Walker Buehler says the Padres have long been a “momentum-based” threat, and that San Diego’s best stretch comes when it catches a swing—something he believes his team can repeat when it gets a road chance. The catch: the Padres are reeling after a recent losi
For a week, the San Diego Padres looked like the kind of opponent the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t afford to take lightly. Then the losing streak hit, and everything shifted fast—knocking San Diego down to third place in the NL West.
The Padres are still absorbing what came next, too. They’re coming off getting swept in their series against the Philadelphia Phillies. But Buehler didn’t talk about revenge like it was just a slogan. He framed it like the next test after a disruption—one the Dodgers are already preparing to answer on the road.
“While we’re a big momentum-based team, and playing against the Padres for as long as I have, that’s part of the DNA here. We catch momentum, have a good road trip, and hopefully do the same thing to them at their place,” Walker Buehler said.
He didn’t stop there. In Buehler’s telling. the Padres aren’t dangerous only because of talent—they’re dangerous because of how quickly games can turn when they find traction. His comments land right on the fault line San Diego is trying to repair: when it has rhythm. the Padres can run with it; when they don’t. they get dragged.
That’s where the numbers sting. San Diego is 31-24 on the season, but the offense has struggled, and the rankings spell out the gap: the Friars offense ranks -30th in AVG, -30th in OBP, -29th in SLG, and -24th in RBI.
Even if the Padres have had momentum help them at points this season. the team’s offensive profile still leaves a problem to solve as the year goes on. They sit in the bottom half of the league in runs scored and slugging. and that is the kind of deficit that doesn’t just show up on the scoreboard—it turns every at-bat into a bigger question.
Some fans will look for a place to point: hitting coach Steven Sousa Jr. But Craig Stammen doesn’t buy the idea that the blame belongs elsewhere. In his view, it’s on the players, and more specifically on him.
“In my opinion, it has nothing to do with him,” Stammen said. “This is the Padres hitting. This is the Padres organization. How we go about taking at-bats, it’s on all of us, and more specifically on me.”
So the focus stays where it always does when slumps drag on: consistency, rhythm, timing. The Padres’ hope is that they can find that on their upcoming road trip, using momentum the way Buehler describes it—something you catch, something you build, something you make travel with you.
Right now. though. that road trip arrives after a week that began with optimism about being a threat to the Dodgers and ended with San Diego in third place. swept by the Phillies. and staring at a lineup that hasn’t produced enough. In baseball. the gap between “catch momentum” and “lose it again” can be one series—or one night at the plate. The Padres will have their next chance to close that distance while the Dodgers wait to see whether San Diego can truly flip the script at Buehler’s “at their place” distance.
Walker Buehler Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres NL West momentum road trip Philadelphia Phillies Steven Sousa Jr. Craig Stammen offense stats