Fully Healthy Padres Lineup Proving to Be Major Problem for Opposing Pitchers

The San Diego Padres put up 21 runs on the Colorado Rockies Saturday night as they have once again proved to the baseball world that they are not to be overlooked.

Although many would probably know this without a five-home run, 24-hit game, April turned out to be a bleak month for Padres fans as many key players from the lineup missed time due to injury. Although this kind of offensive outburst is exciting, key members of the team knew this would happen after only putting up 13 runs on the Rockies the night prior.

Slugger Gavin Sheets spoke on how great it was for the offense to be back together at full strength again.

“We get the lineup last night, we’re like, ‘Man, this is exciting to see,’” Sheets said. “Seeing I’m hitting seventh, and I’ve never been more excited to hit seventh in my life. And so it’s like, you know, looking back that it’s been since Wrigley, it’s just exciting. You get everybody back and get a full lineup and a deep lineup and, yeah, I think that’s what we’re capable of tonight.”

The Wrigley Field contest in question took place on April 6 and proved to be superstar Jackson Merrill's last one for about one month. It would also be the day Jake Cronenworth fractured a rib, although he would play two more games before his stint on the injured list.

Cronenworth spoke on what it now means for pitchers going against this lethal crew when all the Friars are healthy.

“The lineup is a little deeper,” Cronenworth said. “It’s harder for the opposing pitcher to go through our lineup when guys are having quality at-bats back to back to back.”

Manager Mike Shildt also spoke on what it was like to be missing pillars of the offense.

“Listen, every night we run a lineup out there, we feel confident about the ability to compete and shake hands at the end of the game,” Shildt said. “We’ve been able to do that. Tonight, though, we got what has been kind of our go-to lineup from the start of the season back in there, and it looked good. It was really good.”

It's worth noting that this was regarding Friday's 13-run performance. The fully-healthy offense's next game together blew that mark out of the water with eight additional men crossing home plate.

It can't be expected for the Padres to do this every game — 21 runs in an MLB game is absurd — but the kinds of things this lineup is capable of should leave those facing off against them on the mound to proceed with extreme caution.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.