San Diego Padres morning after: Juan Soto reverses course as top of order does damage

Hey, we all have those days, right? Those days when we say things and regret creeps in not long after the words have come out of our mouth? Such was the case with Juan Soto after the San Diego Padres made a strong statement of their own with a 10-5 road win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

San Diego Padres: Juan Soto regrets saying what may have needed to be said

Not long after going 2-for-5, including recording his first triple of the season, Soto backtracked some of the comments that have grabbed so much attention from Padres fans and around the nation about San Diego giving up at times during an underwhelming season.

Whether it was regret from Soto or pushback from teammates or a combination of both, the 24-year-old outfielder and his teammates looked like a team on a mission on Friday night in the desert. The fist six batters in the linuep (including Soto) went 14-for-29 against Arizona pitching, driving in all 10 runs. On the mound, Blake Snell continued to pitch like an ace, limiting the Diamondbacks to just two hits and two runs over six innings.

It was a recipe for success, but not a perfect game in any stretch. The designated hitter spot continues to be a black hole, with new acquisitions Ji Man Choi and Garrett Cooper combining to go 0-for-4. Their inefficiency was part of a bottom of the order (seven through nine) that went 0-for-11. San Diego's bullpen continued to be shaky as well, allowing three runs in the final three innings after Snell's departure.

However, there was no sign of Soto's words about giving up ringing true on Friday night, with the Padres scoring three in the ninth to make sure the Snakes didn't come back. Sure, it was just one game, but it was a needed one from San Diego, just hours after some dicey words that perhaps needed to be said were uttered by one of the team's biggest superstars.