100 games into a 162-game season, it was 50-50 for the San Diego Padres. They were preparing for another year of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado’s prime years, not to mention an unusual season in Jurickson Profar’s career.
On Saturday night, they defeated Arizona 5-0 in Phoenix, improving to 43-18 since falling to .500 against Cleveland in July. With half of the starting lineup resting overnight and Randy Vazquez starting as a substitute from Triple-A El Paso, the Diamondbacks, desperate for a win, allowed just one hit.
“There’s no question in my mind this club is going to be able to play, no matter who we send,” first-year manager Mike Shildt said.
What a 180-degree turn from last year, when San Diego relented at the first sign of adversity and failed to come away with a win in a close game. Bob Melvin led one of the most star-studded rosters in the game to an 82-80 record and made the playoffs in what was probably the most disappointing season in franchise history, no stranger to disappointing seasons. missed.
This isn’t one of those seasons, so if you’re looking for a cheap pick in the National League, you might want to pony up a few pennies on the Padres.
A lot of “smart” money will be bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. But Los Angeles’ pitching staff is thinner than the runway model, and Philadelphia has been a team below .500 in its past 65 games.
Which brings us back to why San Diego is a sleeper in the National League. Not only are they playing the best ball of any contender since mid-July, they may also have the least weaknesses of any playoff team.
They may not have as good a starting pitcher as the Phillies, but Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease and Michael King are a solid rotation. Cease has more strikeouts than any player not named Tarik Skubal or Chris Sale, while Darvish and Musgrove are finally healthy after missing long stretches of the season. King started 31 games in his first full season in an MLB rotation and posted a 2.95 ERA.
The Padres can be in the bullpen with anyone. Despite a slump in September, Robert Suarez posted 36 saves and nine wins. Tanner Scott and Jason Adam are excellent setup men, and Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon could serve as replacements for many MLB teams.
Offensively, San Diego has somehow improved after trading Juan Soto, a prestigious move that will allow general manager AJ Preller to keep his job after last year’s failure. It’s an act.
The batting lineup is thick from top to bottom, as evidenced by No. 9 batter Kyle Higashioka’s 17 home runs. He is tops in MLB in batting average and top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and RBI. They also have the fewest whiffs and strikeouts of any batting lineup in the majors.
Do you think it means nothing? Want to see one of the hidden reasons Houston has been so good for a decade? They also don’t strike out much. Despite baseball geeks’ claims that a strikeout means nothing, a whiff reduces the team’s chances of forcing the opponent to take care of the ball.
Remember Mookie Wilson’s ground ball slips through Bill Buckner’s legs. In 1986? It won’t happen unless Wilson makes contact. Getting the ball in play is always preferred over swinging off the takas and taking your foot off.
This was what 2023 looked like for the Padres.
That doesn’t explain their 2024 playoff run.
