A 162 game season is a long season. The amount of swing changes and trends that carry on throughout the year is thrilling. It’s crazy to think that with such a long year, it can come down to the wire in order to make the postseason.

For the San Diego Padres that has much been the case. This was a team that traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees and also spent big money in free agency the season before. After missing the playoffs last year in what was a disappointing finish, the Padres find themselves back in the postseason. How they got there is the thrilling part and just goes to show that anything is possible.

Treading Water in the First Half

The Padres were legitimately a .500 team. The highs were high and the lows were low. Unfortunately, the team got destroyed with injuries in the first half of the season. Xander Bogaerts went down and missed time. the bigger blows came to the rotation, as they lost Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish for a significant chunk of time.

The offense was still doing its part, as they were a top ten offense in the sport. They were getting well above league average offense from their lineup and it even delivered exciting moments.

You know what you’re going to get with Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado. However, the biggest bright spot was Jackson Merrill, who made the Opening Day roster and has been a mainstay in the lineup ever since then. The offense was more than fine, but the pitching was the teams, biggest issue.

The rotation ranked 16th in ERA (4.15) and the bullpen was 19th (4.18). Not an ideal scenario for the Padres in this regard, but that’s what injuries can do for a staff. However, after some splash trades and hitting the reset button after the all-star break, the Padres have surged up the standings.

Surging to the Postseason

Many teams have surged in the second half of the season. For example; the Detroit Tigers had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs on August 10th and find themselves holding a wild card spot. The same can be said for the Padres, who took a mediocre start to a strong surge in the second half of the season.

At the all-star break, the Padres were 50-50. Post break, the Padres have the best record in baseball, going 41-16 in that span. It’s truly a remarkable turnaround and they’ve managed to get contributions from everywhere.

Let’s start with the pitching. The Padres are healthy and finally got Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish back into the fold. Being able to join Michael King and Dylan Cease gives them a four headed monster that’s not easy to deal with. After a dreadful start to the season for Musgrove, he’s been the pitcher they’ve needed out of him in this stretch. He’s got a 2.05 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. Musgrove is getting his strikeouts, averaging 10.43 K/9. You certainly love to see it.

Since July 19, the Padres have the third best ERA (3.43) among starting pitching. Not to mention, the WHIP is fourth best, as well as the batting average against. Not much traffic is getting on the base paths, which is a recipe for success. But that’s not all. After making acquisitions at the deadline (Jason Adam, Tanner Scott) for added bullpen help, they’ve done their job to deliver. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.00, which is also fourth best and the new comers have played a large part of it. Hats off to the Padres, as they’ve put it together and at the right time.

As for the bats, they’ve been a huge part of the teams success too. Let’s also not forget that the club acquired hitting sensation Luis Arraez, who’s been the exact bat they’ve needed in this lineup. He’s the modern day Tony Gwynn, constantly making contact with the baseball and fitting enough he’s a Padre. Here’s where they rank offensively amongst the league:

Average: .271 (2nd)

Slugging: .445 (3rd)

OPS: .778 (3rd)

wRC+: 120 (2nd)

The only other teams they are trailing are the Diamondbacks and the Mets. Ironically, both are playing tremendous baseball and have also been the other great teams in the second half of the season.

This blend of success across the board has surged them to the postseason and they’ve managed to clinch in thrilling fashion.

Clinching in Thrilling Fashion

This series with the Los Angeles Dodgers has plenty of weight to it. Not only are the Padres locking down a playoff spot, but they are also chasing down the division crown. Not only did they win Game 1 of the series, but they clinched the playoffs in thrilling fashion.

A TRIPLE PLAY! TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE POSTSEASON! UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/NfbCRgt0Y6

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 25, 2024

A perfectly executed Triple Play sends the Padres back into the postseason. Also, the call by legendary broadcaster Don Orsillo will be on repeat for the rest of the day.

The Padres are a team to not overlook, as a deep playoff run is certainly in play.

Deep Run Into October

It is all about getting hot at the right time and the Padres have managed to do that. While it did take some retooling on the roster and adding pieces at the deadline, the Padres have managed to bring it together as a collective unit. Everything is clicking right now and it is why they’ve surged up the standings and into the postseason.

This Padres team is deep and they have all the talent in the world in every aspect of the game. This is not a Padres team I want to face in the playoffs and it’s exciting to see them back playing October baseball.