Chris Paddack’s rough first inning doomed Padres from the start
By John Buhler
Chris Paddack may want a mulligan after his terrible day at the office.
By not getting out of the third inning, Chris Paddack has the San Diego Padres on life support.
This was the best season since 2006 for the Padres. They marveled us with their power bats and their sweet uniforms all season long. This is a team we thought could hang with the very best of them in the National League. Now, after Paddack’s rough outing in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card series with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Padres have to win two in a row to not be eliminated.
The Padres have no choice but to win-out to stay alive in the postseason.
Toeing the rubber opposite Kwang Hyun Kim, Paddack only made it 2.1 innings before being pulled. He allowed four runs in the top of the first inning and then two more in the top of the third inning. Paddack allowed eight hits, including a home run, and all the runs were earned. Kim wasn’t much better, as he went 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits before being yanked himself.
There’s nothing quite deflating than having the opposing lineup bat around in the first inning before you even get a chance to hit. While there are some instances where you mentally feel like you’re at a deficit when you’re facing a juggernaut team with an ace pitcher on the mound, the Padres were the better team over the Cardinals this year. This was why the game is in San Diego.
The winner of this best-of-three series will face the winner of the best-of-three series between the No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers and the No. 8 Milwaukee Brewers in Texas. Though the Cardinals were able to get to the NLCS las year before bowing out to the Washington Nationals, everybody was expecting the Padres to be the Dodgers’ NLDS opponent in the Texas-sized bubble.
Next. Rays advance, as Tampa may soon be home to Titletown, USA. dark
While we are thankful to have this new and exciting best-of-three format, you have to wonder how an inexperienced Padres team responds after getting their teeth kicked in against a battle-tested Cardinals teams. St. Louis overcame a coronavirus outbreak and is now one win away from advancing to the NLDS. Had Paddack pitched better, maybe the Padres could have won this one?
Paddack’s rough outing may have slammed the door on the Slam Diego Padres’ title aspirations.