One thing is clear in 2024: The San Diego Padres are playing with a little more bite under new manager Mike Shildt. Although Shildt is far from a perfect manager and his in-game decisions are sometimes a little questionable, no one can deny that he does a great job of motivating his players and keeping the Padres ready for every single game.

Most of the time, it works in the Padres’ favor. San Diego never seems to be out of a game this year, and that’s because they fight until the last out. Sometimes things don’t go their way, like when they came within inches of a comeback on Sunday after a bizarre call against the Marlins, but that’s been the exception to the rule, especially during their recent winning streak.

However, there is a downside to the Padres’ style of play and the energy they exude, as evidenced in the same game against Miami when the benches emptied after Jake Cronenworth slid hard into second base.

Ultimately, this situation became a minor nothing, as no punches were thrown and order was restored very quickly. Miami’s Otto Lopez took exception to Cronenworth’s spikes hitting his ankle as he tried to prevent a double play, a day after a similar but more violent slide by Jurickson Profar knocked Lopez’s legs out from under him. These are the kinds of hard-hitting plays that old-school fans love, but can also result in guys getting seriously injured.

Most of the time, the calmer heads will prevail and the negative feelings surrounding these plays will be absent. However, there is a fine line between “rough play” and decisions that could be viewed as unfair. All it takes is for a fight to break out or an injury to happen for things to go a little too far. The Padres need to be careful because if they cross that line (even if they think they didn’t), guys like Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar will be targeted (again), risking injuries and suspensions.

For now, the Padres don’t need to change their approach because it’s clearly working. Being competitive is in their DNA, starting with their manager. Hopefully Sunday’s misunderstanding/skirmish serves as a reminder of what it could cost them if they go too far.

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