San Diego Padres win first series since All-Star break: 3 takeaways

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SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 9: Cal Quantrill #40 of the San Diego Padres points to the outfield after Wil Myers #4 made a catch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park August 9, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Anything can happen

“Looks like playoffs are back on the menu, boys!”

That’s what was circulating around the community when the Padres took the series from the Rockies on Saturday. That first series win since the All-Star break certainly lifted the spirits around the fanbase, and rightfully so. Perhaps they’re back in the playoff mix.

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Or perhaps not.

They’ve gone 5-5 in their last 10 games and are still 6.5 games back from a wild card spot. The short three-game winning streak didn’t do much because other contending teams kept winning.

That’s what good teams do, and in such a crowded NL race this season, there are a lot of good teams vying for one of those playoff spots.

It’s hard to pin down one consensus pick for the wild card this season. The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals currently hold that spot, and considering how close the top three teams in the NL Central are, it’s likely that one of them will snag a place in the dance.

So that leaves one spot left for any of nine teams to grab.

At this point, however, the Padres don’t control their own destiny. 6.5 games back is definitely possible to come back from, but they’d need some help from the teams ahead along the way.

In the next month, San Diego will play the Tampa Bay Rays (69-50), Philadelphia Phillies (60-57), Boston Red Sox (62-58), and Dodgers (79-41). That’s a tough crowd to get through if they want to gain some ground in the playoff race.

Anything can happen though. The unknown and improbabilities in sports is what gets viewers hooked in the first place. If the Padres can play like they did against the Rockies through the rest of the season, they definitely have a chance.

For now, expectations should continue to be tempered as they relate to our record though. Remember that 2019 was never our year, so building off of and improving on the 2018 season, in which the Padres won only 66 games, is a much bigger priority. It seems like we’re on pace for that right now, which should be considered progress as is.

Next. Players of the game in the Padres series win. dark

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