there is absolutely nothing left at AAA-El Paso to come to the majors with any credentials.

If that’s not enough, the Giants show no signs of faltering.  Who could have imagined San Francisco’s patchwork roster, could do this the opening half of the season.

The Dodgers refused to fade, despite the loss for the year of Dustin May with the elbow damage….ailments popping up for Clayton Kershaw…and what appears to be a pending significant suspension for Trevor Bauer.  But LA finds a way to grind out wins despite the mess on the mound.

The trading deadline is just around the corner.  Yes there could be a solution for Preller’s Padres, but then again, what currency does he have left, after trading away so many prospects the last two plus seasons?

They may be (53-40), the second best mid season record in team history.
They may be sending 5-guys to the All Star Game in Colorado.
But they are a mess on the mound.

They now are facing a 10-game road trip coming right out of the All Star festivities, and they have to do it with a battered pitching staff, and not much in the way of the ‘Calvary’ coming down Tony Gwynn Way.

It has been a fun first half of the season.
The home runs.  The hot streaks.  The Gold Glove plays.
The dominance by the bullpen.
The superb starting pitching the first month of the season.
The rivalry with the Dodgers has been renewed.
Beat LA
The Swag Chain
The fans in the stands.
The early weeks of the season in first place.

But Sunday night seemed like a downer, felt like a downer, and made you think we have seen the best of what we might see the rest of the summer.

6-games back, with 3-more long road trips on the schedule, and a pile of games with the Dodgers and Giants.

Not much to feel good about Padres baseball at this hour.

19-pitchers was not enough in the spring.  Even less now available.

An All Star break, painted in trouble.

====================================
 

Please follow and like us: