Mike Shildt's brash decision worked, but Padres' problems will persist in playoffs

It's hard to argue with the results. The San Diego Padres have been one of the best teams in all of Major League Baseball since July 1, and after bolstering the bullpen at the MLB trade deadline, the Friars are hitting on all cylinders and have a spot in the postseason in their sights.

Even Tuesday's brash decision on the part of Padres manager Mike Shildt worked out to perfection. The St. Louis Cardinals led the Padres 5-4 heading into the top of the seventh inning, but the Padres got a key hit in a pressure-packed moment.

A Jurickson Profar sacrifice fly scored Mason McCoy to knot the game at 5-5, then Shildt had a decision to make. With the leading-run 90 feet away, would he pinch hit for Jake Cronenworth with a southpaw on the hill? Shildt trusted Cronenworth and the Padres infielder came up huge with a nine-pitch at-bat, ending with an RBI single. The Padres would go on to win by a final of 7-5.

Mike Shildt's brash decision worked, but Padres' problems will persist in playoffs

And while the Friar faithful were excited to get the win and Shildt's decision not to call upon Donovan Solano in that moment paid off, the Padres overall performance this season against left-handed pitching is rather concerning. In fact, it could come back to haunt the Friars in the postseason.

Cronenworth came up big Tuesday night, but on the season, the Padres' left-handed hitting infielder owns a meager .203/.272/.256 line against lefties. According to FanGraphs, Cronenworth's wRC+ dips from 125 against right-handed hurlers to just 56 when facing left-handers.

But Cronenworth isn't alone. The Padres as a team rank fourth overall in OPS, but 11th against southpaws. The Padres' .696 mark against lefties is the worst among all NL playoff contenders this season. Even the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates have a better OPS against lefties.

Profar, Solano, and Manny Machado are the only San Diego batters with an OPS of .800 or higher against left-handers this season. So while Shildt's bold move to keep Cronenworth in the game to face Cardinals' reliever John King ultimately paid off, the Padres' lack of success in this area isn't encouraging as the games are set to get more and more important by the day.

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