The decline of the San Diego Padres is unusual.
San Diego, which has been investing heavily for the past 2-3 years to such an extent that its opening day payroll this year ranked 3rd overall, has a winning rate of less than 50% at the time of digesting 25% of the pennant race.
The San Diego Padres lost their 4th game in a row by kneeling 2-4 in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers held at Dodger Stadium on the 14th (hereafter Korean time). With 19 wins and 21 losses, the third place in the NL West is solidifying. It was a 6-game gap to the district’s leading Dodgers (25-15) and a 3-game gap to the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
Again on this day, the reason for the defeat was the weak batting line. Juan Soto’s superior solo home run in the first inning and Kim Ha-seong’s left-handed solo home run in the second inning only scored two runs. When there are runners, strikeouts or double hits are frequent. In the top of the 6th inning, Zander Bogarts hit the pitcher with 1 out, 1st and 3rd base, and in the 9th inning, 2 out, 1st and 2nd base, Jake Cronenworth struck out with a miss. Of course, he doesn’t often create scoring opportunities.
Among San Diego’s key players, Soto is by far the player with the best hitting feel. Soto has a batting average of 0.405 (17 hits in 42 at-bats), 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.272 in 11 games in May. Batting average, OPS, and RBI all rank first on the team.
It completely recovered from the sluggishness in April. At some point, the OPS exceeded 0.900. Soto has been dubbed the ‘Ted Williams of the 21st Century’ for his power and accuracy at bat. His ability is reflected in his on-base percentage and slugging percentage, or OPS. As of this day, with an OPS of 0.908, it has risen to 17th place in both leagues. He was 0.757 through April, pulling up a whopping 0.151. Entering May, he walked 9 while striking out only 6. this is soto
But next to Soto, Ha-seong Kim is the player who shines the brightest in May. He has a batting average of 0.273 (9-for-33), 2 homers, 7 RBIs, 5 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.883 in 10 games. In May, OPS ranked second on the team, home runs and RBI tied for second on the team, 토토사이트and batting average ranked third.
On the 13th against the Dodgers, in the top of the 7th inning, which was behind 0-2, Dustin May, who was fighting hard with 2 out 1st and 3rd base and no runs, hit a double in the left field to tie the game. . Whether it’s a chase, a tie or a comeback, Ha-sung Kim’s bat changes San Diego’s offensive flow.
But other hitters can’t support it. Batting averages in May are Machado 0.238, Cronenworth 0.229, Trent Grisham 0.219, Nelson Cruz 0.158, Bogarts 0.150, Austin Nola 0.118, and Matt Carpenter 0.111.
Joe Musgrove, who started this day and lost 8 hits and 4 runs in 5⅔ innings, said, “I firmly believe that we will hit a turning point someday and move forward.” I hope that such a situation of fighting will not come this year. Necessary measures must be taken as soon as possible, “he urged others to exert themselves.
MLB.com said, “The biggest reason San Diego has been sluggish this year is that it doesn’t hit well when runners are in scoring position. Of course, there were few scoring opportunities today,’ he said, ‘with three-quarters of the season still to go, but nothing San Diego has tried so far has been to no avail.’
The scoring position batting average has been a hot topic in San Diego’s batting line lately. As of this day, the team’s batting average of 0.203 is the lowest in the major leagues, and is the lowest record since 0.200, which San Diego marked in its first season of participation in the league in 1969.
San Diego coach Bob Melvin said, “All games are tense. Above all, we must get back on the right track as soon as possible in offense. There is no need to obsess over rankings right now. Rather, we must focus on improving at bat.”