The San Diego Padres had an up-and-down week that included a 4-game losing streak, and they stayed toward the top of the latest power rankings.
The San Diego Padres lost four straight games before getting back on track with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
It was Griffin Caning's first start with San Diego, and he pitched well, giving up just one run across five innings in a positive boost for the pitching staff.
Prior to that, the Padres lost the final two games of the series against the Chicago Cubs and the first two against the White Sox, which included a 4-0 shutout loss on Saturday night at Petco Park.
MLB.com had new power rankings that were released, and the Padres remained at No. 5 despite the losing streak, which is a little bit of a surprise.
One tidbit worth noting is that the sale of the franchise to Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano went through, so there could be some changes coming if the new owners decide to spend more money to bring in some pieces.
Still, the past week was confusing for San Diego.
It began with a win over the Cubs on Monday, 9-7, which came a day after a 12-7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City.
The San Diego offense then scored a total of two runs in the first two games against the White Sox, and everybody is still waiting for Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. to get going offensively.
On Sunday, Miguel Andujar and Machado hit home runs, and Xander Bogaerts had the go-ahead RBI on a check-swing chopper in the eighth inning.
At the end, a win is a win, and the Padres needed that one in the worst way possible as they begin a three-game road trip up north against the San Francisco Giants.
Still, despite the recent four-game skid, San Diego entered Monday with a 20-13 record. The Padres sit just half a game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West, and the Dodgers also had a four-game losing streak that came to an end on Sunday.
Veteran pitcher Lucas Giolito is expected to be called up at some point after he signed a deal with the Padres, and Canning looked excellent in his first start in the big leagues after suffering a torn Achilles in 2025, so there is some much-needed help in the starting rotation.
Now, if Tatis, Merrill and Machado can figure things out offensively, this team might go on a serious run.