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San Diego Padres: 2019 was never our year, so what should we expect?

By FanSided Staff

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 13: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres looks on after an RBI double by Tyler Flowers #25 of the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning of a game at PETCO Park on July 13, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 13: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres looks on after an RBI double by Tyler Flowers #25 of the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning of a game at PETCO Park on July 13, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 07: Pitcher Joey Lucchesi #37 of the San Diego Padres reacts after giving up a solo home run in the second inning during the MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 07, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 07: Pitcher Joey Lucchesi #37 of the San Diego Padres reacts after giving up a solo home run in the second inning during the MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 07, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

The Padres will lose more disheartening games

The series against the Atlanta Braves was a tough one to swallow. San Diego fell short three times in a row; they were either flat offensively, the bullpen couldn’t hold on, or they just got outmatched.

While it’s frustrating to watch, let’s put this into perspective — the Braves are 58-37, leading the NL East by 7.5 games and owning the league’s 5th best win percentage. Their offense ranks in the Top 10 across the board, including the 6th most runs scored, the 6th best OPS, and the 4th most home runs and RBIs in the MLB.

Friar fans have been spoiled by some thrilling games and series this season; sweeping the then-NL-Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, a record-setting weekend in Colorado, the walk-off grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then taking three out of four from them in L.A.

We’ve also been crushed by some demoralizing losses, though. Being swept by the San Francisco Giants twice in a row, stumbling against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and getting spanked by the Miami Marlins are just a few that come to mind. Playoff teams don’t lose to bad teams this often, and definitely not in the manner that the Padres have.

This is all to say that the series loss to the Braves is the kind that we should expect to lose — and we’re going to lose a lot more of them before the year is up.

In the coming months, the Padres will face plenty of playoff-ready teams, including the Chicago Cubs twice, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Boston Red Sox. This excludes divisional games with the Dodgers, Rockies, and Diamondbacks too, all of whom are in the playoff mix. The competition will only get better.

Thankfully, the team has shown grit, determination, and a refusal to go down without a fight. The Padres made a last-minute rally in every game against Atlanta, and have several come-from-behind and walk-off wins this season. At the very least, this team is remarkably fun to watch.

However, the front office knows what their priorities are this season, and it’s not necessarily competing for the playoffs. This means they’ll have to make some difficult decisions moving forward.

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