“Padres–Blame Game”

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Another lost weekend.  Is this turning out to be a lost season?

As the Padres stagger towards the All Star break, they keep losing series  to teams they should not lose to, the last place Washington Nationals the latest.

This after awful losses early in the season to then last place Cincinnati, Colorado, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Boston, and the Mets, all who had losing records when they beat the Friars.

It never ends, the odd really good game, followed then by lousy losses to bad teams with no solution to solving the big issues.

The big issue, big payroll, small production from the highest paid players on the team.  Add in the fact half the roster is hitting (.220) or worse.

The Padres scoreboard does not lie.  Off they go to Pittsburgh to open a series on Tuesday with the Pirates.  These are the numbers they packed in their equipment bag flying to Pittsburgh.

Team batting average (.232) ranked  25th
Runners scoring position average (.204) #30
Strikeouts RISP (181) #25

Runs scored (315) #20
On base percentage #13
Slugging percentage # 19
OPS percentage #16

Walks #1
Strikeouts #16
Home Runs #11
Hits #25

And if you keeping score at home-evaluate these numbers:

(37-41)
8th in the wildcard race for 3-spots
Lost 7-of-11 games
(5-13) in one run games
(0-6) in extra inning games
(18-22) at Petco Park
(8X) shutout
(10X) scored 1-run in game
(10X) scored 2-runs in game
(28) games scored 2-runs or less

So you can have a (253M) payroll but aside from Fernado Tatis, they are all hitting below their career averages.

Do you blame owner Peter Seidler-of course not.  Fine man and a fan.

Do you blame GM-AJ Preller?  Well it is his roster-he gave out the contracts.  His record in the 10-years since he took over as General Manager (668-766)…do the math that 98-games below .500.

Do you blame Bob Melvin?  Maybe he is not tough enough.  And you would think managing the woeful Oakland A’s was frustrating.  This must cause heartache.

Would you consider ex-Cardinals manager Mike Schildt as a replacement?
Does a firebrand like Matt Williams, coming back from cancer, feel up to it?

Is the clubhouse culture an issue?  Is there an attitude, ‘I got my money-did you get yours?’  Where is the accountability?

Is there a fissure between Preller and his baseball ops people overwhelming players with data, or interfering with Melvin doing his job?

It is stunning, all this good pitching, an ace closer, and Gold Glove defensive plays on a nightly basis.

It’s a mixed bag mess.

Manny Machado can lecture the media, ‘read the back of my baseball card’, but the baseball card says  this team has given this city, with the 2nd best attendance in baseball, some of the most disappointing baseball to be played.

And it’s like no one from within that dugout, the clubhouse, or upstairs is concerned.

The optimist says a half a season to go.  The pessimist says we have to sit thru another half a season of this.  The realist asks what has happened to the Fab 4 big money stars?

Beating the Dodgers in the playoffs seems so long ago.  In fact last year’s late season run  was the only time in the ten years Preller has been GM, the community had anything to cheer about.

For all they invested over the years, all the draft picks they selected, all the free agents they found, and all they paid the superstars, this sure feels awful.

If this turns out to be a non playoff year, people should be leaving at year’s end, and maybe more than just players on the roster.

Wins-losses-frustrations and coming soon the ‘blame game’ too.  Lots of guilty parties likely.

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