Padres flex depth in rout, show why NL West title remains realistic goal

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Shildt caused a minor stir Saturday when, for just the third time this season, the San Diego Padres manager slotted Jackson Merrill fifth in the starting lineup. Merrill might be the team’s most valuable performer this season, but even as some fans clamored for him to be bumped up in the order, the 21-year-old rookie had not hit in that spot since consecutive games in late June.

Back then, both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts were on the injured list. Another veteran, Jurickson Profar, was contending with the nagging effects of patellar tendinitis.

Now, with all three of those players active, the timing for a small but noticeable shift felt right.

“He’s done great,” Shildt said of Merrill before the club’s 149th game of the year. “He hit sixth for a long time. Just really moved him up one spot. He’s been hitting seventh more recently, but it seems like a good spot for him in the fifth. The good news is that, really, out of our first eight, they’ve all hit in the top four for periods of time. It’s a long lineup; we got (Donovan) Solano hitting eighth, so that tells you everything you need to know.”

Saturday evening, the Padres backed that statement with a second straight shutout win, 8-0 over the San Francisco Giants. Solano supplied three doubles and four total hits to match a pair of career highs, and Merrill notched two doubles for the second night in a row. The offense collectively piled up a season-high seven doubles among 17 hits to support another strong pitching effort. Like teammate Dylan Cease the night before, Joe Musgrove threw six scoreless innings before giving way to a shutdown bullpen.

Jackson Merrill leads all rookies with 85 RBI! pic.twitter.com/1cYGVskbt3

— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2024

After a 6-7 stretch that increased the pressure on a contending club, two games of relative symmetry reinforced a certain notion. The Padres aren’t just a wild-card contender; with 13 regular-season dates left, a National League West title remains within reach.

The division-leading but injury-riddled Los Angeles Dodgers opened the weekend by announcing that Opening Day starter Tyler Glasnow is likely done for the season. Then, they lost a blowout to the Atlanta Braves. That result, combined with a dominant effort at Oracle Park, allowed the Padres (84-65) to pull to within 3 1/2 games of the Dodgers (while slightly increasing their lead atop a frenetic wild-card race).

“We’re chasing right down their backs right now,” Musgrove said. “Physically, they’re not where they want to be, but that’s how it goes. I mean, we lost plenty of guys throughout the course of the season and managed to stay above water and keep ourselves in position.

“We’re playing really good baseball right now. Our confidence is high. The approach is right on both sides of the baseball. So, I think we’re in a really good spot to make a push at this thing.”

San Diego still has a few head-to-head attempts to close the gap between itself and Los Angeles. The Padres, who already have clinched the season series between the two teams, are scheduled to visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series Sept. 24-26.

The Padres, of course, are not without injury concerns. Most notably, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (right shoulder inflammation) has not thrown across the infield with full intensity in four weeks. After being unable to take that next step last week, he is back to playing catch but increasingly questionable to come off the injured list before October.

“Clearly, the days are going by, so we’re optimistic but not blind optimists,” Shildt said.

Again, though, the Padres’ depth has proven useful. Bogaerts agreed to slide from second base to shortstop Tuesday and has stayed there since. That, in turn, has opened up playing time for Solano, and the 36-year-old has recorded multiple hits in three starts this week. Saturday, while Solano sprayed hits around the field, Bogaerts played another solid game at short and contributed a solo shot.

Bogey Bomb by The Bay 💣 pic.twitter.com/T1EirMbHoa

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 15, 2024

After a lopsided victory, two clubhouse leaders agreed this was the deepest team they had played on.

“The majority of the time, I’ve been on teams where guys don’t even play just because the (starters) are playing every single day,” said third baseman Manny Machado, who went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. “Especially after the DH stuff in the National League, I think it’s helped. … Solano came in there today; four hits. (David) Peralta’s been one of our hottest hitters in all of August. So, keeping these guys playing, keeping them fresh, keep giving them at-bats, flip-flopping them, it gives that energy to the team, especially the team that we have.”

“I was just telling the guys this is the most fun I’ve had playing baseball,” said Musgrove, who struck out eight while allowing three hits and no walks. “And it’s not just the winning that makes it fun. It’s the confidence that I have when I go out and take the mound. It’s not myself getting the win but keeping us in a position to win … guys willing to give up an at-bat or get a job done that might be outside of what they’re hoping to do in a certain scenario. We meet the demands of the game really, really well right now, and I think everyone’s starting to really buy into that and see that the results follow when we do play that style of baseball.”

That style, combined with the Padres’ production, has kept them in position to pull off what once felt like a distant goal. A division championship this month would be their first since 2006.

“I don’t think it changes a whole lot of how we play,” Musgrove said. “I think we still go out there with the intention to win every game and do what the game’s telling us we need to do and just see where things fall.”

(Photo of Manny Machado: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)