Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler, in a radio interview with the Mighty 1090 AM on Wednesday, labeled the team "miserable failures" on the win-loss front, calling its performance "embarrassing."
Fowler's comments came less than 24 hours after the Padres absorbed a 16-4 beating from the Mariners, completing a 1-7 road trip.
The Padres, 20-33, are in last place in the National League West, 12½ games behind the Giants.
"It's been embarrassing. I don't know how else to put it," Fowler said. "Our performance on the road trip, 1-7, was pathetic.
"I'm a very competitive individual. I think I've won a lot more than lost in my life. This baseball experience has been very frustrating, very embarrassing.”
"The performance by our team (Tuesday), I can understand how (former owner Ray) Kroc would have grabbed the microphone. It's that frustrating."
Fowler singled out right-hander James Shields, who allowed 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday. Shields, who signed a four-year, $75 million free-agent contract with the Padres in February 2015, has been the subject of trade talks.
"To have a starter like (James) Shields perform as poorly as he did yesterday is an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him," Fowler said.
