San Diego Padres: Chaos Theory

San Diego Padres fans can tolerate a rebuilding process, but not some of the sloppy and chaotic errors which have played a role in the early stages of 2017.

For good or ill, starting pitching sets the tone for a baseball game. When the opposing team racks up hits, including home runs, and scores multiple times, a general mood of chaos, of being out of control, ensues. For a youngish team like the Padres, the mountain that must be climbed seems even higher.

On Friday evening before the Padres stepped in the box, the mountain loomed at eight runs. Jered Weaver, chased from the game before the third out, gave up all but one of the runs. The other scored courtesy of Rule-5 pitcher Miguel Diaz.

Weaver said after the game that he’d never been booed off the mound before. Those who joined the chorus might want to reconsider in the future. Weaver has pitched in the major leagues for 12 years, has a .605 win/loss record and a career ERA of 3.63. Time has taken a toll obviously, but let’s save our boos for lousy umpiring (which abounds), Yasiel Puig (for being Yasiel Puig) and dirty plays by guys like Chase Utley.

Or direct our ire at the guys in the front office with the ultimate responsibility, the ones enacting what Zach Kram of The Ringer calls a “brazen, experimental tanking strategy.” At 15-29, and with an MLB-worst run differential of -81, the Padres have been successful in that regard.

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A general aura of disarray has surrounded the Padres for some time, but the franchise has vowed to take a new direction, to rebuild the right way. No one said that would be fun or easy, but it needn’t be chaotic.

In the meantime, fans should expect to see better fundamental baseball on the field, instead of the sloppy play on display night after night. Physical errors happen, but there’s no excuse for players missing the cutoff man, not covering a base, not backing up a play, making base-running mistakes or otherwise creating chaos. Often the veterans on the team have been the culprits.

Next: Andy Green puts his players on notice

Those veterans need to tighten up their play, to calm the chaos by setting an example for the younger players on the team. Manager Andy Green can help by keeping his criticism of players in-house rather than sharing with the media.