San Diego Padres Must Learn From Struggles Against Dodgers

The San Diego Padres may have won the trade deadline, but that did not matter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the end, all of the trade deadline deals didn’t acquire what the San Diego Padres needed the most to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers and take over the top seed in the National League playoffs: big-game playing experience. The Friars played exactly like a team on the rise that hadn’t quite reached the summit just yet. The stats don’t lie as the Padres must learn from their struggles against the Dodgers.

Issues at the Plate Caused Padres Struggles

The Padres went 4-6 in 10 games against the defending NL West champs. The team’s batting average was .224 as they were 14-62 (.225) with runners in scoring position and left 55 runners stranded on base. These are paltry numbers from a team that ranks sixth in MLB team batting average (.263) with a .338 OBP, .481 SLG and .819 OPS this season. This type of offensive production doesn’t cut it if you expect to make a lengthy postseason run.

What caused the Friars to fail in delivering that one key hit that changes the momentum in a close game? Well, all of their struggles begins and ends in the batter’s box. The Padres batters seemed anxious at the plate. Too often, they chased bad pitches that extended the strike zone for the opposing pitchers. It was an opportunity for the Pads to measure themselves against the more disciplined, playoff-savvy Dodgers and they looked uncomfortable in the moment.

Tingler Hasn’t Been a Dugout Liability

These are all signs of an inexperienced team being guided by a first-year manager. Right? Wrong.

Jayce Tingler came to San Diego without any managerial experience. This 60-game regular season sprint hasn’t afforded him a learning curve. So far, so good with a few hiccups along the way.

Yes, Padres fans have scratched their heads at some of Tingler’s on-field moves. The only criticism could be his overreliance to a bullpen that was in tatters in the first third of the season. But give Tingler credit, he quickly recognized the deficiencies and reworked the order of the pen without losing much ground in the standings. No question, Tingler has greatly exceeded expectations.

San Diego Padres Youngsters Need a Better Approach at the Plate

The high frustration level against the Dodgers is very understandable, but you have to take into account that the Padres have a youth-driven roster. At times, the team looked out of their element in high-profile games.

Youngsters like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, and Trent Grisham need to learn from their struggles against the Dodgers. Collectivity, they need a better approach at the plate and make the necessary adjustments during the course of each at-bat. Unfortunately, this comes with experience and the Padres don’t have a lot of that on their roster.

The Friars have only five players (Mitch Moreland: 48 games, Eric Hosmer: 31 games, Trevor Rosenthal 23 appearances, Manny Machado; 23 games, and Mike Clevinger: 7 appearances) with significant playoff experience on the roster. For the remainder of the team, 2020 has been their baptism by fire. Either you learn fast or get lost in the shuffle.

This crazy season has yielded unpredictable, crazy results. The Padres have rebounded from a 5-game losing streak to have separate seven and eight-game winning streaks. And all of this took place in a span of 28 games. So, no need to panic as your team’s fortunes could change in a blink of an eye without any foreshadowing.

The San Diego Padres are a legitimate playoff contender, but their play against quality teams must get measurably better. They cannot afford any missteps through the wildcard round or the Padres will find themselves on the outside looking in at the postseason bubble chase to a World Series title.

Hopefully, the Friars gain the experience needed for a memorable October.