Padres Have a Long Way to Go to Reach 2022 Win Total
Before the season, the Padres were one of the favorites to win the World Series. Now, they rank, ninth in World Series odds according to FanDuel, and even that number seems inflated. The Diamondbacks, Orioles and Angels, teams with far better records and far more momentum than this lowly Padres team, all face worse odds than San Diego. If you're looking for value, perhaps a bet on those teams is worth a look.
For this Padres team, not much has gone right in 2023. Despite having one of the most expensive rosters in baseball, they are fourth in the NL West with a 37-42 record. A team with the likes of Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts is 7.5 games out of the Wild Card race and can't seem to scrape together a series win lately.
Last season, the Padres won 89 games on their way to an NLCS appearance against the Phillies. Now, the odds of reaching that threshold seem to dwindle each day.
"The Padres need to go 52-31 in their final 83 games to reach last year's win total (89 W)."
(Via @TalkingFriars)
With series against the Pirates, Reds, Angels and Mets remaining before the All-Star Game, the Padres have a chance to break .500 and enter the break with a winning record. However if their recent performance is any indicator, fans shouldn't get their hopes up on a team that hasn't been above .500 since May 10.
The Padres must capitalize on opportunities where runners are already on base. According to TeamRankings, they leave 7.05 runners on base per game, good for seventh-worst in the league. This is while they earn the most walks per game of any team, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to advance baserunners. If San Diego's sluggers can improve their at-bats while runners are on base, their chances of reaching 89 wins would improve tremendously.
