Major League Baseball

Padres Week 26 Recap: Finishing strong

Published Sep. 25, 2014 12:18 p.m. ET

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Thursday vs Phillies: 7-3 Win

Philadelphia Game Recap

Robbie Erlin allowed just five base runners and one earned run in six quality innings, giving the Padres exactly what they needed to win this series. The offense was paced by Alexi Amarista (2-3, HR, 2 RBI, and 2 runs) and Will Venable (his 3-run homer in the eighth sealed the fate of this one), but nearly every starter contributed as San Diego scored at least once in five of the eight frames they came to bat. In fact, every position player recorded a hit and seven of them either knocked in a run or scored one. Four different Padres came up with a clutch hit with runners in scoring position and this free-swinging lineup actually drew more free passes (five) than times punched out (four). Sure, the victory means nothing in the standings, but the fact that they dominated this game without a stud pitcher on the mound or without either of their primary table setters (Everth Cabrera or Yangervis Solarte) active was nice to see in a season that is generally going to be viewed as a minor disappointment.

Friday vs Giants: 5-0 Win

Saturday vs Giants: 3-2 Win

Sunday vs Giants: 8-2 Win

San Francisco Series Recap

Right when we are ready to call it a season, the Padres get hot and make us wonder what could have been had we seen this type of play earlier in the season. Backed by strong pitching (Despaigne, Cashner, and Kennedy combined for a 1.66 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP while the bullpen pitched 5.1 innings of shutout baseball) and the big inning (three times they scored at least three runs in a single frame during this sweep), San Diego dominated a series that meant much more to the visitors.

Staff ace Andrew Cashner began the season by showcasing ability to be a top of the rotation starter (2-1 with a 1.27 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP through his first four starts) and is ending the season with just as much promise (3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP over his last three outings). This rotation is full of good pitchers, but every team needs a stud that they can count on every fifth day, and this 28-year-old right has proven, to me at least, that he is just that when healthy as he currently ranks fourth in ERA for pitchers with at least 115 innings pitched. The outstanding season is no fluke, as Cashner has improved both his strikeout and walk rates in addition to learning to pitch to his environment (his fly ball rate is up, but his HR/FB rate is down, indicating that he is confident in his pitches.

Six different relievers combined to shorten the game, as the Giants were unable to generate any sort of threat in the later stages of these three games. Joaquin Benoit (1.55 ERA/0.80 WHIP) and Kevin Quakenbush (2.63/1.09) have established themselves as strong options to finish off games, something even some of the best teams in the MLB lack. The Padres' bats are going to grow and improve with experience, but they are not going to be a team that wins because of their ability to score in the near future, making it essential that they close out games when they have the opportunity. The 37-year-old Benoit is signed through 2015 (a club option exists for 2016), which means the Padres are likely to use him as their closer while they breed the 25-year-old Quakenbush.

I'm not going to hammer home the point that this offense needs more consistent production (they got it this week but I think we can agree that the offensive output of 2014 simply hasn't been enough), but it is worth noting that their team batting average is 32 points higher after the All-Star break than it was before it. Part of that is a result of an incredibly poor effort to start the season, but it is at least encouraging that the roster they enter 2015 with is one that showed a little promise in the final two months of this season. I still think they are a run-producer away, but some of the pieces are in place and should only get better with time.  

Monday vs Rockies: 1-0 Win

Tuesday vs Rockies: 2-3 Loss

Wednesday vs Rockies: 4-3 Win

Colorado Series Recap

If only the first five months of this season went a bit differently. The Padres, who didn't win their third series of the season until mid May, won their third consecutive by taking two of three from the Rockies and now appear destined to finish the 2014 season closer to second place in the NL West than fourth.

What I find most encouraging about this recent stretch is that San Diego is doing nothing it can't sustain. The starting pitching was solid (2.87 ERA), but their eighth ranked season mark of 3.52 indicates that this series wasn't much out of the ordinary. The bullpen was better than normal (0.79 ERA and 12 strikeouts without a walk), but this has been a strength all season long, as they are the only set of relievers with a sub-3.20 ERA that was never in true playoff contention. You can't say the hitting was uncharacteristically good (3/26 with runners in scoring position) as they scored a total of three runs in these three games in innings 2-9. I know it was against a not very good Rockies team, but few teams are better at playing "Padres baseball" than the Padres, and while it may not be pretty, there is hope to be had that it can be moderately successful (and hey, Milwaukee is still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt and they are just five games ahead of San Diego ... moderately successful can get you into October.)

Tommy Medica had three hits in this series and now has six in his last 17 at-bats. The 26-year-old crushed a 1-2 sinker with two men on in the first inning of last night's game giving the home team a lead they would not relinquish. The homer was his ninth of the season and put him on a 600 at-bat pace of 23 bombs, not bad for a player who is currently hitting .237. His batting numbers across the board are better at spacious Petco Park, so it would stand to reason that with experience, he can become a legitimate power at any stadium in the big leagues and maybe be that cleanup hitter that the Padres have been searching for. I'm also encouraged by the lineups willingness to take pitches. There is not enough talent on this roster to extend the strike zone, so the fact that they worked 10 walks and saw more than four pitches per plate appearance in the final two games of this series should not go unnoticed. I'm not saying this team is going to the playoffs next season, but if they can increase their power a bit and stay disciplined at the dish, why can't they mirror the growth/increased success of the Seattle Mariners?

Weekly Grade: A

It wasn't a perfect week, but it was about as good as it gets. The Padres have continued (or started to) compete on a nightly basis and look better than the squad we watched back in April. The pitching is every bit this good and should provide the loyal fan base with hope that a playoff berth, or at least meaningful September baseball, is not far off on the horizon. The 2014 season will end in San Francisco with a four-game set starting tonight, with the hopes of an 80-win season still alive.

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It has been a pleasure going through this season with you all and I hope you've enjoyed the weekly insight on the stat of the Padres. I'm available @unSOPable23 to talk baseball and/or Fantasy sports any time.

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