COLLISION COURSE
While there’s little doubt the organization has come a long way, can Padres take down L.A.?
There was a lull in the questions being asked of him, so Cardinals manager Mike Shildt took some time to deliver a soliloquy on the evolution of the team that had just eliminated his club from the playoffs.
“I want to congratulate the Padres,” Shildt said Friday night. “We played them last year and you could see the ability. There’s a saying: You can rely on your ability or you can develop it. And they’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of ability. You saw their tools came at you. We played them early last year. They took two out of three. We snuck one out on a Sunday game and you go, ‘That’s a toolsy group over there.’ … We played them later over here. You could see them putting it together.
“Sometimes players individually and groups don’t put things together. They just rely on their ability … but this group not only relies on their ability, but they’ve developed it. It’s a credit to those players and a credit to their staff. It’s a wellprepared team. They do a lot of the little things that don’t get talked about, but you see. They play the game with enthusiasm, but they also play the game with some substance as well.”
The Padres have come a long way, indeed.
From the second-worst winning percentage in the major leagues over the previous nine seasons to the third-best record in the majors (37-23) in 2020. From the worst onbase percentage in the majors from 2014-19 to eighth highest this year. From Wil Myers leading them in WAR (wins above replacement) in 2015 to Myers having an even better 2020 yet finishing sixth on the team in WAR.
“Incredible,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said Friday night. “It really is.”
That was in reply to a question about the evolution of the organization.
Then he was asked about the test ahead — the test that has been looming, always looming.
The Padres now play the Dodgers in the National League Division Series in Arling ton, Texas. Game 1 of the best-of-five series at 6:38 p.m. PDT Tuesday (FS1, 97.3FM). It will be the first postseason meeting between the NL West foes.
“We think we stack up great,” Hosmer said. “We know we have to prove to ourselves we can play with these guys. We know we have to go through these guys to get where we want to be. That’s world champi
ons. They’ve been on the top of the National League. We don’t shy away from that at all.”
While at this point what the Padres are trying to do is no longer about the Dodgers, it’s always about the Dodgers.
To get to the NL Championship Series, the Padres must do in this series something they have done once in their past 13 series against the Dodgers. Yes, the Padres have won one of the teams’ past 13 series. That includes splitting a four-game set and twice losing two of three this season.
The Padres’ 4-6 record against the Dodgers this season is by far their best during Los Angeles’ run of eight straight NL West titles. In that stretch, the Dodgers are 97-49 against the Padres.
“Every game has been a battle,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said of the 10 games this season, five of which were decided by one run and two others by two runs and two of which involved a crucial out being made at home plate. “… They’ve gotten us six, we’ve gotten them four. Does that mean anything going into a five-game set? Honestly, it means absolutely nothing.”
Maybe not. But the Dodgers are certainly playing well, as if that is not something that could be said at any point over the past eight years.
En route to having the majors’ best record this season at 43-17, including a remarkable 34-10 since losing to the Padres on Aug. 10-11, they had the majors’ secondhighest OPS (.821) and lowest ERA (3.02). The Padres ranked fourth (.798) and eighth (3.86) in those categories. In their 26 games since Aug. 29, the Dodgers’ .850 OPS ranked second behind the Braves (.883).
Both teams take into this series a postseason history that has to different extents and in different ways darkened their recent seasons.
While this is the Padres’ first playoff appearance since 2006 and just their sixth in 51 championship-less seasons as a major league franchise, the Dodgers are making their eighth straight postseason appearance while trying to win their first World Series since 1988. Their .597 winning percentage since 2013 is tops in the majors, but they have but two World Series losses to show for it and have three times been eliminated in this round.
And they have certainly noticed the team against whom they used to pad their record is now a formidable matchup.
“Yeah, there was a big gap and they did just a good job of getting better each year,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I still think that we’re continuing to get better. I love our ballclub. Love what our organization does, but it’s good for baseball, it’s good for those guys to continue to get better each year.”