On a night, the San Diego Padres honored their 1998 N.L. Champion team, the current group looked far from competitive.

For the third game in a row, the offense looked stagnant, and the Padres failed to do anything productive with runners on base, losing 8-1.

Blake Snell made the start, but he could not match Spencer Strider, who was flat-out dominant for the Braves. Strider struck out nine batters featuring a fastball in the upper 90s and a tight slider. The right-hander went six innings, and the Braves bullpen did the rest, only allowing a single run in the eighth inning on a groundout by Juan Soto.

Snell pitched well in the game, going five innings and allowing two runs on three hits. It was the typical Snell outing, as he took 95 pitches to go through nine innings. He will need to get outs early in counts if he ever wants to pitch late into games. ” He had a real good changeup tonight. He was better tonight for sure,” Melvin said about his pitcher.

The Braves held a 2-0 game late, but Nabil Crismatt allowed a three-run homer off the bat of Ozzie Albies to put the game out of reach in the top of the eighth inning; Matt Olson homered in the ninth to make it 8-1 as he sent a first-pitch fastball from Reiss Knehr deep into the right-field seats.

Boos rang down on the players at Petco Park as the fans honestly expect more out of this team.

The offense continues to be an issue, as the Padres are 1-for-17 in their last three games. Fernando Tatis Jr. is due to return to the team on Thursday, and that should help, but the overall play from this unit is very concerning. It will take more than Tatis to save this group. “We got to figure things out offensively,” Bob Melvin said after the game.

The current lineup construction is very top-heavy, as Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts represent the top three hitters. For the Padres to enjoy success, they must get more production from their entire lineup. The bottom three hitters must produce.

It is still very early in the season, and there is time for improvements. “It stands out more because of the guys we have in our lineup,” Melvin said about his offensive troubles.

The Padres look to rebound on Wednesday in an afternoon game against the Braves.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.