The San Diego Padres' recent struggles have been magnified by the fans, and now both the national media and local media are starting to come to the same assumption: the tenure of Bud Black as the Padres' manager is coming close to an end.

That could very well be the case as the state of the Padres' play has been brutal to watch. Seeing Joaquin Benoit serve up a fastball right down the middle to Joc Pederson on Friday night was horrible to watch. The pitch should have never been located right down the middle, and it was. The craziest thing is unlike in seasons past, when Padres pitchers make mistakes, the other teams capitalize. Hitting a mid 90's fastball out of a ball park is not an easy task, even if its right down the middle. Anyone who argues that fact has never played the game at a competitive level.

Could the Padres be cursed? It can surely feel that way as this team finds new ways to blow games on a nightly basis. Bud Black has to shoulder some of the responsibility. There is no arguing that. Not all of the Padres' issues are on him, but he as the manager of the squad and does assume some of the blame. However, once the ship starts to sink, it is only natural to look for a reason. This Padres team has not failed on this season by any means. They can easily turn things around, but the team needs to show life and show it fairly quickly.

For a team to come together and bond quickly is a difficult task. Black absolutely has his work cut out for him. Most fans want immediate returns on all these new and talented players. and that is just unlikely. Onlookers are presently seeing that. The team can still come together. Sometimes it takes a brawl or fight between teammates. What ever it takes, this team needs it now. The team is very talented, and all the constant talk of trades might be getting to them.

The Padres' management has been linked to almost every player -- from Josh Hamilton to Johnny Cueto to Cole Hamels. It seems as if a player is available for trade, the Padres are at least kicking the tires onhim. Could all the talk about potential trades be getting to the players? They are professionals, and things like that should not bother them. These same people are human beings, and if fans think it cannot get into their heads, then they are naive.

The very same thing could be said about Black and his job security. He is more than likely feeling the pressure of the expectations of this team. When this team was built, there were obvious issues with it; too much right-handed hitting and the overall defense are just two of the many things this team will have to deal with. There are no easy fixes for either issue.

Black is currently in the final year of his contract to manage the San Diego Padres. It is really unheard of for a manager to be left in limbo without an extension. That really doesn't bode well for his future. If management was truly happy with their skipper, they would have extended his contract during the recent off-season. Instead, this season looks to be a make-or-break season for the manager. It would be tough to see the Padres retain him unless the team makes the playoffs.

So should Black be fired? Mast fans, when asked, say they are either completely for it or completely against it; there really seems to be no middle ground. Some fans point to the team's recent, consistent mediocre seasons as a reason. Others, though, see the average seasons and say that he did well to take a talent-less roster to around the .500 mark. The truth is in the middle somewhere. We cannot discredit Black for indeed taking teams that were less than talented to decent seasons. However, this team presently has more talent than probably all other Bud Black-managed teams combined. If they do not turn it around, he will be fired.

Is it fair to put all the blame on him? No, not at all. But if the team struggles as a whole group, management cannot fire them. Matt Kemp is in a horrible slump. Is that Bud Black's fault? No, but Kemp's slump compounded with stagnant defense and horrible relief pitching has brought things to where they are now.

Many Padres fans are presently jumping off the band wagon, and die-hard fans bid them a fond farewell. The baseball season is a long, long road. In this day of instant gratification, some fans just cannot deal with losing. The most successful of baseball teams lose 60-70 games a season. Relax, Padres fans; if you really believe in this team, then sit back and enjoy the ride. This writer does not want to see Bud Black leave. If he were to be fired, that would mean the team is falling further out of contention. With the removal of him as manager, the team would be throwing in the towel on the season.

This 2015 season is far from over, and this team has far too much talent and potential to give up on them so soon into the season. Even if this season turns out a failure, the team still has a very bright future, which could include Bud Black as manager. If the team truly wants him to stay, they need to play better baseball. If the team plays better, then the Bud Black criticcs will be silenced. Until then, they have plenty of fuel for the fire. There is nothing that can stop a raging fire once it starts. Fans just neeed to try to contain it.