The San Diego Padres’ September slump has emerged as a major storyline in the NL West race, and now a former big leaguer is weighing in. Trevor Plouffe, a nine-year MLB veteran and current analyst, shared a pointed take on the Baseball Today podcast, outlining why Padres playoff hopes are slipping — and why fans have every reason to be frustrated.
During a segment on the Baseball Today podcast with co-host Chris Rose, Plouffe explained that the Padres’ struggles are especially frustrating because they’ve consistently failed to take advantage of opportunities left open by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I think it’s the Padres’ number one because they’re looking up at the Dodgers. That’s one reason to be frustrated… the way they’ve been losing games is the most frustrating brand of baseball to watch.”
Plouffe highlighted the same issues that have plagued the Padres all season — short outings from the rotation, mounting Padres injuries, and a bullpen pushed to its limits. With starters rarely lasting beyond the fifth inning, the relief corps has been forced into overdrive. The situation worsened Tuesday when Jason Adam was ruled out for the season with a quad rupture suffered during a loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Michael King remains sidelined with knee inflammation, while Yu Darvish continues to deal with elbow trouble that has limited his availability.
The team’s record of 76-64 as of Thursday leaves little margin for error. Despite the Dodgers posting a modest 5-5 record over their last 10 games, San Diego has dropped eight of their ten, losing ground rather than gaining it. The Padres now sit just one game above the New York Mets in the Wild Card standings, putting their Padres playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.
The Padres path forward includes a favorable series against the struggling Colorado Rockies starting Friday, but anything short of a sweep could spell disaster. With so many unanswered questions surrounding the club's pitching issues, the pressure is on — not just from analysts, but from fans who expected more.
