SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres didn’t clinch an inevitable playoff berth Sunday. But they secured their first 90-win season since 2010. And before a visit to Chavez Ravine, they remained three games behind the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
“If you’re asking to win seven in a row against the first-place team in the division and another really good team, it’s asking a lot. Doable, for sure,” Joe Musgrove said before Sunday’s victory over the Chicago White Sox. “If we do win every game, it shores up the division for us. But there’s lots of ways we can get in (the postseason) and a lot of ways that it can happen without winning seven in a row. I don’t think we’re putting the pressure of feeling like we have to win seven in a row, but yeah, we’re definitely going out trying to win all seven.”
Here are a couple of takeaways ahead of the biggest series of the year.
Starting pitching edge
The Padres already hold an important tiebreaker against the Dodgers, having clinched the season series in late July. It might not end up taking this much, but the Padres can guarantee themselves a National League West title by winning their final six regular-season games. And, for now, their starting pitching advantage over the Dodgers looks significant.
Padres-Dodgers pitching probables:
Tuesday: Michael King vs. Landon Knack
Wednesday: Dylan Cease vs. Jack Flaherty
Thursday: Joe Musgrove vs. Walker Buehler— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) September 22, 2024
The Dodgers, because of injuries and despite a franchise-record luxury tax payroll, have resorted to patching together their rotation. The Padres, meanwhile, have pitched especially well as they near the postseason: In the past nine games, San Diego starters have combined to throw 56 innings while allowing only six earned runs.
It wasn’t that long ago that this group represented the biggest question mark on the roster. Then, Musgrove returned from the injured list in August. Yu Darvish came back from his lengthy absence early this month. Martín Pérez has exceeded all expectations since he arrived at the trade deadline.
“I think getting consistent outings and myself and seeing Yu’s (pitch) count get up to a normal spot and seeing pitching well, it kind of reinforces the rotation,” Musgrove said. “I think we’re pretty good with (Michael) King and (Dylan) Cease, and Martín’s throwing really well. But, obviously, three is not enough. So having five solid options would really help.”
In Sunday’s win, Darvish allowed two solo homers for the extent of the damage against him. He also became the first Japanese-born pitcher to reach 2,000 career strikeouts in the majors, and he matched Hiroki Kuroda for the most combined wins (203) by a Japanese-born pitcher between the majors and Nippon Professional Baseball.
Also important: He worked into the seventh inning and got up to 87 pitches, his highest total since his return.
“My body feels great,” Darvish, who has had multiple IL stints this season, said through interpreter Shingo Horie. “Good energy, good stamina. It feels good.”
Because they will spend the coming week chasing a division title, the Padres might not have the luxury of lining up their first-round playoff rotation exactly how they’d like it. But their current order already looks close to ideal.
Cease is scheduled to make his final regular-season start Wednesday, which would give him ample time to prepare for a potential Game 1 outing Oct. 1. Musgrove will follow him on the mound Thursday — and possibly in a postseason Game 2. Darvish likely will pitch Friday or Saturday in Arizona. Either way, he should then have enough rest before starting a Game 3, if needed. And if the Padres don’t end up asking King to pitch the regular-season finale, he could be another option for the second or third start of the playoffs.
Shortstop returns
Starting shortstop Ha-Seong Kim might return from shoulder inflammation at some point in October, depending on how far the Padres advance. The team doesn’t appear to be banking on that outcome.
Xander Bogaerts, after spending several months acclimating to a new position at second base, has started the past 11 games at his old position. The Padres on Sunday selected the contract of veteran shortstop Nick Ahmed, who signed a minor-league deal Aug. 31 hours before a deadline to retain postseason eligibility. (Players acquired in September or later are ineligible.)
Ahmed is a two-time Gold Glove winner and, at this stage in his career, a limited option on offense; in 69 combined games this season with the San Francisco Giants and the Dodgers, the National League West fixture logged a .571 OPS. He has not appeared in a big-league game since Aug. 18, the same day Kim injured his right shoulder. He is expected to serve as insurance behind Bogaerts, who demonstrated some rust with errors in consecutive innings between Wednesday and Friday.
The first error came near the end of a 4-0 shutout of the Houston Astros. The second came near the start of a one-run, 10-inning win against the White Sox. Bogaerts knows the margin for more errors could effectively vanish next month. He followed Friday’s game with a pair of strong defensive performances over the weekend.
“It’s one of the toughest positions to not be able to play for a long time in the big leagues (before returning there), and it’s pretty much the hardest position on the field,” Bogaerts said. “And I think the more games, the more reps you get, it’s gonna be beneficial. You can’t just put anyone and everyone over there, especially in a playoff race, and have them execute. You could probably do this in a losing season and make someone learn from it. But I’m not put in that situation right now where I got to, like, learn from it. I got to go out there and improve and make plays.”
(Photo of Michael King: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
