Padres fans will despise Mike Shildt's defense of Yuli Gurriel after brutal start

It hasn't been a pretty start for 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel. He delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning back on March 29 to give the Padres a 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, but it has been overtly downhill since then.

He was celebrated as a 'professional hitter' following that victory, which pushed San Diego to a 3-0 start in the standings. However, Gurriel has not done anything at the plate since that clutch hit, which is starting to get on the nerves of many Friar fans. Gurriel is batting 1-for-13 (.077) on the year, which obviously isn't great.

Fans would not be up in arms as much if manager Mike Shildt didn't immediately come to Gurriel's defense. If Gurriel was benched, it would be understandable, but it appears like he will still be getting plenty of at-bats. No one is very happy about that.

Padres fans aren't thrilled with Mike Shildt's defense of Yuli Gurriel

After an impressive 7-0 start to the year, it was difficult to nitpick anything that the Padres were doing. But after a humbling three-game series on the road against the Chicago Cubs, it would be fair for the Padres to admit that they still have some workshopping to do.

They barely squeaked out an 8-7 victory on Sunday to avoid an embarrassing sweep, but the matter still stands. The Padres still need to tinker with the lineup a bit, and that starts with taking at-bats away from Gurriel. He hasn't made solid contact once, and maybe that has to do with him being on the other side of 40 years old. He had a good spring training, but now at full game speed, San Diego has other players who could be more consistent on offense.

Gavin Sheets has been red-hot, so he should no longer be competing for a spot. His place in the lineup should probably be cemented, leading to Gurriel battling for at-bats with Jose Iglesias and Brandon Lockridge.

To Shildt's credit, he has to be the first guy to stand up for his players, no matter how much they are struggling. With that said, however, Padres fans will only grow to be more justifiably frustrated if Gurriel is starting every game and going 0-for-3 every day.