Biggest San Diego Padres winners and losers in May

Who were the San Diego Padres’ biggest winners and losers in May?

The San Diego Padres enter the month of June with a 30-19 record and a firm hold on second place in the National League West and in the Wild Card standings.

Given how competitive their division is, they would appear to be on solid ground. But considering their three-game deficit is the largest margin they’ve had all season, things below the surface are not ideal. The Padres are 5-5 in their last ten games and have struggled more at home than on the road.

But before we panic about the new month, look back on the Padres’ biggest winners and losers in May:

Winner: Manny Machado

Manny Machado put his name in the NL MVP conversation in May by maintaining a scorching hot streak that began in April.

Anyone in the game can have a good few weeks; it’s consistency that’s difficult, and Machado has been consistently excellent. He’s hitting .347/.426/.563 with a .988 OPS, and his on-base percentage leads the National League.

Even with a mild case of tennis elbow, Machado is the key reason the Padres are where they are. If only he had more help in the lineup.

Loser: Eric Hosmer

After an explosive April, Eric Hosmer came back down to earth in May, his OPS falling by nearly 50%.

After hitting .389/.457/.597/1.054 over 20 games in the first month, he only managed .255/.318/.316/.634 in the second.

The dip in numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Hosmer typically does very well in the first month of the season before cooling off for a while.