The Padres tasted bitter defeats two games running, conceding the final game of an evenly split series to the Twins 3-5 on Thursday night. The Twins not only won the closely contested game, but they also took the series 2-1, their first series win in three.
The San Diego Padres continued their poor run of form, losing for the fourth time in six games.
Fans berated the team and the management for a series of poor displays, with some calling for serious changes at the helm. Padres star left fielder Juan Soto received lots of flack for his tepid start to the season, despite his offensive turnaround in the past few games.
With numerous visible holes in the star-studded Padres lineup, fans are left wondering if and when a World Series title will come.
The Minnesota Twins rallied on the back of impressive performances from star man Carlos Correa (who hit a two-run double in the seventh inning), and pitching duo Emilio Pagán and Jorge López. They combined for an impressive performance on the pitching mound, getting three outs and pitching a perfect ninth for a third save respectively.
Shortstop Kyle Farmer concluded proceeding, homering for his team and helping them earn their second straight victory after a stretch of five losses in seven games.
Padres manager demands more from the team
San Diego started Thursday last in baseball with a measly .205 average with runners in scoring position. They are also a paltry 9 for 67 (.134) with runners on second and third over their last eight games.
Manager Bob Melvin demanded a better response from his troops, asking for more in particular from his closing pitcher.
“We’ve got to perform better, is what we have to do,” Melvin said.
“So yeah, we hit some balls hard today, but we put way too much pressure on our pitching late in the game and we have guys who can perform better. And we’re going to, but it’s time to quit just talking about it. It’s time to go out there and do it.”
San Diego travel to Los Angeles next to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series beginning Friday. They will hope to put the disappointment behind them and get back to playing their best.