A year ago, the Chicago Cubs eliminated the San Diego Padres from October baseball with a 2-1 victory in the Wild Card round. This year, the Padres have flipped the script. Riding on a hot streak, they will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series. Now, a former MLB player has backed the red-hot Friars over the team with the MLB-best record.
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“To me, they’re hot. They’re the hottest team right now. And I see them beating the Brewers. I’m not pushing back on you. Because sometimes it is the hottest team, not the best team. Sometimes the hottest team is the best team,” said former player Jonathan Papelbon on The Jim Rome Show. “But if you get hot at the right time, and nobody’s hotter than the Padres.”
The Padres are indeed the hottest team in MLB, and their late-season stats support Papelbon’s claims. They are long past the woes that plagued them earlier in the season. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill, their key lineup pieces, struggled at the plate. After a hitting slump early in the regular season, the sluggers have regained their rhythm.
Despite Tatis Jr. not hitting a home run till Game 56 of the regular season, the Padres collectively slugged 183 home runs this season, 29 more than the Milwaukee Brewers. Extra-base hits, like home runs, are important in October baseball. One good contact can change the trajectory of the game, and the Padres are in a better position in terms of homers. They have turned up the heat when it matters most.
The Padres’ comeback is powered by Tatis Jr., Machado, and Merrill coming back to form. In late May, Tatis Jr. snapped his home run drought with a 451-foot dinger against the Washington Nationals. Since then, he has hit 24 homers through the end of the regular season. Tatis also homered on the first pitch he saw during the Padres’ 8-0 triumph over the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series.
Machado finished the regular season with 30 homers and a .217 BA, but not before going through a brutal first half. A slumping Machado batted only .127 in May. Jackson Merrill finished the season batting .254 with 26 home runs.
“Playoffs- that’s what it’s all about, getting hot at the right time. And Manny Machado is going to lead them. Fernando Tatis is going to lead them. And they’ve got a great squad. And they’ve got to stay healthy, obviously. And that’s a big key,” according to Jonathan Papelbon.
The Padres, however, will face a challenge in Jacob Misiorowski. He will start Game 1 of the NL Division Series with a fastball that averages 100mph. Starting 30 games with a 16-5 record, Misiorowski has allowed 14 home runs this season. He has logged an incredible 1.80 ERA. The only time the Padres faced Misiorowski this season, on May 13, he did not allow any runs. In 7 innings, the Brewers’ starter struck out 10 and gave up 4 hits.
However, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune thinks that despite the Misiorowski threat, the Padres will record their three wins in the best-of-five series.
“Dominant ace Jacob Misiorowski represents the Brewers’ golden ticket and the Padres’ greatest threat. He’s well-rested going into Saturday’s opener in Milwaukee and would be on normal rest if the series returns to Wisconsin for Game 5,” wrote Krasovic, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. “But the starting pitching challenges won’t be enough to prevent the Padres from advancing to their fourth National League Championship Series and second under A.J. Preller.”
In their third consecutive postseason appearance, one thing is clear: the Padres are not going down without a fight.