Padres Slide in Latest National Power Rankings Amid Struggles

It's been a tough week for the Padres.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres have dropped slightly in Newsweek's national power rankings, falling from No. 12 to No. 13. While the Padres have only slipped one spot in the rankings, their record has dropped much more significantly, falling from 36-35 to 38-40 after beating the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Even with Wednesday's win, the Padres were on the outside of the National League Wild Card race looking in. Nine teams were separated by 1.5 games in that race, so which teams occupied the final two spots in the Wild Card standings has tended to fluctuate daily. Still, if the season ended today, San Diego would miss the postseason.

The drop in Newsweek's power rankings came amid a five-game losing streak for the Padres. San Diego was swept by the New York Mets, and dropped their first two games against the Philadelphia Phillies. Both the Padres pitching and lineup have struggled during this period.

Randy Vasquez and Dylan Cease in particular struggled to hold their ground. Michael King and Matt Waldron have been solid in the meantime, but the relievers and lineup have not provided enough consistent support. Even Robert Suarez failed to make what is normally a guaranteed save for him.

The absences of Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, but especially Darvish, are showing through this losing streak. The positive for the Padres is that Darvish is making his first rehab start on Wednesday as he works to return from a groin strain — the second injury to send him to the injured list this season.

Once the Padres finish up their series against the Phillies, they return home for a series against the Milwaukee Brewers and another against the Washington Nationals. Both of these will be crucial to try and overcome their losing streak.