Bob Melvin calls out 'underperfoming' Padres ahead of another critical Dodgers series

San Diego Padres manger Bob Melvin has sent a strong message to his team. Will they receive it?

Following yet another series loss, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, the long-time skipper made his frustrations clear regarding his team's recent performance.

"We’ve got to perform better, that’s what we have to do. We have guys that can perform better, and we’re going to. But it’s time to quit just talking about it. It's time to go out there and do it. Another frustrating game for us. Underperforming."

- Bob Melvin, San Diego Padres manager

Bob Melvin trying to give the San Diego Padres a shot in the arm heading into crucial weekend series against the LA Dodgers

Melvin isn't mincing words, and he's tired of waiting around for the Padres to reach their full potential.

Sitting at an even 19-19 heading into a critical three-game series at Dodger Stadium this weekend is not where San Diego intended to be at this juncture. And you can't chalk up the team's lack of performance to injuries or suspensions; Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove are back. Only reliever Robert Suarez is absent from this nearly complete roster picture.

In other words? It's time to start firing on all cylinders. The pieces are in place. And there are no more excuses.

Fortunately, the Padres seem to respond well when Melvin makes fiery proclamations. If you recall late last season, Melvin raised the stakes for his team in a similar manner. The result? A September surge that vaulted San Diego into the playoffs, which they rode all the way to the NLCS.

If the Padres have aspirations of doing the same in 2023, if not more, it starts with heeding Bob Melvin's call to action this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sit four games ahead of San Diego in the NL West at the start of play Friday.