San Diego Padres: 1 strength every NL West team has over the Padres

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The first half of the 2023 season is nearing the halfway mark and, for the San Diego Padres, it's been a disappointment to say the least.

Currently in fourth place in the NL West, it's getting close to go-time for the Padres if they are going to make a move in the division and Wild Card standings. Aside from the Colorado Rockies, the rest of the division has separated themselves from San Diego and each team has a strength that is better than Bob Melvin's crew and could be considered one of the many reasons for their 37-41 record.

Here is one important strength that each NL West opponent has over the San Diego Padres

Arizona Diamondbacks have better divisional record than the Padres

You can say that it has been a surprise to see the Diamondbacks pass the Dodgers and sit on the top in the division for as long as they have. Part of the reason for their success is their 17-11 division record, compared to San Diego's 12-13.

This season MLB cut back the number of division games from 19 to 12, which allows each team through both leagues have at least one series against each team to make it more fair. A lot of teams would not admit it, however, they are happy with the schedule change, but for the Padres, it can work out against them.

It may not seem like a lot, but when you're in fourth place, 9.5 games back of Arizona and need to leap two other teams to get there, less divisional games is going to work against San Diego. It may not seem like a lot now, however, the five extra wins they have right now is big in terms of where the two teams are.

Cincinnati Reds v Colorado Rockies / Justin Edmonds/GettyImages

Colorado Rockies have a better one-run record than Padres

Ok, I know, it's the Rockies, a team that just gave up 25 runs to the Los Angeles Angels Saturday night and they are still in their familiar spot of the basement in the NL West, but it's not for their record in one-run games compared to the Padres.

Colorado is 11-9 and San Diego is 5-12 in one-run games this season. In the big picture, it won't mean much in terms of finishing higher in the standings than the Rockies, but the Padres' record is concerning in terms of their overall record. A minus-7 in one-run games is not going to help you get back into the playoff picture.

Entering their trip out East this week, the Padres have the 11th-toughest schedule remaining in the league, but they do have six games with Colorado left, as well as six with the St. Louis Cardinals, and three each with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, all teams struggling and out of playoff contention right now.

It's turning into another lost season in Denver, but believe it or not, the team with the third-highest payroll in the majors is just above the Rockies who have fared better in one-run games. Never in 2023 would you think that the Rockies would have a better strength than the Padres.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers have better power numbers in terms of home runs

So far this season, the Dodgers have clubbed 124 home runs, while the Padres have just 93. That may not seem too big, but a plus-31 for L.A. has them second to the Atlanta Braves.

Yes, being boom or bust is not what a team wants to be, but the lack of the long ball has hampered the Padres, a team that struggles for offense at an inconsistent rate. Fernando Tatis, Jr. leads the Friars with 15 and Juan Soto has 14. After that, no one else is over nine with Manny Machado at nine and Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim each at eight.

Compared to the Dodgers, they have six players with 10 or more bombs with Mookie Betts leading the way with 19, followed by Max Muncy (18), J.D. Martinez (16), Freddie Freeman (14), Will Smith (12) and Chris Taylor (11). The Dodgers' best players come up with key hits and home runs while the Padres are not doing it right now.

This may not be a big deal to many people, but for a team in San Diego struggling to find consistent offense, using an extra long ball here or there can be a difference-maker. One thing that can get the Friars going in the second half is more offensive power from the long ball. Arizona only has 91 team home runs, but they are getting more from their pitching and creating more runs than the Padres right now.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco Giants rebound better after losses than Padres

The Giants have been playing some really good baseball lately, but despite their struggles at the beginning of the season, especially against American League teams, one thing that Gabe Kapler's crew has been this season is resilient.

Following a loss, San Francisco is 26-18 in 2023, while the Padres are just 16-21. Again, this may sound like a big deal, but over a 162-game season, stopping a losing streak before it starts is huge.

San Francisco, who was not expected to be this good this season, has made a big move not only in the division standings but also in the Wild Card chase. They have passed the Dodgers for second place, 2.5 games behind the Diamondbacks, and are currently the second Wild Card team and 3.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, who currently are the first team on the outside looking in. San Diego is 6.5 games back in the Wild Card and 7.0 games behind the Giants in the division.

This is just another small stat that has hurt the Padres in 2023. Every stat that each team in the division has over them may not seem big, but in the big picture, it has helped create the hole they are facing with a huge payroll and an underachieving team. Time is starting to run out on San Diego and turning some of these stats around can go a long way into helping them climb back into the race and avoid missing out on a postseason berth in October.

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