San Diego Padres: New insurance policy

Watching the past few games has made one thing very clear: The San Diego Padres struggle immensely when it comes to adding insurance runs.

There are numerous problems with the San Diego Padres this season. Experts will point to their inexperience, or their lack of pitching, or their inconsistency, or some combination of all three.

But for the fans who actually watch the team compete every day and too often witness an all too familiar collapse, much more goes into the losing formula.

Something many fans have noticed especially recently and have discussed with us is the team’s inability to add insurance runs when they have the lead in the middle or late innings. There’s no stat that we could find which displays this, but fans who follow the team closely would agree.

Too often the Padres take the lead early in a game, but fail to expand it. They are usually able to pitch well enough early on, but can’t cling to their slim lead forever. Then, it looks like the starting pitcher or the bullpen who let the club down, when it is really the offense who wasn’t able to consistently produce.

Monday night’s contest with the Chicago Cubs is the perfect example. The Padres jumped ahead in the first with a run, and added another in the third to take a 2-0 lead. The Cubs got one back in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit in half, and it was a 2-1 game from the end of the third inning into the bottom of the seventh.

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Unfortunately, the Cubs ended up tying the game and taking the lead in the bottom of the seventh, before holding off a late San Diego rally in the ninth to seal the come from behind victory.

So was it Kirby Yates‘ fault for giving up the go ahead run? He certainly didn’t help. But then again, neither did a stagnant San Diego offense who disappeared after the third inning.

It is unfair to speculate that the Padres are giving up offensively or feeling to comfortable with small leads. After all, who really knows what is going on in the dugout? But when failure to extend leads becomes a trend, fans are left to wonder.

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The Padres had their chances on Monday night. Hunter Renfroe hit a deep fly ball with the bases loaded that was caught just in front of the track. Even though the Friars were still ahead at that point, it is these types of moments that change games and begin to deflate San Diego.

At this point, dedicated fans are so used to this process, it has become predictable. There is a feeling we all get when it looks as if the Padres are about to let their advantage slip away again. And while the team is resilient, it’s more often not enough to keep them on the right side of the scoreboard.

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It doesn’t boil down to a stat, and there’s no real way to measure it. But the Padres can’t win if they’re constantly nursing slim leads. It’s time to get ahead, and get further ahead. That’s the only way to stay ahead. With the inexperience of San Diego’s pitching staff, insurance is what the club needs.

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