The Padres Toughest Week So Far

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

June 15, 2025

Out of the last 13 games the Padres have played, 10 were against division rivals. From June 9-15, all games were against teams in the NL West. With the NL West being the only division to have four teams above .500, it’s safe to say this was one of the toughest weeks for the Padres’ 2025 season so far.

Out of six games this last week, the Padres won only two, taking a piece from both series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from this last week of play.

The Good: Tatis Is Back

May was a career-worst month for the All-Star hitter, but he’s slowly but surely bouncing back. While his numbers haven’t taken a sharp turn quite yet during this stretch of games, he slashed .375/.545/.438. In their most recent game against the D-Backs, Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-for-5 for the first time this season, leading the club to an 8-2 victory.

While anything can happen in baseball, it’s safe to say Tatis Jr. has successfully hit himself out of his slump and will stay hot for the time being.

However, the same can’t be said for the rest of the team.

The Bad: The Padres Are Still Struggling Offensively

Since May 16th, the Padres have had the worst offense in baseball, slashing .222/.288/.335 as a team. Out of the last 28 games, the team has only won 12. Despite players like Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado stepping up their game, regular starters like Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez aren’t producing quality at-bats.

Jackson Merrill just landed on the Injured List for the second time this season, this time with a concussion following a nasty collision with D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte‘s glove on a tag attempt. Despite starting his season off hot, Merrill has consistently dropped in accuracy and hasn’t adapted his strategy to getting on base. Merrill’s strikeout rate since May 16th is 25.7%. His on-base percentage has only been slightly above the team’s average, which is still one of the worst in the majors. Not only would drawing walks drastically improve his ability to get on base but also add a new layer to his play style, which up until now has been mostly reliant on his ability to be a solid power hitter.

Luis Arraez’s issues stem from a similar place but from a completely different approach to baseball. Arraez has only struck out five times this year and walked 13 times. Arraez possesses an uncanny ability to make contact with the ball, even when it’s outside of the zone, but that strength can also be a double-edged sword. Despite a near-perfect record with contact with pitches outside the zone, Arraez has not always contributed much to the Padres offensively. Despite his 3-time batting title reputation, his journey has had its ups and downs this year. While he did contribute much to the Padres’ Game Two win against the Dodgers, something may have to change for the team to shake things up offensively.

The Ugly: Robert Suarez Records Second Loss

A particularly devastating loss for the Friars occurred in Game Two of the most recent three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Robert Suarez made an appearance in the ninth inning for a rare non-save situation. The Padres had a 7–3 lead going into the final stretch.

Suarez allowed singles from Pavin Smith, Gabriel Moreno, and Alek Thomas to load the bases. After successfully striking out Corbin Carroll, all the team needed to do was get them to make a double play and win the ballgame. Ketel Marte made contact on his at-bat but was called out at first. However, after a Diamondbacks challenge, replay showed that Marte was safe, and the Snakes continued to close the gap on the Padres’ lead. A bases-loaded triple from Geraldo Perdomo tied the game, and Suarez was switched out for Adrian Morejon. Despite the pitching change, Perdomo managed to beat the throw home from a charging Arraez on a slow Josh Naylor bouncer, scoring the winning run.

Suarez remains the best reliever in baseball. He currently leads the league in saves at 21 total and commands a 3.23 ERA. This appearance is a rare instance of him just not feeling it, as evidenced by the fact that it was only the third time out of 31 appearances where he allowed an earned run. The second and third appearances were also devastating, since they cost the team the game.

The Padres’ bullpen as a whole has been among the strongest performers for the club. During March and April, they were the best in baseball. Through June 11th, the entire squad has an ERA of 3.18 and a strikeout rate of 24.3%. Despite having their moments, this is one thing the team doesn’t have to worry about.

Looking Ahead

The Padres will continue to face divisional opponents this coming week with a four-game series against the current NL West leader, the Dodgers. Afterwards, they return home to Petco Park to play the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals.

They’re currently three games behind in the race to become the division champions and eight games above .500.

Their next chance to get ahead in their division will come in early July with a rematch at home against the Diamondbacks.