It's everything for the Padres

The Padres have won 7 of 10 games against the Dodgers this year and, in the process, have shown that they have another gear.

I did a lot of gloating yesterday, after the San Diego Padres had won their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers but before they had completed the sweep (which they did last night), and I tried to take some credit for predicting that this was coming.

When others were worried about the Padres’ losing streak, I pointed out how difficult the schedule was and how easy it was about to get.

When they got to Colorado and laid down against the Rockies, I pointed out that having a full crowd at Petco Park would help wake them up.

And while it’s true that those things happened, the Padres have shown now that they have the ability to turn almost everything touching the team into a positive space when they want to. Or, more specifically, when they’re playing the Dodgers.

It’s the pitching

I want to put into context how absurd it is that the Padres just held the Dodgers to 7 runs over 3 games but I’m not sure that I can.

How about this? The last time the Dodgers scored 7 runs or less over 3 games was towards the end of April, and it actually happened twice. Once after they scored 1 run in consecutive games against the Brewers (thanks to known Dodgers-killer Eric Lauer) and once when they were held to 3 runs over 2 games the last time the Padres beat their ass and right after they had scored just 1 run against the Mariners.

To put it simply, the Dodgers shouldn’t be consistently shut down by anyone’s pitching staff. Their offense is that good. And yet, so far this year, they really can’t touch the Padres pitching. And definitely not the starting pitching.

It’s the hitting

By contrast, the Padres scored 14 games over 3 games against the Dodgers. They scored off home runs in the 1st inning of each game.

The last time they played the Dodgers, they scored 21 runs over 4 games. Despite the Dodgers having great pitching (at least, before the ban on sticky substances), the Padres just hit the crap out of them when they play them. They even hit their left-handed pitchers and hit for power, two things they have struggled to do for much of the season against other teams.

No wonder the Padres have gone 7-3 against the Dodgers this year. When you’re pitching great and scoring a bunch, it’s hard to lost.

Speaking of scoring a bunch…

It’s the patience

There’s two things about the Padres’ offense that have fluctuated a little over the last month or so, and it’s lead to both bad times and good. When this offense is humming, it produces a lot of walks and home runs. When it’s not, there’s a lot of quick outs and strikeouts.

Against the Dodgers, the Padres seem to play like a smart baseball team. They work the count, they grind out at bats, and they’re on base all the time. That leads to more fastballs (especially against the team that steals more bases than any other) from tired pitchers (guys throwing their 20-something pitch of the inning) and the end result is runs, runs, and more runs.

Get on base and steal bases. The home runs will come along. That’s the formula that works for the Padres, especially against the Dodgers. (I know there was a lot of solo home runs in this series. Just stay with me.)

It’s the fielding

With the pressure at it’s boiling point, you would think the semi-inexperienced Padres would find ways to trip over themselves in the field but it’s been (mostly) the opposite.

Each of the last two games have ended on absolutely beautiful defensive plays by Wil Myers and Manny Machado. And, with the exception of a rushed throw from Tatis that ended up off course, the defense of the Padres has been impressive and clutch.

The team and the defense is lead by Manny Machado, of course. The guy is just never rattled by the moment, just the opposite, and it makes him even more valuable in big games than he already is in the others. The Padres are lucky to have him.

It’s the fans

ESPN had some guy at the game last night. They were very proud of it despite the fact that he sounded like he was underwater and was only occasionally popping into the broadcast from what looked like a janitor’s closet.

But, that same guy said he had been following the Padres for a while and knew the team would play better once they were in front of a packed home stadium because they live for the moment and love to get the crowd rowdy. For what it’s worth, I agree with him completely!

But, from another angle, this is the first time this team has ever been in this situation. Jayce Tingler had never managed in a full Petco Park before this week. Trent Grisham has never played in front of a full Petco Park before this week. Same with Tommy Pham, at least not as a San Diego Padres player. Same with Ha-Seong Kim, Victor Caratini, and Jake Cronenworth.

And, you know who really seemed to get a boost playing in front of a packed home crowd in San Diego for the first time? Ha-Seong Kim, Victor Caratini, and Jake Cronenworth. Even Grisham, who probably got called into service a little too quickly post-injury, seems obviously pumped up when the crowd gets going. And Jayce Tingler is managing beautifully.

(I didn’t even mention that this was the first time pitching in front of a sold-out Petco for all three Padres starters in this series.)

I don’t want to give the fans and crowd too much credit. They’re not on the field, they’re not hitting or pitching or fielding. The guys on the field have been really impressive for the last week, but this is the start of a relationship with the full Padres fanbase for a lot of them, and that has been nothing but positive.

It’s the everything

Just like when things were bad and the Padres were losing, it’s impossible to point to just once thing as the cause of it. One game it would be a bad pitching performance that would cost them a game, and in the next one it would be especially bad fielding or a horrendous approach at the plate.

What I expected was that these things would come back but not all at the same time. The pitching would carry them some nights and the hitting would be there on others. The fielding would save runs one night and the next they would walk in some runs.

What has happened with the Padres this week, either because of the fans or the team getting up for the Dodgers or just plain luck, is that everything has shown up.

They’ve pitched beautifully, the fans have been loud, the defense has been stellar, the walks have been plentiful, and the bats have been loud. I don’t know how long this will last, I doubt any team could keep it up for more than a couple weeks, but it’s a real pleasure to see the fully realized Padres play and to know that it’s something they can tap into when they really need (or want) an important win.

It bodes well for the playoffs, at least.