The Padres Current Winning Streak- By the Numbers
(AP Photo/Christine Cotter)
Everybody “knew” entering the 2017 season, the San Diego Padres would be “the worst team in baseball”. What they didn’t know, was that at the end of May, the Padres would be coming off a sweep of the Chicago Cubs, in the thick of a four-game win streak, and have the same record as the supposed “contending” Giants.
Now before you say it, I’ll say it for you. “Leave it up to the Padre writer to talk about a mere four-game win streak.” But in a season full of lows, it’s nice to appreciate the highs. So with that said, let’s get into the numbers behind this current four-game win streak.
With four wins, the Padres are now 20 percent of the way to tying the Oakland A’s all-time record of 20 straight wins.
The Padres have outscored their opponents 18-8 in 34 innings of work. They have also found themselves with the lead in 24 of those innings. The team has managed to outhit their opponents while runners were in scoring position. The team has hit for a collective .275 batting average with runners in scoring position, while allowing the opponents to hit for just a .108 average.
The Padres also flexed their power, while at the same time keeping some pretty heavy bats from crushing the ball against their pitching staff, during this win streak. Hunter Renfroe (one HR for four RBI), Ryan Schimpf (two HR for three RBI), and Austin Hedges (one HR for two RBI) all got in on the long-ball game. Padre pitchers allowed just one home run, Kyle Schwarber, who blasted a solo shot in the final game of the Padres’ series with the Cubs.
The Padres’ pitchers helped the offense out by limiting hitters to just 20 hits, while the lineup behind them racked up 36 hits total. The pitchers also combined for a total of 35 strikeouts for a 32.4 strikeout percentage during the current streak.
Rookies
Padres’ rookies have hit for a combined .240 batting average while totaling five walks, seven scored runs, one home run, and seven runs batted in. That one home run was Hunter Renfroe’s monster grand slam (vs Cubs) that gave the Padres the lead mid-way through the second game of the winning streak.
Padres called up 22-year-old outfielder, Franchy Cordero, to give him his first taste in the majors. Cordero started in all four wins, batting .312 , drawing one walk, and scoring four runs. One of which gave the Padres a late lead in the Cubs’ series finale.
Another rookie, Dinelson Lamet, was also in the mix of the fight. He took the mound against a strong Cubs line up in game two of the series. If I’m being completely honest here, after losing by way of a grand slam, and in the midst of a very powerful slump, I totally expected the Cubs to come out and knock around the rookie Lamet (who was making just his second start in the bigs).
I was proven very wrong though, as Lamet pitched a dominant five innings, in which he gave up just five hits, two earned runs, and struck out eight strong Cub batters. He also had a bit of goof after striking out former Padre, Jon Jay, Lamet stepped off the mound and started walking towards the dugout. He got the win, his second start, and is making a strong case for a spot in the Padres’ rotation full-time.
Highlight of the Streak
https://gfycat.com/DisloyalHarmfulComet
Newest Padre Chase d’Arnaud lays out and gets the ball to first baseman Wil Myers, who dug it out of the dirt to prevent a run.
I know this is a long season, but the Padres just swept the world champion Cubs right out of Petco Park. During this four-game winning streak, you were given a chance to see a lot of what the younger players bring to the table, and we also saw just how exciting the future is going to be.
The Padres kick off their next series against division rival Colorado Rockies here in San Diego on Friday.
Let’s hope they can keep this streak going.
Derek is a 22-year-old out of Lemon Grove, California. A burning passion for San Diego sports led him to pursue an opportunity to write and share about what’s going on with the teams in America’s Finest City. A young and aspiring sports journalist looking to grow his knowledge and expand his experience at any opportunity.