ST. LOUIS — In manager Mike Shildt’s return to Busch Stadium, the San Diego Padres split four games with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning Monday and Tuesday before losing each of the next two days. Here are three takeaways from a sweltering series.
Sept. 1 can’t come soon enough
Thursday’s 4-1 loss was the Padres’ 14th game in 14 days. Their next off day, Tuesday at home, can’t come soon enough. But neither can Monday.
That’s when rosters expand to 28 and the Padres will bring up a pitcher to reinforce a tired bullpen. The other addition might be former Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Díaz, who signed a minor-league deal with San Diego this week and needs time to learn the pitching staff if he’s to become a factor next month and potentially into October. (Díaz already is eligible for the postseason, since he’s in the organization before September.)
“Depth’s critical, so having a depth piece like Díaz is really special and unusual,” Shildt said. “I mean, this guy was an All-Star (Game) MVP last year. … Just a really, really good player. Shutdown arm, really can throw, has a really good bat, has some power, receives the ball, throws the ball. He’s a veteran guy that knows what this league’s about and knows what this time of year’s about.”
Elias Díaz was batting .270 with a 693 OPS when he was released by the Colorado Rockies earlier this month. (Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)
September, the Padres expect, will also be about reintegrating a few key players. Starting shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder inflammation) will take live at-bats Friday in Arizona, although he remains relatively early in his throwing progression. Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (femoral stress reaction) already has been taking at-bats in Arizona and may not end up needing a formal rehab assignment. Both players would help fortify a defense that has been somewhat porous of late. And right-hander Yu Darvish, who rejoined the team last week after 48 days on the restricted list, is scheduled to throw four innings Friday in Arizona.
The schedule next month includes five off days, a welcome change of pace from the recent grueling slate. Yet the reintroductions of multiple standout contributors should bring an even greater boost. Amid a 26-11 run since the All-Star break, the Padres have been competitive in almost every game. Getting Tatis, Kim and Darvish back in the near future still could make a huge difference in a crowded race for playoff positioning. As of Thursday afternoon, San Diego was one of eight teams within 4 1/2 games of the majors-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Everybody calls it ‘angry August’ because you’re not in the playoff push yet,” starter Michael King said. “You’re mostly in the heat, and it’s that almost lull of the baseball season. So I think everybody always looks forward to September because now it’s crunch time, and then us having to go 18 in a row at the end of August is a little test of our endurance. But I think … it’ll be a very fun September.”
Profar will be Profar
On. Aug 20, left fielder and potential team MVP Jurickson Profar showed bunt, hit a decisive home run, then defended his near-decision to bunt. Shildt strongly defended it the next day, too.
On Wednesday, with no outs, a pinch runner on second and the game tied in the ninth, Profar laid down a sacrifice bunt. The runner was stranded at third when the next two batters were retired. The Padres went on to lose 4-3. Afterward, Profar again defended his decision-making.
“You didn’t see my at-bats tonight? I was 0-for-4,” Profar said.
“Just playing the game, you know? (Jake Cronenworth), he brings that run in most of the time. Sometimes it doesn’t work. And we lose some, we win some. I bet you we win more than we lose.”
“We give Pro the option (to bunt in that situation),” Shildt said. “I trust him completely. I trust him, and he trusts his teammates. You know, it doesn’t always work out, but, man, I trust him completely in that at-bat making his decision and his feel for the game.”
The Padres also lost because they went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and closer Robert Suarez allowed three consecutive two-out singles. Still, no matter how adamant Profar and Shildt were in public, you can argue that the better choice for the most productive high-leverage hitter of 2024 would have been to swing away.
At the same time, Profar’s instincts indeed have helped the 31-year-old to a career season and the Padres to plenty of wins. A close loss in a tight playoff chase magnified the fallout from a decision that didn’t pan out, but after everything Profar has accomplished this year, the team can live with that. Consider what Profar said late on the night of Aug. 20: “That’s the No. 1 thing that switched this year for me. I play baseball with my instincts. I know my manager’s got my back. You guys are seeing the real Profar playing baseball.”
Manny looks like Manny again
Manny Machado didn’t post an overwhelming stat line across the past four games — the third baseman finished 5-for-17 — but he also homered in consecutive games for the first time this season, consistently made hard contact and played his best defense of the season. In short, it was his best all-around baseball of the season.
Machado’s most prominent peer was among those who noticed.
“He’s a stud,” Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado said Wednesday. “He’s one of the best in the game. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s someone that for most of my career I’ve paid attention to. He’s hit the ball hard this series, and I have to do my part and try to hit the ball hard, too.”
Machado’s seeming return to near-peak form is coming almost 11 months after he underwent a rare surgery to repair an extensor tendon in his right elbow. It also has come at a convenient time for the rest of the team. Over the last 15 days, the only qualifying Padres with an OPS above .733 are Machado (.949) and star rookie Jackson Merrill (.957), who hit his 20th homer for San Diego’s lone run Thursday. Meanwhile, other regulars such as Profar (.595), Cronenworth (.637) and Xander Bogaerts (.675) have cooled off.
(Photo of Manny Machado: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
