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The San Diego Padres continue to look like outright contenders one game and then put forth all their struggles on display in the next. It's been frustrating for Friars fans thus far at times but hey, that is what the beginning of the season is for.

They are coming off of a long road trip that saw them play a total of seven games combined against the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. Some of the biggest storylines to come out of these games included blown leads from the bullpens, Xander Bogaert's production on both sides, and Juan Soto finally seeing some success at the plate.

The 24-year-old superstar has been vocal about how numerous factors have played into his slow start such as the multiple injuries he sustained in the offseason and the infamous pitch clock.

However, Soto is pretty content with how the last game went and his teams' overall performances over these past days.

"The last game, we wanted to win it,” said Soto. “But it is what it is. At the end of the day, you look at what we did -- we played against two of the best teams in the NL and we won four out of seven. That’s a good sign."

(Via AJ Cassavell, MLB.com)

Despite being rumored to possibly be next in line for San Diego's front office to award a contract extension to, Soto definitely seems to be keyed in on improving his play first.

In his 12 games this season, he is currently slashing .190/.358/.381. However, history has proven that he'll find his footing again soon and some bombs in the New York series is already showing that.

As mentioned previously, it's still early into 2023 but it would be great to see Soto and the rest of the Friars put forth a better winning mentality against the rest of the teams they face.