The San Diego Padres were supposed to be a powerhouse. They were supposed to be a team everyone in the National League feared. Instead, with just about two months left in the regular season, the Padres are three games under .500 and five games out of a Wild Card berth.
As San Diego battled the Colorado Rockies on Monday, a third-base non-tag by Manny Machado summed up the Padres’ woes all year.
When Colorado’s Elehuris Montero tried to take third base in extra innings, Machado laid down a seemingly perfect tag for the out. Except Montero knocked the ball out of Machado’s glove, putting him in scoring position and the Rockies on the verge of an eventual 4-3 upset win.
What even is this game pic.twitter.com/xRngqc7V8a
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 1, 2023
To be fair to Machado, Montero would eventually be thrown out at home. But not getting the out earlier only extended the proceedings, leading to a game-winning sac-fly from Ryan McMahon.
Rockies walk it off on a sac fly!
The Padres are 0-10 in extra innings pic.twitter.com/scXuFYaTSB
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 1, 2023
It’s hard to blame Machado for an unpredictable turn of events. That is a routine play he has made countless times. But such bad luck sums up how the Padres have played all year and why they continue to be a disappointment.