Padres' Tingler: 'I don't believe I've lost the clubhouse'

The San Diego Padres are in a free fall, but their skipper doesn't think he's on the hot seat.

"I don't believe I've lost the clubhouse," Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Tuesday, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. "I believe a lot in our guys. I have from Day 1. It's a group that, as frustrating as it is to not play to our potential, it's still a group that I love, that I believe in, and has all the things you want as a team."

After opening the season as one of the best teams in the league, occupying the top spot in the NL West as recently as May 30, the Padres have gone 42-53. They were recently swept by the St. Louis Cardinals to fall four games back of them for the second NL wild-card spot.

Tingler is in his second season as manager after leading San Diego to a playoff berth during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The Padres advanced beyond the first round as the fourth seed but were ultimately swept by the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres' slump recently hit a fever pitch, as Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. got into a verbal confrontation in the dugout during their series against the Cardinals.