SAN DIEGO — Here’s the three-pronged truth about the Padres right now: They’re playing well enough for a Wild Card spot. They’re not playing well enough to win the division. And if they want to win in October, they’re going to need to play a whole lot better than this.
The Padres lost to the Rockies, 4-2, on Friday night at Petco Park. Manny Machado went deep in the first inning, snapping an 0-for-17 drought that had lasted the entire homestand. But the Padres’ offense mustered little else, leading to another missed opportunity.
At the same time, the Dodgers were losing a dramatic series opener in San Francisco, on Patrick Bailey’s walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning — meaning San Diego remains 2 1/2 games back of Los Angeles for the top spot in the National League West. The Padres are 6-12 across their past 18 games. Had they played even .500 ball during that stretch, they would be in first place.
“It’s hard to articulate this, but these guys, they want it so bad,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “They are so dedicated in their preparation. And, man, they want it bad — and might [need] to let the game come to them a little bit more. … Easier said than done.”
Left-hander JP Sears, sharp through the first three innings, allowed back-to-back homers in the fourth — including a go-ahead three-run drive by Blaine Crim for his first Major League hit. The Padres mounted a couple half-rallies from there but didn’t break through again until the ninth.
It was another quiet offensive night on a homestand full of them. The Padres have scored a total of 11 runs across five games. With an offense as deep as this one, they expect more. Much more.
“I’ve been saying it — obviously we can do better,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said earlier this week. “Everybody knows it in here.”
Machado’s home run should be viewed as a major positive on that front. He’s been mired in one of the worst slumps of his career. Over the past calendar month, Machado had posted a .502 OPS entering play Friday. And he played every day, leading to plenty of speculation about whether he might require an off-day at some point.
But in his first at-bat on Friday, Machado pulverized a hanging slider from Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon — the way he does when he’s in a groove at the plate. So often, amid his recent struggles, he has just missed on precisely that pitch.
That ended an eight-pitch battle with Gordon. Then, in the seventh inning, as the Padres briefly mounted a rally, Machado worked a seven-pitch walk to chase Gordon from the game. Machado singled and came around to score in the ninth.
No, it wasn’t the case on Friday, but it has been so often in the past: As Machado goes, so goes the San Diego offense. Any signs of a resurgence for Machado should be viewed as hugely important for the Padres.
Nonetheless, this wasn’t the first encouraging performance from a Padres hitter on this homestand. Jackson Merrill, Tatis and Luis Arraez — all of whom have struggled lately — had big nights this week. They just haven’t stacked those big nights together.
“This offense is just too talented to not put something together more consistently,” Shildt said. “We’ll do that.”
There’s plenty of time for the Padres to work out the kinks offensively before the playoffs. But they’re running out of time to chase down the Dodgers in the division. They could also earn home-field advantage for a Wild Card Series by catching the Cubs, but those odds grow longer by the day. With the Cubs’ win on Friday, the Padres’ deficit for the top Wild Card spot is now 4 1/2 games.
Of course, the first — and most important — goal is merely getting to the dance. The Padres’ current cushion should get them there, provided they don’t crater against one of the sport’s easiest schedules over the next two-plus weeks.
Their lead over the Giants (currently the first team on the outside of the playoff picture) is 4 1/2 games, and they own that head-to-head tiebreaker. They lead the Reds by 5 1/2.
“We’re in a really good position right now to go where we want to go,” said Jake Cronenworth. “Yeah, we lost a few series [four of five], and we lost tonight. Doesn’t mean we can’t win this series.”
