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It was too little, way too late. The Padres held onto their minuscule playoff chances for longer than most expected, staying alive into Friday. Their hopes of reaching the postseason for a second straight season and the third time in four years are now officially dead. San Diego was eliminated from the National League wild-card race on account of the Miami Marlins beating the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Padres entered the day needing a sweep of the White Sox, losses the rest of the way for the Cubs and Marlins, and a series loss of any form for the Reds. With the Padres no longer in playoff contention, their agonizing 2023 campaign will end following Sunday’s game against the White Sox. After entering the year with massive expectations, following last year’s run to the NLCS, the club and fans endured the most disappointing season in franchise history. Star players like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. had down seasons. The team struggled with runners in scoring position and in close games. They tied a Major League Baseball record by dropping their first 12 extra-inning games, before taking down the Giants in 10 innings Wednesday. Late in the season injury woes crept up, with key contributors like Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Gary Sanchez and Cronenworth sidelined. The franchise has now had disheartening finishes in three of their last five seasons, which leaves them with important decisions to make this offseason. Manager Bob Melvin and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller have both faced scrutiny, and there are questions of whether one or both will see their time in San Diego end in the coming days or weeks. The Padres have fielded just one playoff team in a full 162-game season since 2006. LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego’s Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes…the ups, downs, and everything in between.
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