The biggest San Diego Padres winners and losers in May

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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.

May 29, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

Winner: MacKenzie Gore

MacKenzie Gore made himself the headline of the NL Rookie of the Year conversation with his stellar pitching.

Over five games (four starts), Gore posted a 1.69 ERA and held opposing batters to .204/.279/.226 and a minuscule .505 OPS. He struck out 27 batters and only allowed five earned runs in 26 2/3 innings. Most impressive of all, Gore has not allowed a home run since his big-league debut on April 15.

Loser: Jake Cronenworth

Jake Cronenworth wasn’t hitting particularly well in April, but he fared even worse in May. His on-base percentage fell by nearly 100 points, his OPS by over 100 points. He only played four more games in May than in April, but he struck out nearly twice as much.

Winner: Yu Darvish

Aside from one rough game, Yu Darvish had a phenomenal May. April was essentially the same; one nine-run shelling dented an otherwise solid start to the season, but the Padres went 3-2 in his starts.

May was even better, as Darvish made two seven-inning starts (he had none in April) and his third shutout performance of the year.

Loser: Steven Wilson

After only allowing four earned runs across 10 appearances in April, Wilson struggled a bit in May. Wilson allowed three earned runs twice in his eight appearances, including getting his first blown save and loss against the Atlanta Braves on May 14. He was charged with a blown save back on April 11, but still got the win.

Wilson is far from the worst reliever around, but his struggles in May didn’t help his team shut down the opposition. They went 5-3 in his games.

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Biggest San Diego Padres winners and losers in May