Mike Shildt makes excuse for Padres' most glaring weakness after loss to Rockies

Moving Xander Bogaerts to second base and Ha-Seong Kim to shortstop was supposed to make the San Diego Padres defense better, not worse. But nearly one month into the season, the Friars' defense has been among the biggest letdowns.

Jake Cronenworth was the latest culprit on Tuesday night at Coors Field. The Padres first baseman committed a fielding error in the bottom of the fourth inning that could've, at the very least, eliminated the lead runner. Instead, Cronenworth's blunder put runners on first and second with nobody out.

Brenton Doyle singled to load the bases, and then Brendan Rogers took Padres' starter Michael King deep. The score went from 4-1 to 5-4 in a flash and the Friars eventually lost the game 7-4. Afterwards, Padres manager Mike Shildt addressed the prevalence of errors, but his comments are beginning to fall flat.

Mike Shildt makes excuse for Padres' most glaring weakness after loss to Rockies

In a postgame interview, Shildt was asked about the error in the fourth inning and the preponderance of miscues throughout the season to this point. Padres skipper responded by saying, "We're in that situation where it seems like the moment we make a miscue, you know, some damage takes place." Shildt went on to say, "They're men, not machines."

Tell us something we don't know, Mike. Of course errors are part of the game, but the Padres have been woeful in the field this season. The Padres' 17 errors are tied for the fourth-most in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Collectively, the Padres have a .982 fielding percentage.

Comically, Cronenworth grades out as the Padres best defender with 3 outs above average (OAA). As a team, the Padres are right in the middle of the pack with 2 defensive runs saved (DRS). And while the errors themselves are not necessarily egregious, the timing has led to some bigger problems and more scoring opportunities for the opponents.

The Padres .736 OPS is seventh-best in the majors, and their pitching staff ranks 10th in all of baseball with a 3.85 ERA. But Shildt and Co. need to shore up the defense, as that's become the Padres' Achilles heel so far this season.

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