3 San Diego Padres who have keyed seven-game winning streak

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In reality, the postseason dreams in 2023 for the San Diego Padres were gone in August. When the dust settles on the season on October 1 after their season finale in Chicago against the White Sox, the Friars will end the season as one of the season's biggest disappointments.

With a roster expected to not only compete this season, the Padres were also favorites in a lot of preseason predictions to win the National League West and make a deep postseason run. It didn't happen and San Diego is looking at the reality of a long winter before spring training begins next February for the 2024 season.

It would be easy for a team loaded with stars to playing out the string in a season full of disappointment, but that has not been the case for Padres in the last week. In fact, they have been some very good baseball and swept the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies after winning the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 12. Yes, you do have to consider the competition with the A's and Rockies. However, watching those games, you would never know that their playoff hopes have long been dashed.

3 San Diego Padres who have been a big part of the seven-game winning streak

Friday night, the Padres will open up their final series of the season at Petco Park when the St. Louis Cardinals come to town in a series that before the season started looked like it might be a series with plenty of playoff implications. Instead, the Friars will enter the series looking to extend their winning streak and they have these three players who have been a part of the recent streak.

Colorado Rockies v San Diego Padres / Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/GettyImages

Xander Bogaerts

San Diego's new shortstop this season has been very good at the plate and in the field recently for manager Bob Melvin. He's been so good that he recently has been moved to the top of the order.

During the winning streak, he has been the Padres best hitter. He's slashing .483/.531/.759 and has multiple hits in the last six games. Against the Rockies, he went 8-for-13 with five runs scored. During the streak, he has 14 hits, seven runs scored, and three RBI. He hit the walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night to beat the Rockies, 2-0.

The former Boston Red Sox shortstop has played good defense all season long and that includes as of late. Wednesday, he made a leaping stab of a line drive hit by Brendan Rodgers and was able to throw to first base to try for a double play with Garrett Cooper, but the runner got back safely.

Going into next season, does he stay at shortstop or does San Diego move him around in the infield to insert some of their younger player into the lineup? That remains to be seen, but he is certainly finishing the season strong.

San Diego Padres v Colorado Rockies / Matthew Stockman/GettyImages

Blake Snell

Despite the Padres' position in the standings, left-hander Blake Snell is still getting some serious consideration for the National League Cy Young Award ... and why not? He has been the most consistent pitcher on the staff this season and any run support of any kind and his numbers would be much better. It should not come as a surprise that he has played a big part in the winning streak with his two starts.

On September 13 against the Dodgers, he threw six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight, dropping his ERA to 2.43. He threw 91 pitches and recorded five groundouts and just fly-ball outs in his outing. He did a nice job of mixing pitches and keeping a very good-hitting team off balance and guessing all night.

If you think that start was good, believe it or not, he had a better one against the Rockies. In what was likely his final start at home in Southern California if reports are to be believed, he worked seven hitless innings with 10 strikeouts but did walk four and lowered his ERA to 2.33. Robert Suarez pitched a hitless eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts, before Josh Hader allowed two hits in the top of the ninth, but did not allow a run. In the bottom of the ninth, Bogaerts hit the walk-off homer to extend the streak to six games.

What happens this offseason in terms of a contract for Snell and where he gets it, but one thing is for sure, he stabilized the rotation and was their top arm all season long. He is going to get paid wherever he ends up in 2024.

Juan Soto

Aside from Bogaerts, Juan Soto’s bat has been just as hot. The left fielder has gone 10-for-24 during the winning streak with three home runs, eight runs scored, and 12 RBI. He is slashing .417/.531/.833 and is seeing the ball very well at the plate.

He got going in Los Angeles on September 13 for Snell with a solo home run in the first inning, then brought his hot bat to Oakland. Sunday, in a 10-1 Padres rout to close out the series, he hit two home runs. In the seventh inning, he hit a long two-run home run to right field to give the Friars a 6-0 lead, then he capped off his big day one inning later when he launched a grand slam to right to close out the scoring.

Going into the offseason, it’s almost a guarantee that Soto’s name is going to come up in trade rumors, but what does San Diego GM A.J. Preller do with him? Does he move with a year remaining on his contract or does he keep him as a valuable piece for the 2024 season? After the season the Padres had, keeping him and running back with the key players locked for next season and go all-in for one more crack at winning. That’s the only way to get the memory of this season erased.

The Padres have something to play for this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals and ending the season as high of a note as they can will only help them go into next season with some newfound hope.

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3 San Diego Padres who have been a big part of the seven-game winning streak

Xander Bogaerts

Blake Snell

Juan Soto

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