On Thursday, Aug. 30, facing the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, Milton Bradley stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, his team trailing 8-6. One picturesque swing and 410 feet later, the score was 8-7. The Padres eventually lost the game, barely missing out on a four-game sweep of Arizona (75-60). But Bradley’s blast stood as visual evidence of something that was sorely missing from the Padres club during the first four months of the season: clout.
There’s no denying that the biggest criticism of San Diego (73-60) this year has been a lack of offense. As it stands now, their .249 team batting average still ranks 28th out of 30 Major League teams. However, since Wally Joyner took over as the team’s hitting coach on July 31, the team had its best month ever behind the plate, hitting .273 collectively. And San Diego’s 39 home runs in August ranked them seventh in the majors.
The paramount reason has been Bradley, who in only 33 games as a Friar has hit .345, with 10 home runs, 27 runs and 27 RBIs. He has sometimes singlehandedly carried the team offensively. If nothing else, he has taken pressure off some of the other Friar bats and given opposing pitchers someone to fear.
“He’s a very good offensive player,” manager Bud Black said. “He’s got power, he’s gonna hit for average and he’s got a good eye, especially for being so active. He’s really fortified the middle of our lineup.”
The rest of the lineup is responding as well. For the month, Brian Giles (.304, 6 HR, 16 RBI); Adrian Gonzalez (.312, 7 HR, 12 RBI); Mike Cameron (.272, 4 HR, 17 RBI); and Khalil Greene (.306, 3 HR, 18 RBI) have all seen a spike in their own production. And while none of those numbers will individually blow you away, it shows more consistency as a team. Truth be told, it’s now hard to find an “easy out” anywhere in San Diego’s top eight hitters.
“It’s a different guy [every night],” Cameron said. “Everyone is contributing in some way or another. Every game that you win now is going to look good in the end.”
“We’re getting big hits when we have to, and that’s what this team is built around,” Giles added. “We have a pretty good offense that grinds out every at-bat until the last out.”
Add the sudden power surge to the starting pitching and bullpen, which have been superb all year, and it’s no surprise that after taking three out of four games from Arizona, Aug. 27-30, the Friars may be considered the frontrunners for the National League West title. San Diego is still on top of the National League wild card standings, leading the Philadelphia Phillies by two games.
Pitcher Jake Peavy has continued his dominance in 2007. The hard-throwing Alabaman has won six of his last seven starts and posted a stat line in August that Cy Youngs are made of: six starts, 5-0 record, 1.36 ERA, 53 strikeouts and a .153 opponents’ batting average. In fact, he has tightened his grip on a possible Cy Young Award, as he leads the NL in strikeouts (197), ERA (2.18, also the Major League leader) and is tied for the most wins (15, with Atlanta’s Tim Hudson).
It’s been said before and it will be said again: the Padres are going to be contending for a playoff spot. They obviously want to win the division, but taking three out of four from the division leader certainly made a statement. Upcoming series at home against the Dodgers (70-63, 4 GB) and at Arizona will tell more of the story.
It’s a tight race, and one that may come down to the final day of the regular season.
“There’s a lot of season left,” Black said. “We’re swinging the bats. We’re pitching well. But there are a lot of teams fighting for contention. We just have to worry about the Padres.”
(Statistics and standings as of August 30, 2007).