San Diego Padres
· 2026-06-24
The San Diego Padres return home after a road trip, now two games over .500, and will face some of the best teams in baseball, starting with the Atlanta Braves.
The team's manager, Craig Stammen, views this as a fun challenge to see if they can hang with the top teams.
The Padres are currently nine games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and just a half-game out of a wild card berth.
They have been struggling with their pitching, particularly with starter Lucas Giolito, who has a 5.16 ERA in 29 2/3 innings.
Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado have shown signs of breaking out, with Merrill hitting .314 over his last eight games and Machado driving in six runs in his last four games.
The team's offense is fighting, but they need their pitching to improve to win games.
The San Diego starters are 20-25, with a 4.63 ERA, which is tied for third-highest in the National League.
Stammen believes that their starting pitching will get better, but it's unclear if this is rooted in reality.
The Padres will need to improve their pitching to compete with the top teams in baseball.
The team is working with their pitchers every day to try and turn things around.
Lucas Giolito acknowledged his poor performance, saying he's the reason the team lost and that he needs to be better.
The Padres' upcoming homestand will be a crucial test for the team, and they will need to perform well to stay in contention.