It’s baseball scoring season, for those who admit it and for those who choose to cloud the truth about it. The Padres, who are in Tuesday’s series opener with the Angels, should keep a firm grip on the remote.
As San Diego battles for traction in a desperately short season, the Reds, Phillies, Cardinals and Mets have regrouped within 4.5 games of the season. place of the final wild card in the National League.
If the race had COVID social distancing rules tied to the ranking, the protocols are sent to the parking lot.
“Absolutely gorgeous,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said when asked to guard the castle walls in all directions. “You want to take this job every year. You want to be in a hurry. You want to find out what you have. You want to know if your methods are working. There are all these different things that you want.
“It’s great to be in this position. I would kiss her if I were them. Groups that are not in this position would swap that position in the blink of an eye.
The course, which Padres manager Jayce Tingler followed to the letter Tuesday at Petco Park, is to be self-conscious and zone everything else like Maxwell Smart into the “Get Smart” cone of silence.
This is not what is happening, however.
Everyone who has something to play as September begins to turn gray develops a serious case of a swivel neck. With so much that can happen over the next three weeks, baseball’s destinies are determined by a cocktail of taking care of business and others not to follow suit.
Survival, no matter how it takes shape, offers new life.
“I would be lying if I said no (I’m looking at the scoreboard),” said Padres starting pitcher Chris Paddack. “As tough as it can be you try to stay focused on what we can control and it’s the nine innings ahead of us, trying to continue to be a good teammate, cheer on the boys.
“It’s easier said than done because they have (the scores) in the right field. You’ll find yourself watching, you know, trying to cheer on the other team, the one that’s playing against the Reds or St. Louis.
Try to figure out the next three weeks at your risk to look at the dashboard.
The Padres, who lost 12 of 14 in a sour streak in August – including a putrid 1-6 record in seven games against the Diamondbacks and Rockies – won their most recent streak against the Astros, the one of the most dangerous teams in the world. baseball.
The Reds, who have passed the Padres in the hunt for wild cards, helped return it by losing two of three recent series to the struggling Marlins, Cubs and Tigers.
Sorting things out gets cloudy at best. The Padres have the toughest remaining schedule of the game. The Phillies and the Reds, two of the easiest. The Mets rank in the top third in terms of timing, but also have the most ground to gain.
The Mets and Phillies play three more times before the end, as do the Reds and Cardinals, meaning a few self-inflicted injuries await these contenders.
Maddon preaches optimism, on all fronts.
“That’s when you go over there, and I think you have a chance to see some of your best performances through (a close race),” he said. “Guys who are really drawn to this bright light will show up through, and it’s pretty spectacular.
“This is where you meet a lot of different people and where you can really define your culture for years to come. So if I were them, I would only be excited about it.
The pressure turning coal into diamonds, and all that.
The addition of trade deadline Daniel Hudson recalls the end of 2019 with the Nationals, when the reliever played three games as the Nationals won the World Series.
The team overcame a near-fatal 19-31 start to clinch a playoff berth in the most memorable way. After winning a game, players stood on the field and watched the giant video panel that showed the final batting of a Cubs loss that sealed the deal.
Dashboard monitoring, supreme.
“It was awesome,” recalls Hudson. “It’s something that I think every team does this time of year, because the races are so interesting.”
Hudson said the art of looking at others has a distinct advantage for some geographically, including the Padres.
“We can see the (scoreboard tape in right field) from the reliever box so we know what’s going on,” he said. “It’s kind of the advantage of playing on the west coast – most of the east coast games are over so we can see what’s going on. “
Bullpen-mate Craig Stammen said a margin of evaporation error can fine tune the focus.
“Everyone feels the pressure or the sense of urgency, that every game counts,” he said. “Because we’re up against such good teams here on the home stretch, it’s going to be good for us.
“If we’re really going to win the World Series, beating these types of teams to make the playoffs, that will only prepare us more for what the playoffs are going to bring. “
This raised another thought.
“With every win, a certain confidence is built,” Stammen said. “I know if we run this streak of games the way we want to, heading into the playoffs, we’re going to be hot, we’re going to be confident and we’re going to think we have a chance of winning it. These three things are deadly when you get to the playoffs.
“Maybe September is our month, because it was also kind of our month last year. “
On Tuesday, the Reds and Mets continued to push. The Phillies and Cardinals didn’t.
Lots to watch whether you admit it or not.
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