Into the Crone Zone

 

So, to give you an idea how the NL East vs. NL West series' are going this week, the Dodgers, who've had to play the red-hot Braves, are losing ground, while the Padres, who've had to play the considerably-more-human Phillies, are gaining ground. Meaning this stalemate between these two teams is going to go on for even longer.

It's not like the Brewers-Cardinals one where I can kind of see an eventual winner coming a mile away. I still think either of these two teams could take first, because they both have different types of strengths that are coming through this year. The Dodgers are succeeding as a higher-budget team that can wield Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Clayton Kershaw while also having the depth to withstand injury and stay afloat. The Padres are succeeding as a scrappier, lower-budget team that, while they do have some contracts [Machado, Darvish, Hosmer] as tentpoles, filling things in with smaller contact guys that get the job done without being flashy.

What makes the Padres more interesting right now is that they're toe-to-toe with the Dodgers without Fernando Tatis. Tatis, when taken away in 2019, doomed the Padres and stopped them from competing. Now, the team has built itself up enough that it can sustain a Tatis-less run. I mean, let's be honest, the pitching staff in 2019 was Chris Paddack, Eric Lauer, Nick Margevicius, Joey Lucchesi and Adrian Morejon, and now it's Darvish-Musgrove-Gore-Manaea-Snell. There's really no comparison. 

But what makes this team strong now even without Tatis, is the emphasis on defensive players like Jake Cronenworth, Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar. These guys can be outshone on teams like these, and while Cronenworth has found his place in this lineup, it's only now that Kim and Profar have. Kim is hitting .232, but his defense is filling a void left by Tatis and his extreme sports. Cronenworth has 41 RBIs, second only to Machado. Profar has 68 hits and 8 home runs, which is more homers than Eric Hosmer. This has definitely been the season of the little guy in San Diego, even if Machado still reigns supreme.

I think the Padres have more of a chance of getting far into the playoffs than they ever have, and they're more evenly matched vs. the Dodgers than they were in 2020. And I'm saying this now, in June...before Fernando Tatis Jr. gets back. Cause can you imagine how good they'll be once he returns?

Coming Tonight: To the people who worried when Mookie Betts left Boston, leadership stuck around, and probably will for even longer.