The Padres' dream season is suddenly turning into a nightmare as two key players go ice cold

The San Diego Padres were off to their greatest start in franchise history. Donning a 16-6 record, the Friars appeared to be invincible despite their long list of injuries, and especially on offense. But as we all know, the baseball gods come back to humble every player and every club. It's just part of the game, and right now, the Padres are hitting their first slump of the 2025 campaign.

They enter Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with three straight losses, winning just three of their last 10 contests. These two players aren't specifically to blame, but Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado are each cooling off at the plate at a bad time.

Gavin Sheets, Manny Machado are slumping on offense during Padres' losing skid

Gavin Sheets, who was signed to a minor league deal this offseason, essentially set the baseball world on fire to begin the regular season. Through April 21, he was hitting .344 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. He was the underrated spark plug that San Diego was desperate for, and while he has delivered, Sheets is slumping a bit as the Padres have lost six of their last eight games.

Sheets is 0-for-his-last-15 with eight strikeouts and zero walks. Over this stretch, the Padres have scored just two runs. It isn't completely Sheets' fault, but it doesn't feel good to see him slide during this stretch.

As for Machado, the last 10 or so days haven't been terrible for him. However, he was playing like an All-Star entering April 17, batting .324 with nine RBIs. Since then, he has one RBI in his last eight games, batting 2-for-his-last-15 to dip his batting average to .280. It didn't help that Machado was robbed of a home run on Saturday, but that just proves his tough luck at the moment.

Players slump. That's part of the game, but with Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth on the injured list, San Diego unfortunately cannot afford multiple hitters slumping simultaneously. Xander Bogaerts, although he hasn't produced much all year, hasn't found his stride yet at all. He's 0-for-his-last-10, but he has not really been hot at all in 2025.

With the Padres' backs against the wall, facing a sweep against the Rays on Sunday, hopefully one of these guys can dig themselves out of their early struggles.