The NL West always seems to have some pretty great last minute scuffles. 2018 had the Rockies and Diamondbacks going down to the wire. 2021 had the Dodgers and Padres quarreling under San Francisco. 2022 had the Padres and Dodgers fighting for first. And now, we have a year where the Dodgers are advancing easily and the Padres and Diamondbacks are at each other's throats for playoff spots. There is a chance that both teams advance, especially considering it also directly corresponds to another crucial division battle. But this one has been gestating all year.
The D-Backs and Padres have gone back and forth in second practically all year, save for the brief midyear moment the Giants had it. Then, after the ASG break, the Padres came alive. This team is 41-19 since coming back from the break, with the majority of the losses coming during one August stretch, at the hands of mostly competitive teams like the Mets and Twins. Getting Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Fernando Tatis and Xander Bogaerts's bat back has helped this team become a true superpower. Musgrove is finally pitching like himself again after a year and a half of injuries, with a 3.88 ERA and 101 Ks in 19 starts. Martin Perez, Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing and Jason Adam have turned this pitching staff into one of the best in the league, with King and Cease leading with incredible seasons. Kinda sad that Matt Waldron fell apart midyear and will likely be watching this postseason from home, but hopefully he learns from it and comes back stronger next year.
As strong as the Padres team was in 2022, I don't know if they were this hot down the stretch. Machado, Tatis, Arraez, Merrill and Profar are all powering this team forward, and the amount of bench depth is honestly iconic. A bench consisting of David Peralta, Elias Diaz, Donovan Solano and Tyler Wade? That's four starter-grade backup guys. And Mr. Barrels has been taking a lot of reps as a replacement anyhow, and it's worked out. So many spots that hinder other teams are filled by excellent players on the Padres, and they look to finish what they started this October.
As for the Diamondbacks, a once-promising playoff campaign is in danger of slowing to a halt. They're 12-11 this month, evening the gap while their competitors got hot. They got all their injury guys back, but the momentum just isn't there this year. You can argue that this team brought on people that made this a fuller lineup than the WS one, like Eugenio Suarez, Kevin Newman, Randal Grichuk and Joc Pederson, but the pitching might be in a worse place, despite more money put into it. Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez both have ERAs around 5, honestly due to overtaxing themselves in 2023 probably. And while Gallen and Kelly didn't miss that much time, a lot was put on people like Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson, who, while fine, just aren't as good as they used to be. Pfaadt made all 31 of his starts, has 176 strikeouts and 10 wins, but his ERA's closer to 5.
This team has the bones there, for sure. Gabriel Moreno, after missing some time, has crafted another very nice season, with 44 RBIs in 94 games. Corbin Carroll's second half more than made up for his first, finishing the season with 73 RBIs and 21 homers. Gerardo Perdomo also erased memories of the injury with a 3.3 WAR campaign thanks to excellent defense. And Ketel Marte is still the hero in this city, and has crafted quite the career for himself. Even if this team misses the playoffs, they have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to build on for next year.
This series could decide the fate of the Diamondbacks. If they have anything left, they'll let the Padres hear it. If not, it could be the death nell in a season that felt so exciting midyear.
Coming Tomorrow- An important case of a rough start and high ERA not completely ruining a season.
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