The San Diego Padres are just two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West and sit a comfortable five games ahead of the New York Mets for the second NL Wild Card spot.
The Padres and Mets have split the first two games of their three-game set, with the Mets winning the opener 8-3 on Tuesday and the Padres winning 7-4 on Wednesday.
Star third baseman Manny Machado, who has been in a bit of a rut recently (hitting just .214 in September), hit a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie. It was Machado’s 14th career grand slam, the most among active players.
“In that opportunity, it’s just trying to get one [run], not trying to do too much, keep it simple,” Machado explained after the game.
“This was a big one for us, every game from now on is a big one.”
He’s right, every game matters down the stretch. The Padres’ earliest chance to clinch a playoff spot is Saturday, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.
The game last night between the two playoff hopefuls had the energy of an October game in the eyes of Padres manager Mike Shildt.
“Tonight,” said Shildt, “felt like a playoff game.”
It’s likely that San Diego will have an invite to the dance soon, but the team doesn’t want just a playoff berth, they want the division.
“I think we had a chance to take it over a long time ago, and we didn’t,” said Machado. “So, at this point it’s just: Worry about us. Go out there and just play our best game.”
For the Padres to take the division, the starting rotation will need to be much stronger than it has been, especially because the bullpen has been taxed.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle ranked the Padres ninth in the latest power rankings with two weeks to go.
“Will the Padres' vaunted bullpen hold up over the stretch run and into the playoffs?” wrote Doolittle on Thursday. “Their rotation has been hit or miss for a month now, which only increases the load for a stacked bullpen fortified by the trade deadline acquisition of Mason Miller. Miller has been phenomenal as a Padre and it's a good thing, since Jason Adam went down with an injury, Jeremiah Estrada has had a rough month in the gopher ball department and Adrian Morejon has struggled in September. Can the unit that so many viewed as the Padres' October trump card regain its menace?”
The Padres close out the season with one more game against the Mets, three with the Chicago White Sox, three with the Milwaukee Brewers and three with the Arizona Diamondbacks.