Padres Are Failing to Protect Home Field In Specific Category

Maren Angus-Coombs | Apr 30, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Since Petco Park in San Diego opened, it has had a reputation for being a pitcher-friendly park. Over the weekend, it was incredibly hitter-friendly for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies turned San Diego into a launch pad with nine homers in three games. The Padres had not allowed nine or more home runs in a three-game series since 2021 and had not done so at home since 2017.

“It’s tough when you got a team like that and they come in here and they’re hitting everything — and hitting it over the wall,” Xander Bogaerts said. “We can’t have any defenders over the wall.”

Padres starters have surrendered at least one home run in eight consecutive games at Petco Park. At an average of 2.94 homers per game, the park ranks second behind Baltimore (3.13). San Diego has never been ranked in the top 10 when it comes to home runs per game. The highest Petco Park has ever been was No. 14 in 2018. Other than that, it has been No. 18 or lower.

This season, the visitors have hit 26 of the 47 homers there.

“They are hurting us,” manager Mike Shildt said of the homers. “You had some free passes, which are going to happen. Some guys earn their walks, and that’s part of the game. You have to tip your hat when they do that, but then (it) feels like the homer right after and getting some balls in the middle of the plate and just giving up damage regardless of the ballpark, but including this one, which is more typically pitcher-friendly. It’s a matter of making more consistent quality pitches and making sure that we’re not … giving anything free and limiting the damage. But right now we’re in that stretch where we’re making mistakes and they’re making us pay for it.”