The Padres’ push into a wild-card spot didn’t happen in a straight line. It came after a month in which San Diego looked buried, then somehow started stacking wins, climbing past six teams and into second place in the wild-card race by a slim half-game.
Back on July 10, the Padres were 5.5 games out and sliding the wrong way. Since then, they’ve flipped the script, capped by a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, one of the best teams in baseball. Fernando Tatis Jr. said the way San Diego handled that series mattered.
“We have come together as a ball club, as a team,” Tatis said in a piece written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “Obviously, a sweep -- against a team like this -- it keeps boosting our confidence all the way up.”
Jake Cronenworth said the tone around the club has shifted too. What once felt like a sprint to the trade deadline is now a final push through the stretch run.
“Obviously, it was kind of a race to the trade deadline for us,” he said. “All the pressure on us to go out and perform and let A.J. do what he does. Now it’s that 40-game sprint.”
The workload has been heavy. According to Cassavell, San Diego played 17 games in 17 days before the All-Star break, then followed that with 26 games in 27 days.
Those two brutal runs could have cracked the season open. Instead, the Padres came through them.
“It’s actually invigorated us,” said manager Craig Stammen. “It’s shown us we can handle anything.”
A.J. Preller’s approach has helped shape that belief. He’s operated with a big-market mentality, refusing to treat the deadline like a place to step back.
“We’re trying to win,” Preller said afterward. “We don’t apologize for it.
We’re trying to win championships. We’re trying to get to the postseason, and do it year after year.”
That attitude has carried into the clubhouse. Walker Buehler said the front office’s stance matters to the players, and Cronenworth made it clear the group understands what it has in front of it now.
“The front office’s approach to the Deadline does nothing but help us,” said Walker Buehler.
“After that, it’s like, man, this is the group we’ve got,” Cronenworth said. “Let’s go out and take it.”
The next stop is Cleveland, where the Padres are set to face the Guardians on the road. Jackson Merrill said San Diego is keeping its focus there rather than looking back at the back-and-forth battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“When the time comes to play the Diamondbacks again, we’ll look at that,” Merrill said. “But not right now.
We’re focused on the Guardians. And on getting after it every day.”
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Padres Face A Tatis Question As Joe Musgrove Nears Return
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Fernando Tatis Jr. created a different kind of conversation when he was handed a rest day despite swinging one of the hotter bats in the lineup. The decision stood out because San Diego is still battling for position in the wild-card picture, and Tatis had been driving the offense over the past week. Craig Stammens quick hook on Robbie Ray later in the game also fit the same pattern, a manager managing every move like October has already arrived, even as the Padres try to balance urgency with the need to keep key players fresh. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Pitching Depth Gets A Real Test With This Former All-Star
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For the Padres, Marquezs brief run was over before it really had a chance to settle in, and the move serves as another reminder of how quickly a veteran starter can slide from option to question mark. Minnesota will send him to Triple-A St. Paul, where the organization can get a longer look and keep him ready if the Major League rotation needs help, especially if injuries create an opening. [Read more 🡒]