Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres’ struggles this season are puzzling. They have the best batting average in the league, but have won less than 5% of their games.먹튀검증
On July 7, the Padres lost 2-8 at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ha-Sung Kim, who started at first base, had a “multi-hit” game, going 1-for-3 with a walk, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing. Choi, batting seventh, went 0-for-4, and along with him, starter Rich Hill, acquired in a trade from Pittsburgh, was tagged for six runs in three innings.
With the loss, San Diego is 55-57 and in fourth place in the division. They are 10 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. The third wild-card spot is up for grabs. They are three games behind the Chicago Cubs.
San Diego has been one of the most disappointing teams this year, along with the New York Mets. They’re underperforming for the money they’ve spent. The Mets lead the league in total team payroll, while San Diego is third. The Mets effectively gave up on the postseason when they let Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer walk.
Too bad for San Diego. ESPN summed up the difference between the two teams in one sentence on June 6: “San Diego is not the Mets.” The Mets have a run differential of -35. Their expected record (52 wins and 59 losses) and actual record (50 wins and 61 losses) aren’t that far apart.
San Diego is different. With 518 runs scored and 449 runs allowed, they have a +69 run differential. They’ve allowed the second-fewest goals in the league and have the largest gap between expected (63 wins and 49 losses) and actual (55 wins and 57 losses).
San Diego is 6-18 in one-goal games this season. They have lost all 10 games in extra innings. Their batting average in scoring position is .231, 29th out of 30 teams. Only one team is below San Diego, Oakland, which is 32-80 this season and has a winning percentage of less than .286.
It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for their lack of success in one-run games, extra innings, and scoring situations. It’s more a matter of luck than skill. It’s clear that San Diego is the worst team in the league in penalty kicks this season, but it’s not all about skill.
Despite the loss, San Diego has been on a bit of an upswing. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 18-12 in their last 30 games.
It’s not impossible for Kim and Choi to play fall ball. “If they can get to the postseason, San Diego is going to be a scary team,” ESPN quoted an MLB official as saying.