The San Diego Padres had World Series hopes in front of them as they faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
After handling the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, it appeared as if this would be true.
However, the Padres just couldn’t get it going in the series.
Final. pic.twitter.com/kInnYoC2KB
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 23, 2022
They struggled and were outplayed all around, and here are three things that went wrong for them.
3. Hitters Cooled Off
In the opening two rounds of the playoffs, the Padres’ bats were hot.
Players like Trent Grisham, who had a rough season, hit another gear when the playoffs started.
However, this changed in the NLCS.
This resulted in the team having no hitters above .300, and only a few above .250.
While hits are a premium in the playoffs, this is still not a recipe for success.
In their one win, they were able to string together hits and big innings.
A LOUD INNING FOR SAN DIEGO‼️
The Padres scored five in the fifth to take the lead.
(via @Padres)pic.twitter.com/4Ri3vnBFvc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2022
Besides that one, they really didn’t do it all series.
2. Gave Up Big Hits
All series, it seemed as though their pitching couldn’t avoid the big hits.
Whether it came from Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, or Bryce Harper, the Phillies always seemed to have a big-time home run ready.
This crushed the Padres, as it constantly shifted momentum.
Then, for the most part, they weren’t able to respond to these big swings.
1. No Big Plays
Another thing the Padres were lacking was the big play.
It was most notable when Juan Soto missed a pair of catches in Game 3, resulting in two doubles.
Juan Soto’s defense has been poor this series. But that Bohm liner had a 10% catch probability. Would’ve taken an outstanding play. The Phillies had two outs and a runner on second who was running on contact. If you’re ever going to take a chance and lay out, it’s right there.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) October 22, 2022
In the playoffs, players need to make the big plays to give their team momentum and limit baserunners.
When this doesn’t happen, it can feel like they have no control over what is happening.
They can be caught off guard, allowing their opponent to run all over them.
This seemed to happen to the Padres, as the Phillies were able to get their breaks without many answers.
Put this all together, and it is a recipe for a series loss.
