Padres are Fighting for The Last NL Playoff Spot

If you’d asked just about anyone at the beginning of the season which teams would be having to give it their all just to secure a wildcard spot, I don’t think anyone would’ve predicted the Padres and the Cardinals would be duking it out, but here we are.

After a slump that felt like it was never ending, the Padres seem to be kicking it back into gear. In the last month they’ve won their series against the Astros and split a two-game series with the Angels before getting swept by the Dodgers, and just split their series against the Giants - getting 30 hits and 16 runs between the last two games in the series.

Snell got placed on the Padres IL after a groin strain during his start against the Dodgers on the 12th. They’re hopeful that he’ll be back to start against the Giants in San Diego next week. Cronenworth was also placed on the IL during the Padres’ series with the Dodgers but came off yesterday in their first game of three against the Cardinals.

Cronenworth did what he could yesterday against the Cards, hitting a sacrifice fly to bring in Tommy Pham - scoring one of the two runs the Padres were able to pull off. The Cardinals are going to be bringing their all for this series and the Padres will need to do the same if they want to get the win.

Hopefully they can keep their energy up through the remainder of the season as the Cardinals are only the beginning of a tough final month for the Padres.

Tatis Jr. and Machado: Image Source