Los Angeles Dodgers should be concerned with San Diego Padres
By Ben Fadden
The San Diego Padres are only a game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, so should they be worried about San Diego?
It is only mid-April, so a lot of experts will be saying ‘it is too early to tell’ if a team is going to contend the whole season or a division favorite won’t be contending, but the San Diego Padres are different.
They weren’t supposed to contend until 2021, but here we are in 2019 talking about the Padres as a contender in the National League West along with the Los Angeles Dodgers who they haven’t been able to beat very often in recent years.
The Padres sit just behind the Dodgers at 6-3 and have won each of their last three games. Their young pitching has been a huge key to their success, headlined by Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, and early Rookie of the Year candidate, Chris Paddack.
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Young phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. has taken the league by storm, homering twice in his last four games. Hunter Renfroe has been key to the Padres’ success off the bench, as he has hit three homers a week into the season.
They are the youngest team in the major leagues but have had great offensive production from some of their veterans.
Wil Myers has already shown more consistency at the plate with 2 home runs, and 4 RBI’s in addition to an On-Base Percentage of .321.
Eric Hosmer has been working on putting the ball in the air more than last year, and it has paid off so far. He already has 6 RBI’s and hit his first home run of the season on Saturday afternoon in the Friars sixth win of the season against the Cardinals.
Manny Machado got off to a slow start but has recently gotten into a groove. The 4-time All-Star hit his second homer of the year on Saturday and has recorded a hit in his last four games.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, have been hitting out of their minds. They have homered at least once in each of their last eight games, a franchise record.
Cody Bellinger is leading the league with six homers along with 16 RBI’s. He is riding an eight-game hitting streak in 2019.
Although the Dodgers have gotten out to a hot start, they are without Clayton Kershaw who gave up a home run in a rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City, and Walker Buehler has only made two starts this season.
Buehler only made one spring training start and allowed five earned runs in his 2019 season debut vs the Diamondbacks.
So, the Dodgers pitching staff will be shaky the whole season, and they don’t have the best bullpen, so the Padres should be a contender through the All-Star break.
San Diego has been able to show their poise, as they have had multiple comeback wins against the Cardinals in St. Louis, so if their bullpen can stay more consistent than the Dodgers’, then Los Angeles needs to be worried about the Padres.
Next. Bellinger unstoppable again. dark
The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers do not match up until May 3-5 in San Diego.