BULLPEN STEPPED UP VS. CARDINALS, WILL HAVE TO AGAIN
A R L I N G T O N, Tex a s
The Padres are still alive in their f irst postseason in 14 years because their bullpen did something extraordinary to the point of being unprecedented.
With their top two starters out and the only two starters they had remaining on the roster going a total of 42⁄ innings, the bullpen cov
3 ered the rest of the threegame series. The Padres became the f irst team to ever use at least eight pitchers in three straight games.
In a 4-0 victory in the f inale, Craig Stammen threw 12⁄ innings to start the first postseason game i n the modern era (since 1900) in which nine pitchers combined for a shutout. It wasn’t out of nowhere. While the bullpen’s 6.08 ERA in the season’s f irst 27 games was third worst in the majors, its 2.96 ERA in its f inal 32 reg ular-season games was third best.
And in the 15 games in which they were asked to cover more than five innings this season, Padres relievers had a 2.75 ERA. That was the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors in such instances.
In addition to having to cover that many innings in that many games, the relievers had to bridge the gap between Kirby Yates being lost to injury in mid-August and Trevor Rosenthal being acquired at the end of August. They had to pick up during Drew Pomeranz’s 10 days on the injured list and the 11 days apiece Emilio Pagan and Matt Strahm spent on the IL.
“Because guys had to pitch in so many different roles, g uys gained a lot of conf idence in every situation,” reliever Pierce Johnson said. “I truly believe everybody has fed off each other, too. After one guy answers the bell, the next g uy goes out, and the next g uy and the next guy.”
Now comes the biggest challenge of all.
“We’re going to have to continue to throw even better if we want to move on,” Pagan said Monday night.
The National League Division Series against the Dodgers, which beg ins tonight, presents the possibility of f ive games in f ive days.
And the Padres’ starting rotation will again not be at full streng th.
After they both left their
f inal reg ular-season star ts with arm issues and missed the Wild Card Series, there is optimism that Mike Clevinger will return to face the Dodgers but somewhat less optimism Dinelson Lamet will. Even if both can pitch, the Padres acknowl
edge they don’t know how long either could go.
Clevinger hasn’t pitched since he threw one inning Sept. 23, L amet left his Sept. 25 star t in the four th inning and hasn’t thrown off a mound since.
The Padres will likely carry more than the 14 pitchers they did for the best-of-three series against the Cardinals.
Regardless, the bullpen is almost cer tainly going to have to carry a load similar to what it did in the Wild Card Series.
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it,” Pagan said. “It’s a lot to ask. ... We’re going to have to step up. Somebody is going to have to throw too much. But at the same time, this is why we play. We play to get in the postseason. This is what we dream about. I don’t see anybody saying they can’t go. Some guys are going to have to get stretch out more than they’re used to doing. … I think everybody is up to the task.”
Just like everybody thought back in July, right?
That was the talk then — that this group of relievers was arg uably the biggest reason for optimism surrounding the Padres.
Then the season started, and it turned out the offense was doing the heavy lifting and the star ting pitchers were doing their part while the relievers were stuck i n summer camp mode.
Careful to not make excuses, some acknowledged it was difficult to pitch effectively in empty ballparks. Back-end relievers, especially, thrive off the sounds and energy from fans. Moreover, many said, a long offseason full of uncer tainty, irreg ular workouts and a quick ramp-up, left some of them out of sorts.
The Padres won six of their f irst eight games, but the bullpen let a lead slip after the fifth inning in four of those.
The faith of manager Jayce Tingler didn’t waver. In one of his most emotionally charged public moments of the season, he answered a question about how the Padres could address their bullpen deficiencies.
“These are our g uys,” Tingler said July 31 in Colorado after the season’s eighth game. “We’re going to ride and die with them. … We do not throw away people. We do not throw away teammates. I cannot repeat this enough: there is going to be par t of this season where they’re going to carry us. … They’re going to get the ball. They’re going to get the ball in big moments.”