Things have started to spiral for the San Diego Padres. They haven't been playing up to expectations this year, which has led to the team calling a players-only meeting recently.
They haven't gotten consistent performances out of their hitters – scoring six or more runs in just three games this month. The Padres rank last in nearly every single offensive category with runners on base.
You can't expect to score many runs when the offense struggles this much with runners on base. There's no real reason as to why they're struggling, either. They're loaded with guys who can swing a mean bat.
It seems as if their approach is off, or they're pressing too hard at the plate with runners on. San Diego needs to change its approach or figure out how to get out of this slump before it's too late.
"Just say the pressure is getting to us.." one fan tweeted.
"Batting clutch rating in shambles," another fan tweeted.
After seeing these numbers, San Diego Padres fans don't have much hope for this team. They haven't shown anyone they have what it takes to turn things around in the future.
After diving into these statistics, fans still don't understand why the team is performing like this. Nearly striking out half the times when the bases are loaded is unheard of.
Can the San Diego Padres dig themselves out of this hole?
Going into Thursday, the San Diego Padres sit in fourth place in the National League West. They're a game ahead of the Colorado Rockies, who sit in last place and eight games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
They have a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox before a three-game series with the Washington Nationals. The Padres must take advantage of their series against the Nationals and start this turnaround.
They may have to do it without All-Star third baseman Manny Machado as he has a small fracture in his hand. The team hopes they won't have to move him to the IL. He'll be reevaluated over the weekend, and the team will decide the best plan of attack.
Perhaps, this is the start of the Padres turning it around. Given their repeated coverage for their poor performance this season and the players-only meeting, the team seems destined to turn this around. They're way too talented of a ball club to be playing this poorly.