San Diego Padres face challenging schedule after recent road trip

The San Diego Padres return home after a 4-5 road trip, beginning a tough 13-game stretch against teams with winning records. Their upcoming series includes matchups against the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, both with the best records in MLB. While the team's offensive performance has seen minor improvements, they still rank near the bottom in batting averages. Several players have shown signs of resurgence, including Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. However, the starting pitching remains a concern, ranking 26th in ERA among MLB teams, highlighting an ongoing struggle that the team will need to address during this critical phase of their season.

• 3:00 PMYahoo Sports — Padres have tough stretch ahead