DENVER — The visitors’ clubhouse was especially packed in the hours leading up to the Padres’ penny-pinching blitz at Coors Field on Saturday, winning 8-3.
While players are usually spread out around the ballpark complex doing a variety of chores – pregame warm-ups, training room visits, crossword puzzles and early-morning cage work – they were mostly huddled around a single flat screen as MLB Network aired the Diamondbacks’ early-morning game at Tampa Bay.
This was more than just looking at the scoreboard.
Jake Cronenworth craned his neck as he laced up his cleats beneath a television set. The group mostly dispersed as batting practice approached, but players kept their eyes glued to the various screens as they walked from room to room.
When Brandon Lowe’s sixth-inning home run gave the Rays a big lead and Arizona lost its second straight game, Jurickson Profar and Luis Arraez were the only ones left at the table closest to the flat screen near the clubhouse entrance.
Neither of them acknowledged out loud what happened in Tampa Bay, but Profar raised his eyebrows when he heard applause from the video room down the hall, so he walked away to investigate, returning a moment later, wagging his finger from side to side and smiling.
The only thing that matters is beating the team in front of them, just as they did to spoil a sellout crowd of 47,483 for a hearty Todd Helton Day celebration.
Instead, Dylan Cease pitched through the sixth inning, along with his entire lineup, and the Padres held a one-game lead over the Diamondbacks for the top spot in the National League wild card race.
Even better, they’re back to within two games of the Dodgers in the National League West.
And yet, at the end of the night, it was still August 17th.
“We don’t get over the fact that there are still six weeks left in the season,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said, “we know every game matters, but the reality of this team is that every game matters mentality starts from the first game of the season. And that’s a beautiful, wonderful trait of this team. It’s become the norm.”
“Every day counts.”
Also, the race is easier when Cece is on board, as he was at the start on Saturday.
Bouncing back from a poor showing in Miami, he didn’t allow a hit until Ezekiel Tovar’s single in the top of the fourth inning. His next hit was a single by Brenton Doyle in the top of the sixth, before Tovar’s leadoff walk complicated things.
Cease walked to load the bases and Brendon Rogers grounded into a double play to neutralize Michael Toglia’s ensuing home run and cut the Rockies’ lead to 7-3.
Seeds walked as many batters (five) in 5⅔ innings and watched from the bench as rested bullpen pitchers scored on home runs.
“I was definitely trying to put everything in the zone,” Schiesz said. “I thought I did a good job the first three innings and then I was a little shaky, but it was enough to get the win, so I’m happy.”
After Cease left the game after throwing 101 pitches, Adrian Morejon got the final out of the sixth inning, Jason Adam struck out two in the seventh, and Tanner Scott and Jeremiah Estrada each pitched scoreless innings.
The Padres put runners on base every inning after the first and scored in five innings, leaving Schiesz with no choice but to pitch the sixth inning with optimism.
Across the lineup, Luis Campasuano hit a home run and scored two runs, Bryce Johnson recorded his first career two RBI, Manny Machado reached base five times, and Campasuano, Johnson, Ha-Seong Kim and Xander Bogaerts all had two hits each.
The game was canceled due to All-Stars Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez being rested.
“That means a lot, right?” Shildt said of the unanimous victory that will give the Padres a shot at a franchise-record ninth straight win on Sunday.
With Saturday’s win, the Padres are now 20-5 since the start of the second half and have not lost consecutive games since losing two games around the All-Star break.
“It’s fun, it’s fun,” Machado said. “That’s what baseball was made for. It’s a fun time to be in the clubhouse and do something special in the position that we’re in. It’s fun to watch the game early. We all love baseball. We’re all chilling, we’re all watching the scoreboard. But at the end of the day, I think this team does everything to prepare for the game before we even start watching it. So it’s even more special to know that we’ve done everything we need to do to prepare for that game and then we can just sit back, goof around, watch the game and be ready for the 7 o’clock game.”
“It’s definitely a fun time for baseball.”
First published: August 17, 2024, 8:11 pm