A year ago, in his first season in San Diego, James Shields was the Padres' ace. He had been their Opening Day starter, and at this point in the season he had gone 2-0 in his first five starts while posting a 2.90 ERA. He went on to a 7-0 start and didn't suffer a loss until his 15th game of the year, cementing his leadership role on the field and in the clubhouse.
This season he started out as the no. 2 guy in the Padres rotation, behind Tyson Ross. He's now back in the no.