Padres News: A New Low For the Padres
The San Diego Padres off-season was one of the most memorable times in Padres history. It seemed as though the Padres were involved in almost every trade rumor. Amazingly enough a lot of those rumors came to fruition as the team upgraded in a major way.
Adding Matt Kemp to the Padres was an unheard of addition in Padres history. The team does not typically invest long-term into a player for that amount of money. Kemp is a star and gets paid that way. For the Padres to add a player like Kemp, they immediately gain some respect among other teams. The Padres teams of recent years had no viable middle of the order hitter of Kemp’s abilities. Chase Headley came close, but was too inconsistent.
Speaking of inconsistent, Kemp has been just that all season long. Add in some poor outfield defensive range and the whole situation has been a train wreck thus far for the Friars. The team is surely questioning the deal in which the Padres moved Yasmani Grandal to the Dodgers for Kemp.
Manager Pat Murphy decided to move Matt Kemp into the lead-off role to energize him. Kemp has hit well there, but just hasn’t caught fire like most expected. He has always been a second half of the season hitter, so Padres fans will just have to hope that is the case this year. The future of the team may well depend on it.
When A.J. Preller added Kemp to the team, most Padres fans became immediately intrigued. After the additions of Wil Myers, Derek Norris, Will Middlebrooks and Justin Upton, fans became obsessed with this team. The offensive firepower was there and the fans could finally have a team to be proud of.
James Shields and Craig Kimbrel seemed like icing on the proverbial cake for the team. Their bullpen and starting staff was already considered stellar, adding these two would surely put them over the top. It hasn’t though as Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy and Tyson Ross have not pitched well and Brandon Morrow failed to stay healthy. The starting staff has turned into a weakness for this Padres team.
The team has been shut-out two times in a row and is now six games under the .500 mark with a very difficult road trip next. So it’s not as though the offense has been much better for the team. Playing 10 games against the Cardinals, Pirates, and Rangers will surely be a breaking point for this Padres 2015 squad. Which Padres team will show up and can the team save their season?
It truly does feel like a new low for this team. To be outscored 12-0 at home, in a two game set, against your supposed rivals is absurd. This team needs to show accountability and has failed to do so. The Padres are now on a three-game losing streak and around 75 percent of fans have written off the season. There are still some optimistic Padres fans out there, but even they are at their last wits with this team.
This road trip will be huge and if the team fails to get at or above the .500 mark then sadly the team will look to adjust its roster yet again. There will be no fire sale, but there will definitely be changes on the field. The future for the Padres is still bright, it just might take a little longer than most expected before the team has success.
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.