headtopics
For nearly three months, the San Diego Padres have been playing exceptional baseball in every facet of the game. If they can perform anywhere near their considerable potential, they could secure a third consecutive World Series championship. While the Los Angeles Dodgers remain a formidable obstacle, the Padres are just as capable as any other team in the National League playoff field, and they may even hold a couple of advantages over their division rivals.
Pitching Excellence
Entering Thursday night's matchup against the Dodgers, a pitching staff anchored by Michael King, Adrian Morejon, and Mason Miller had recorded the best ERA in the National League over the past 69 games, dating back to the team's early-summer struggles. Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez have maintained their sharp form, giving the Padres a bullpen that currently appears more reliable than any other relief corps in the league.
Offensive Firepower
At the plate, the Padres have made a dramatic turnaround. Since early July, they rank third among the 15 National League teams in runs scored, first in batting average, and second in adjusted runs created. Defensively, FanGraphs analytics place them third in the league over that same 69-game stretch, trailing only the Cubs and Diamondbacks.
One under-the-radar strength that could prove especially valuable in the postseason: San Diego leads all of Major League Baseball in defending the stolen-base game during that span. Like the smartest organizations, this veteran-laden team has solved problems at a high rate as the season has progressed.
"We're clicking on all cylinders and playing the style of baseball we expected to play," said first baseman and cleanup hitter Ty France, 32, who deserves consideration as the team's MVP. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merrill all made swing adjustments during the season that appear to have paid off.
After moving on from inexpensive offseason addition Nick Castellanos, who delivered a monumental home run against the Cardinals, A.J. Preller and his staff found tremendous value in Samad Taylor, Luis Rengifo, and Dustin Harris.
Health Advantage
Another positive development for the Padres: they are entering October in relatively excellent health, while several potential opponents face questions about both health and sharpness. The Cubs, whose pitching staff has been hit harder than most by injuries this year, lost star Alex Bregman to a foul ball to the face this week, and it remains uncertain whether he will regain form soon. Last week, the Phillies shut down a quality starting pitcher, Jesus Luzardo, due to a shoulder issue, and second baseman Luis Arraez left Thursday's game with a sprained ankle. The Braves will not be getting back a pair of mid-to-upper-tier starting pitchers who have been sidelined all season.
Meanwhile, Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are trying to round into form while coping with physical ailments that could linger into the postseason. The Padres, by contrast, have seen all three of their projected core hitters—Tatis Jr., Machado, and Merrill—enjoy full seasons of health availability.
On Thursday night, Nick Pivetta continued his comeback from an elbow injury that sidelined him for most of the season. The right-hander displayed the rising fastball and 12-to-6 curveball that made him a top-20 starter in MLB last year, beginning with four scoreless innings. Pivetta's outing came one night after Machado, just as he did at Dodger Stadium in July, rebounded from a few tough moments to hit a home run that helped defeat the Dodgers.
"We've just got to keep playing our game," Machado said. "We've been playing good baseball for a couple months now. That's what we got to continue to do and continue to rely on those strengths that we have as a group."
Originally reported by headtopics.