SAN DIEGO — Right here come the Padres.
The primary half of the 2024 season featured its share of ups and downs in San Diego. There have been moments the Padres appeared able to take off — and by no means fairly did. There have been moments the Padres appeared destined to crater — and by no means fairly did.
Via all of it, the cluttered, wide-open nature of the Nationwide League playoff image afforded them some wiggle room. The Padres had been a .500 crew coming into their sequence towards Washington this week. That was hardly disqualifying. Greater than half the league discovered itself in the same place — combating for one of many ultimate two Wild Card spots with out significantly staking any declare.
With that backdrop, the Nationals visited Petco Park for a three-game sequence, trailing the Padres by half a recreation for the ultimate NL playoff spot. Three days later — after a wild comeback on Monday, a benches-clearing incident on Tuesday (adopted by Jurickson Profar’s assertion grand slam) and an emphatic 8-5 San Diego victory on Wednesday — the Padres have staked their declare.
Sure, it’s June. Sure, there are three months of baseball nonetheless to be performed. Sure, the Padres have tantalized and underwhelmed earlier than. But when there are two accessible locations within the NL Wild Card race, considered one of them may simply be the Padres’ to lose.
San Diego capped its sweep of the Nationals with an intensive show of dominance on Wednesday afternoon. Catcher Kyle Higashioka hit a pair of dwelling runs, together with an eighth-inning grand slam. His batterymate, Dylan Stop, was borderline untouchable, working seven scoreless innings, hanging out 9 and permitting one hit.
“It was nice,” Stop stated of the Padres’ 6-1 homestand. “We got here out punching each recreation. Even when we acquired down, the offense got here again. Two actually nice sequence.”
“The very best stretch of video games we have had all 12 months,” added second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
Make no mistake, the Padres’ place remains to be precarious. They don’t have the luxurious of the Phillies, Dodgers and Brewers, every of whom has constructed a large division lead. Even the Braves, on the high of the Wild Card image, have some leeway. The Padres, in the meantime, have confirmed already that their season can swing within the different path — and quick.
The roster has query marks, too, most of them injury-related. Yu Darvish, scheduled to begin Tuesday, had his return from the injured record pushed again resulting from irritation in his proper elbow. Joe Musgrove has been coping with the identical concern for a lot of the season. Neither has pitched since Might. Rotation assist may be required forward of the Commerce Deadline.
On Monday, the Padres introduced Fernando Tatis Jr. had sustained a stress response within the femur bone in his proper leg. The timetable for his return is murky, but it surely received’t come till after the All-Star break. He joined Xander Bogaerts (left shoulder fracture) on the IL.
All of which makes the Padres’ path considerably more difficult. Then once more, San Diego is hardly the one playoff contender with damage points. None of these gamers has been dominated out for the season. It’s potential the total contingent of superstars is on the market for the stretch run. The Padres merely must regular the ship till then.
“We’re going to determine it out,” stated supervisor Mike Shildt. “I discuss it pretty typically: Winners discover options. It’s one thing we’ve been capable of do for essentially the most half all 12 months. We’ve had some adversity. You’re going to have adversity on this recreation. … Nobody’s going to really feel sorry for us. You’ve acquired to step up, play the video games.”
Up to now, so good. Tatis landed on the IL on the identical day Darvish was scratched from his scheduled Tuesday begin. The Padres’ response couldn’t have been any higher: They received the following three video games they performed, towards a crew chasing them within the Wild Card race.
“That simply speaks to the character of the blokes,” Higashioka stated. “It doesn’t matter what adversity we’re going to face, I feel we’ve proven within the first half that we’re up for the duty.”
Profar, all the time on the middle of all the things, has emerged as a stabilizing pressure, at the same time as he performs by patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Manny Machado, coping with a proper hip flexor pressure, homered after Profar was plunked on Tuesday and pounded out two extra hits on Wednesday. Higashioka, in the meantime, has accomplished nothing however mash since beginning catcher Luis Campusano landed on the IL with a left thumb bruise.
Maybe these Padres are proving they will endure.