The San Diego Padres entered the 2023 Major League Baseball season with World Series expectations. Through the first one-third of the season, inconsistency has stalled those expectations.

The Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on June 10, bringing their record to 31-33, six games ahead of the last-place Rockies. Going into the year, the Padres were expected to contest The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ grip on National League West dominance. To this point in the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks (37-25) are doing that. The Padres are 8.5 games behind Arizona, five behind the Dodgers (36-27), and 1.5 behind the San Francisco Giants (32-30). Adding insult to injury, the Padres have lost series’ to losing teams along the way.

The Padres are in a situation that most baseball fans could only experience in their dreams. The roster features multiple superstars. After acquiring Juan Soto at last season’s trade deadline and signing Xander Bogaerts this past winter, these two now fill out the lineup’s top 4 along with Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, Jr. That should strike fear in any opposing pitcher. This, however, has not been the case. Heading into their 3-game Colorado series, the Padres scored 258 runs. That’s less than the last place Rockies (26-38, 285 runs scored), the last place St. Louis Cardinals (26-37, 290), and last place Washington Nationals (26-36, 260). On the other hand, San Diego’s pitching and defense have allowed the fewest runs in the National League (242) and fifth-fewest in the majors. Essentially, this team would be unstoppable if it could consistently score runs.

Less than 24 hours before the Padres blew out the Seattle Mariners, 10-3, Seattle won the first of the two games, 4-1. The day before this loss, San Diego shut out the Cubs 5-0. Before this, the Cubs won 7-1. The day before this, the Padres shut out the Cubs 6-0. Before that, the Cubs won 2-1. The offense is showing up every other game, the epitome of inconsistency.

Soto had the first five-hit game of his career in that 10-3 win over the Mariners. In Seattle’s 4-1 win, Soto went 1-for-4. On his five-hit day, he raised his batting average by 17 points, from .248 to .265. The game before this, he went 0-for-4. But Soto’s on-and-off production is not the issue with this ballclub. It’s an issue of which the whole lineup carries the blame. In the 10-3 win, the Padres were 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position. In the 4-1 loss, 0-for-8. This has been an issue all season. The Friars win when they drive in runners in scoring position. They lose when they can’t. This lineup won’t get by on solo home runs or hoping to drive in a runner from first.

Padres’ expectations were groundbreaking, now fading.

The Padres’ expectations this year are as high as they’ve ever been. The team entered the 2023 season as a heavy favorite to reach the World Series. After being eliminated in the NLCS a season ago, general manager AJ Preller added to his already dangerous arsenal.

Preller and the Padres signed Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract ahead of the season. A star-studded lineup added another star. The move was unexpected. San Diego already had a starting shortstop. Nevertheless, the addition meant the Padres had an offense that could rival that of any other team.

But through the first two-plus months of the season, this offense has rivaled even the worst teams. The Padres have scored the second-least amount of runs in the NL, behind only the Miami Marlins. It’s frustrating when considering that this team has allowed the fewest runs in the NL. If this offense could match its potential, the Padres would be unstoppable.

Instead, the team sits 8.5 games out of first place in the NL West as of June 11. The Padres are two games out of the sixth and final playoff spot. The Marlins, a team that finished 24 games under .500 in 2022, currently hold a playoff spot. The Pirates, a team that lost 100 games, lead their division. Meanwhile, a team with four potential MVPs (Most Valuable Players) is on the outside looking in. The Padres’ expectations are not diminished but faded.

Lack of clutch hitting is frustrating.

It makes no sense that a team as talented as the Padres would lack a clutch factor. The team has put a runner in scoring with no outs, only not to drive him in. This team has left the bases loaded more times than fans would like to count. The Padres’ frustration shows in their postgame interviews night after night. They are searching for an answer. The frustration can be seen on their faces. The lack of clutch hitting is perhaps the most significant obstacle hindering the Padres’ expectations.

The Padres lost 2-1 to the Cubs on June 2. They were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. They lost 7-1 to the Cubs on June 4. In this game, they went 0-for-6. San Diego defeated the Cubs 6-0 in between these two losses. Still, the Padres went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The season finale against the Cubs went to the Padres, 5-0. In this game, with runners in scoring position, they were 2-for-7. The clutch factor has been missing to this point.

Padres’ expectations still have time to develop

While the Padres are two games under .500 and in fourth place, they still have time. This season is not yet lost.

The team has upcoming series against the Cleveland Guardians, Giants, Nationals, Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds. A 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays is woven in here, giving the Padres a chance at baseball’s top team. They finish out with games against the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets before the All-Star break. This part of the schedule gives the team a chance to gain ground on their division foes. Winning 17 of these next 27 games would put the team at 48-43 and in a better spot going into the second half.

The lack of offensive production is the only issue hindering the Padres’ expectations. This team was built to compete against anyone. They have shown flashes of being capable of this throughout the season. Other times, they have struggled to best rebuilding teams. The offense needs to produce consistently if this team wants to continue playing in October.

Mike Ursery

Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.