San Diego Padres July Monthly Scheduled Primer

Jun 29, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne (40) is congratulated by teammates after coming out of the game in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

No matter what happens after tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Padres’ will still sit in fourth place in the NL West either a half game or game and half ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for last place in the division. At the minimum, they will sit at least 10.5 games back from both the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants who are battling it out for first place in the division. The Padres’ currently sit 9 games back for the second wild card.

Barring a miracle, it is safe to say the Padres’ season is nearly over.  They will have the month of July and the July 31 MLB trade deadline to make those necessary moves to help get ready for the 2015 season.

Total Games: 26

All-Star Game: 1

Divisional Games: 10

NL Central: 8

NL East: 7

Following the final two games of the three game series with the Reds, the Padres’ will begin a stretch of 10 divisional games with three home games against the first place San Francisco Giants before heading on the road to play both the Colorado Rockies for three and the Dodgers for four games before the mid-summer break and the annual MLB All-Star game on July 15 in Minnesota.

More likely, it will be Huston Street representing the team during the All-Star break before the Padres’ return to action on July 18.

When the break ends, the team will start the second half of the season with a quick three-game home series with the NL East New York Mets before hitting the road again for six games in the Midwest and the South

They start the road trip with a three game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field before making their way down south four summer games against the Atlanta Braves.

The Padres’ finish the month of July with three games at home against the second place St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have had the Padres’ number for years and they will be in the heat of the pennant race as they try to catch the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers. With the Reds clawing at their heels, the Cardinals’ will be ready to use this opportunity to get closer to the division lead.

It will be another challenging month for the Padres’ when they face multiple teams in thick of the pennant chase, but July will also be a important time to test the team’s resilience with the soon-to-be-departures of several high profile players who will more likely be traded before the end of the month.