Stay Classy San
Diego: These Aren't Your Padre’s Padres and They Could Steal The NL West
Champ Kind
has had a lot to be happy about lately when it comes
to the hometown Padres. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are the hottest
team in baseball this side of the Canadian border. Doing all of this while recently
being hit with the injury bug is astonishing. The funny thing is though, despite
the injuries, they could very well walk out of the West and into the playoffs.
The
Diamondbacks sit in first place, and the Dodgers, who are in last, are only 8.5
games back. If the Padres have dealt with injuries the Dodgers have dealt with
the plague. They have been unable to field their complete team in who knows how
long, yet only sit 8.5 games back, which is not insurmountable at this given
time despite what some may tell you. The mediocrity in the division figures to
last all season as I don’t see any team being able to pull away from the pack,
even at their healthiest. Every team is flawed in some way and that will lead
to an exciting finish.
So how
exactly have the Padres been able to do this? The answer is simple. They succeed
in three key areas. They win at home, they play solid defense, and they have a
very good bullpen. Their starting pitching should be much better, though in
fairness, has played to potential lately. Edinson Volquez needs to step his game
up, Clayton Richard should be one of the better lefties in the game, and Andrew
Cashner needs to develop his secondary pitches to go along with an electric
fastball. The one guy in the rotation who has exceeded expectations and is
leading the staff with his play is Staten Island’s favorite son, (as seen here:My Favorite Player is Jason Marquis) Jason Marquis.
Under the tutelage of Bud Black Marquis has had somewhat of a career renaissance.
Most believe he will fall back toward the median as the season progresses but
if the rest of the staff can keep up the change in play it will not affect the
team much.
Another big
key for the Padres and a playoff push will be getting Everth Cabrera back and
playing as well as he was before his injury. Not too many people know who he is
other than his connection to the steroid scandal, but he has built upon his
great 2012 campaign and played even better in 2013. Chase Headley is another
player who doesn’t get much publicity on the East Coast but having him and his
stellar defense back will help strengthen an already impressive bunch of
gloves. Jedd Gyorko at second was justifying the hype that the team and
insiders attached to him, but the injury bug and a DL stint have hit him as
well. If he can come back and not miss a beat it will put the Padres in a good
position and brighten not only the present but the future as well.
As
previously stated the rest of the division is flawed. The Diamondbacks, who no
doubt have the most talent, are far too inconsistent. San Francisco cannot be a
run scoring juggernaut, and its pitching is showing the effects of the innings
load deep into the last few postseasons. Colorado has to deal with a
devastating injury to Troy Tulowitzki, and the Dodgers as mentioned, have dealt
with the plague when it comes to injuries. As the season winds down the race
will only get more exciting but the Padres will be looking to put a whammy on
the rest of the division.
