The swingin’ Friars from San Diego are in the middle of a historic meltdown. How bad is it? Well, it’s the third worst losing streak in the organizations history, losers of ten straight. During the stretch, they’ve been outscored 55-23 and they’ve joined the 1932 Pittsburgh Pirates as the only other team in MLB history to lose ten in a row yet still be in first place.
The most damaging news for the Padres however is the fact that only two teams in MLB history have had a 10+ game losing streak and made the playoffs.
Going into Monday’s games, the Padres still hold a one game lead over the Giants (two in the loss column) but still have seven remaining battles to play, four in San Diego later this week and three in San Francisco to end the season. And thanks to the sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies, the Padres now hold a 4.5 game lead (5 in the loss column) over the purple people eaters. The Padres and Rockies still have three games to play as well with the Friars making a trip to Denver next week where the Rockies have a 43-22 record.
In short – pull up your huggies – it’s going to be a wild ride to the finish.
As for the game last night, the Giants again struggled offensively but managed to scrap together a run before Juan Uribe’s two run dinger slammed the door on any slim playoff chances the Dodgers might have had. Jonathan Sanchez was spectacular for the second straight start, something he hadn’t pulled off since mid May.
Knock on wood, but, it seems for the most part that the Giants struggles with pitching have calmed a bit after two straight solid starts from Sanchez, a Lincecum-esque performance from Timmy the other night and Cain doing well outside of a three run bomb Saturday evening. It’s the offense that’s really hurting right now as multiple guys (Huff, Torres, Burrell, Guillen, even Posey) are all scuffling at the dish. If one or two of those guys could get hot, the Giants could very well come home to AT&T Park next week in first place. A lot easier said than done though.
The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the hill versus Ian Kennedy this afternoon with Lincecum and Zito finishing out the series in Arizona. Assuming all goes right, the Padres series will feature Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner, and Lincecum going for the Giants.
The Snakes are no joke, despite their poor record. It’s that time of the year for spoilers to come out and play and after sweeping the Padres after taking two of three in San Francisco, it’s pretty clear the Diamondbacks are in the market to spoil. Be careful.