A year later, the Padres find themselves in slightly better standing. They are 55-49, one game ahead of their 54-50 record last July 24. They are also entering dangerous territory. The wins and losses tell a story of year-over-year improvement. The recent trend lines do not.

The lack of consistent offense and occasional defensive lapses has pushed the Padres to explore external solutions. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, San Diego has expressed interest in trio of outfielders: Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox and Ramón Laureano of the Baltimore Orioles.

Padres Daily: The Darvish question; offensive uptick; Merrill moves up (Kevin Acee, SD U-T) Padres announce that they’ve signed all 19 of their 2025 Draft picks (AJ Cassavell, MLB.com)

The San Diego Padres face the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 4-game set at Busch Stadium in St. Louis Thursday.

Ever since they joined MLB as an expansion team in 1969, the San Diego Padres have struggled when they have visited the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

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Offensively, you want a higher on-base percentage from your bottom-of-the-lineup hitters during potential run-scoring at-bats. Preller must find a hitter who can put his bat squarely on the ball and increase the team’s run total.

A day after the San Diego Padres saw their offense put up seven runs in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, they suffered a shutout. Despite outhitting the Cardinals 11-5, the Padres dropped the second game of their four-game series, 3-0.