San Diego Padres: Yu Darvish imploding at worst possible time

As the San Diego Padres find themselves in an unexpected battle to secure the final Wild Card berth, they need their star players to step up even more. That is especially the case with a rotation that has generally disappointed throughout the entire 2021 campaign. However, while the Padres were not getting the pitching they expected over the first part of the season, Yu Darvish had been exactly what they hoped for.

That has changed over the past couple of months. Since the crackdown on foreign substances, Darvish has struggled mightily, no longer pitching like the ace he had been. He has posted a 7.67 ERA and a 1.352 WHiP in his 54 innings since the beginning of July, allowing 17 homers in that time.

San Diego Padres need Yu Darvish to get on track

There are other potential reasons for Darvish’s struggles. He missed two weeks in August due to lower back tightness, which may have been bothering him for some time. It is entirely possible that he is not completely healthy and is trying to will his way through his outings because the Padres do not have any other options.

Regardless of the reason, these struggles are happening at the worst possible time. The Padres, one of the darlings of the preseason and a team that was expected to contend for a championship. On paper, the team was stacked, with a fantasy league caliber rotation having come to life.

But the games are not played on paper. Instead, the Padres have dealt with inconsistency and injury woes, leaving them half a game out of the second Wild Card spot and in a tie with the Cardinals. It is entirely possible that the Padres could miss the playoffs yet again, a disappointing result for a season that had so much potential.

With less than three weeks left to go, the Padres need to find the form they were expected to have at the start of the season. This includes Darvish, who had begun the year looking as though he would be a Cy Young candidate before imploding at the worst possible time. There is still time to salvage his season, and to help guide the Padres to the playoffs, but time is running out.

Yu Darvish has imploded at the worst possible time. If the San Diego Padres are going to reach the postseason, he needs to get back on track.