"It honestly seems like we're going out there not to lose the division, instead of going out there to win the division,"
The National League Western Division race has heated up. Thanks to the first place team. The San Diego Padres have lost 10 games in a row. They haven’t won for almost two weeks and yet they still are holding a 1 game lead over San Francisco. The reason for the collapse remains a mystery but if you know why I’m sure manager Bud Black would appreciate the cure for the slump.
It would be easy to say that San Diego has finally showed their true selves after 135 games but it’s not easy to stay at the top as long as they have. So I won’t be the one to say I told you so. Let’s instead take a look at how they got to be the top dog that will be playing their division rivals a lot in the final weeks.
Starting Pitching; The rotation has been phenomenal up to the start of losing streak. From rookie Matt Latos (13-5, 2.25 ERA), to veteran Jon Garland (13-10, 3.31 ERA) the pitching has kept them in the game. Good pitching can win ballgames and The 2010 Padres are proof of that.
Bullpen: When a starter stumbles the bullpen regularly stops the bleeding. When an opposing team has to face Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson and Heath Bell it’s not going to be an easy night.
Timely Hitting: They’ve had that up until the losing streak. Just scoring enough most outings to stay ahead of the opponent. This is not a murderers row of power hitters. They play to take the extra base when you let them take it. Not a lot of speed but a lot of smart base running. Adrian Gonzalez is the power in the lineup.
Defense: For the most part they have continuously played smart defense. Not giving an extra chance to the other team. This has left them as of late. It could be the long season taking away their focus on what got them to the top of the division.
What we can learn from this breakdown is that if the Padres go back to playing every game, one game at a time, pitching well, scoring timely runs and playing strong defense we could see this team play their way deep into the playoffs. If they continue to press we could see another collapse as horrific as the 1969 Chicago Cubs. The most celebrated second place team in the history of baseball. The Cubs that year were in first place for 155 days until they lost 17 out of 25 games in September. Padres starting pitcher Jon Garland was quoted in The San Diego Union Tribune on Sunday as saying, ” It honestly seems like we’re going out there not to lose the division, instead of going out there trying to win the division.” That’s exactly what it looks like.
Patrick Trotter
Sep 06. 2010
I swear, Mike. I was going to write this exact same article about the Rangers. Our once glorious season has descended rapidly into a pile of Cleveland.
Mike Koepp
Sep 08. 2010
Not a flaming Cleveland I hope.