The San Diego Padres are sitting pretty in their efforts to get into the playoffs as they try to beat LA again.
The San Diego Padres made another jump in the wild-card standings with their 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, and they’re now in sole possession of the top wild-card spot. It’s a big shift, and the Padres have a chance to clinch a playoff berth and keep the spot in the final game of their series against LA.
They’ll send Nick Pivetta to the hill to get it done, and he’ll be going up against Tyler Glasnow for the Dodgers. Pivetta’s been a revelation since he returned from the injured list and made his first start back on Sept. 7, as he’s given manager Craig Stammen another rotation arm, plus he’s compensated for some of the poor starts put up by new acquisitions Casey Mize and Robbie Ray.
One thing we’ve learned recently is that Stammen has become the modern version of Captain Hook. He’s managing by the seat of his pants a lot of the time, and he won’t hesitate to pull a starter who’s not throwing strikes or getting outs, regardless of that starter’s reputation.
Glasnow was a bona fide ace during his days with the Tampa Bay Rays, but he hasn’t been quite that good as a Dodger. He’s still a pitcher who can shut you down on a given night, but Glasnow can also be ordinary and hittable, as the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals proved recently by getting four runs each in four innings and six innings, respectively.
But the pitching matchup doesn’t matter nearly as much as what’s at stake and the overall atmosphere surrounding this game. The Padres’ chances of making a deep playoff run would go up considerably is they can hold that top wild-card spot and earn total home-field advantage during that first series.
There are all kinds of variables here, too. No one expected the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs to drop into the lower spots, and the pesky Arizona Diamondbacks are still hanging around at three games back. Last night’s win was huge, and getting another win tonight would be even bigger.
The Dodgers have a lot at stake as well. They lost a game in their effort to catch the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball, so their hopes there are also hanging by a thread. They’re two games back, so this game is a must-win for LA if they want to have a realistic chance of pulling that off.
