The San Diego Padres are closing in on a third-straight MLB playoff appearance this season. At 88-70 going into Thursday night’s game against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, they are the frontrunner in the wild card race. The Chicago Cubs just locked in their wild card spot. It will be nearly impossible for them to win the division, being back nearly 12 games. That said, the Padres can lock in the second wild card spot in the National League sooner rather than later.
What is the Padres magic number to make the MLB Playoffs?
The magic number for the Padres is one. They need to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday and they’ll be the second wildcard team from the NL in the MLB playoffs. Obviously that’s easier said than done, but it’s a tight race between them, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 seeds. The Cubs have already clinched a postseason berth.
Arizona is the next closest team to that bunch at just three games back in the race. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a longshot at 6.5 games back. The Padres’ only focus should be winning Thursday to solidify their wild card playoff spot.
How the Padres can clinch the top NL Wild Card seed
|
PADRES REMAINING SCHEDULE |
DATE |
PHIILIES REMAINING SCHEDULE |
|---|---|---|
|
at LA Dodgers |
Sept. 24 |
vs. Brewers |
|
vs. Diamondbacks |
Sept. 25 |
vs. Rays |
|
vs. Diamondbacks |
Sept. 26 |
vs. Rays |
|
vs. Diamondbacks |
Sept. 27 |
vs. Rays |
The Phillies and the Padres have a similar schedule in that they’re playing playoff teams. The Padres have a slightly easier schedule, with the Diamondbacks still on the outside of the playoff bubble. The Phillies, on the other hand, have to play the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays in the final series of the season. The Padres are 5-5 against Arizona this year, so they’ll probably want to lock in their playoff spot against Los Angeles.
Why the Padres can’t win the NL West
|
TEAM |
RECORD |
GAMES BACK |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Los Angeles Dodgers |
97-61 |
— |
|
2. San Diego Padres |
88-70 |
9 |
|
3. Arizona Diamondbacks |
85-74 |
12.5 |
|
4. San Francisco Giants |
65-94 |
32.5 |
|
5. Colorado Rockies |
57-102 |
40.5 |
The Padres, though it would be ideal, cannot win the NL West division. Even with a win over the NL West leading Dodgers, the Padres are way too many games behind LA. With just one series left in the season, there’s not enough ground to make up. The Padres are nine games behind the Dodgers in the NL West race and have just three games left after Thursday. Fortunately for the Padres, they don’t need an NL title to get into the postseason.
The Padres have gotten into the playoffs the last four times via wild card and finished second in the division. The last time they won the division was in 2006. The Dodgers are one of the best teams in baseball for a reason. The Padres have struggled to take them down recently. This is one of the most important battles between those two teams this season.
It will probably set up yet another clash between the rivals in the MLB playoffs. If the Padres can’t win the division, the least they can do is win and get into the playoffs with a wildcard bid. All they need is one win to get in. Why not get it taken care of Thursday night?
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