Pitching coach Rothschild will have Padres hurlers ready
Aside from good hitters and pitchers, the best thing the Padres have going for them right now is the playoff format.
Forget about outlasting the Dodgers in a divisional race. The Dodgers own the marathon. The longer the race, the better for them.
This competition, though, is a sprint. First to three victories.
It’s as big of an opportunity as the Padres have had in two decades.
Little wonder, then, that Fernando Tatis Jr. burned hot Tuesday night just two innings into the Divisional Series against the Dodgers in Arlington, Texas.
Tatis, venting after striking out swinging — one pitch after the umpire robbed him of ball four — let out a scream as he returned to the dugout.
Professional lip readers weren’t needed to tell us the word.
The Padres have the fire. Now, can they pull the upset that their pitching coach’s employer did 23 years ago?
Larry Rothschild was pitching coach of the Florida Marlins team that defeated its No. 1 rival, the Atlanta Braves, in the 1997 League Championship Series.
As parallels go, it’s a really good one.
The Braves were the ultimate marathoners, having won 101 games that year to claim their seventh East title in a record run of 15 consecutive first-place finishes. The first three of Atlanta’s divisional titles in 15-year streak were in the NLWest.
Claiming the wild card allowed the Marlins a second chance, and they did what the Padres plan to do: They upended their blueclad, blue-blooded rival, winning the best-of-seven series in six games.
Count on this: Rothschild will have his Padres pitchers ready to take out the Dodgers, likewise, said
former Marlins third-base coach Rich Donnelly.
“Larry’s been there. He’s not going to be intimidated,” Donnelly said. “That Marlins year, beatin’ the Braves — that sticks with you. That doesn’t go away.”
Donnelly likens coaches to boxing trainer. He invoked Mike Tyson’s trainer to describe Rothschild.
“Larry,” he said, “is like Cus D’Amato.”
Seven years before the Marlins took out the Braves, Rothschild was bullpen coach of a Reds club that pulled a bigger October upset by sweeping the Athletics in the 1990 World Series.
Donnelly said Rothschild, 66, excels at giving his pitchers a competitive edge. “I’m sure Larry will instill in them, ‘Hey, once you get there, let’s go and let’s do it. You can beat those guys.’ The way he handled our staff then, he was ultra-confident that we can do it. Larry is always confident in his pitchers.”
Under Rothschild, who is in his first year with the team after directing Yankees pitchers between 2011 and 2019, Padres pitchers have shown impressive resilience.
Against the Cardinals in the first round, starters Chris Paddack and Zach Davies both were unable to log three innings and coaces Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger were unavailable because of arm ailments.
Nevertheless, the Padres advanced by winning two of the three games. Nine relievers, led by “opener” Craig Stammen, combined for a shutout in the clincher Friday night.
Two pitchers escaped a jam immediately after Rothschild visited the mound.
With Clevinger’s exit Tuesday in the second inning, once again it was time to piece together a “bullpen” game. The relievers were charged with getting at least 24 outs.
Fortunately for the Padres, that marathon came within a sprint.
“The Dodgers have got everything; but, look, you don’t have to beat that Dodgers team nine out of 10,” he said. “All you got to do is beat them three out of five.”
And, citing Florida’s Game 5 victory that had the Braves seeing red in October 1997, Donnelly said, the randomness of baseball can turn a series.
“God rest his soul, Eric Gregg punched out 15 guys and balls were three feet outside,” Donnelly said of the plate umpire.