The Stretch Run, Part 1
A quick preview of the 16 games that stand between now and the all-star break for the San Diego Padres.
I remember after the last time the Padres played, and beat, the Dodgers. I was concerned that the drop in adrenaline would lead to a drop in performance from the team and I was, fortunately, wrong.
San Diego used that series to catapult themselves to a 23-8 record over their next 31 games and it’s been the best part of the season for them. It was as if the Dodgers series woke them up, reminded them that they are great (they were 2-7 in the 9 games before the Dodgers series), and gave them the juice they needed to get hot.
The Padres don’t need that to happen now, but it would be a big boost to their World Series aspirations if they could do something like that.
There are 16 games between now and the all-star break for the the Padres, with about half of them being against bad teams (Rockies, Diamondbacks) and about half of them being against .500 teams (Reds, Phillies, Nationals). Going at least 12-4 over this stretch is what I’m expecting from the Padres.
Let’s look at the series in the order they’re coming.
vs. Diamondbacks
The Padres can, for the second time this season, sweep an entire homestand. All that’s standing in their way is the worst team in all of baseball.
Arizona is so bad that there’s not even really a team close to them in terms of just how bad they have been, both lately and over the course of the season. The Padres are 4-2 against them so far this season, but that’s not good enough. This would be the time to put a foot on the D-backs’ throat and take every win they can.
at Reds
The Padres just picked up a four-game sweep against the Reds without starting Yu Darvish or Blake Snell, but the Reds aren’t bad. They have good pitching and a bunch of power at the top of their lineup, and they’ll be extra motivated to fight back against the Padres after being embarrassed at Petco Park.
Away from Petco, the Padres have not been very good (17-18). It’s basically the difference between them and the teams at the top of each MLB division. There’s still plenty of time to turn it around, though, and no better time to start winning road games at a better-than-.500 clip than this series in Cincinnati.
at Phillies
I hate road trips when the team is switching time zones every few days, so I won’t be too surprised if the Padres look a little lifeless in this series.
It will be interesting to see if Blake Snell can turn around his road woes, as he’ll pitch both in Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
I also want to see, for no particular reason, if Austin Nola can make his way back to the Padres before playing against his brother’s team. (It’s probably good news that the Padres aren’t scheduled to see Aaron Nola in this series.)
vs. Nationals
This series feels big to me already, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because it’s a four-game series. Or because it’s the Padres’ return home after the road trip. Or because they’ll likely have to go up against Max Scherzer.
It’s a shame that they won’t get to see Strasburg, but it’s also beneficial to the Padres. I think. Either way, this will be an interesting test for the Padres fans to see if they can fill the stadium against a mediocre team from outside the division.
vs. Rockies
This is literally just going to be a test of attention spans. This is the last series before the all-star break, when guys will be planning their vacations and dreaming about resting on a beach, and it is also a vitally important series for the team to stay focused for and take care of business.
The Rockies are undeniably terrible, they’re barely a .400 team, and the Padres are just 5-4 against them this season. If they are going anywhere, the Padres will need to make that record a lot better.